If I Survive

"Public and university libraries will want this book for their African American and history collections." -- Merle Jacob, Booklist "This treasure trove of primary source documents reveals how the frequently told history of Frederick Douglass as an individual needs to be revised to account for the largely untold story of the work performed by his daughters and sons. It shows how the freedom forged by Douglass rested in no small measure on the collaborative work of his entire family, work that is now fully documented in print for the first time." -- George Lipsitz, author of How Racism Takes Place "This a remarkable breakthrough book on collecting. This unique and well-researched book transforms the family and public archive of Frederick Douglass into a living monument that breathes new life into the idea of public memory." -- Deborah Willis, New York University "If I Survive brings to Frederick Douglass scholarship an exploration of his intimate relationship with his family and its commitment to social justice. This book will challenge and expand Douglass Scholarship." -- Bill E. Lawson, Emeritus Professor, University of Memphis "If I Survive is a treasure for scholars of the nineteenth century, of Frederick Douglass, of the world of Black life in the Reconstruction era and the reversals that followed. Collecting little-seen family photos, beautiful love letters, the sole manuscript copy of Douglass' eulogy for William Lloyd Garrison, and hitherto inaccessible documents from the Walter O. Evans collection, Professors Celeste-Marie Bernier and Andrew Taylor offer their readers an unexpected gift, contextualizing and revealing the profound texture of America's most unsung First Family. A must for libraries, a find for academics, a trove for lovers of U.S. history and Black studies." -- Rafia Zafar, Washington University in St. Louis "In history, the study of slavery and the pre-Civil War era is a well trodden path. But this book will help break new ground with the amount of primary sources we get, all in one volume. This book alone should occupy scholars for decades." -- Kevin Winter, Tulsa Book Review

Celeste-Marie Bernier is Professor of Black Studies and Personal Chair in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. She is the author of African American Visual Arts; Characters of Blood: Black Heroism in the Transatlantic Imagination; Suffering and Sunset; World War I in the Art and Life of Horace Pippin; Stick to the Skin: African American and Black British Art (1965-2015). Andrew Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh.