Up From Slavery

Booker T. Washington's autobiography traces his rise from enslaved child during the Civil War to educator and founder of vocational schools, above all the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which taught Black Americans and other disadvantaged groups useful, marketable skills. He recounts the obstacles he faced to get an education at Hampton and pays tribute to the teachers and philanthropists who helped educate Black and Native American students. His educational philosophy joins academic subjects with training in a trade, and he explains that the practical side was partly meant to reassure white communities about educating Black people. The book became a best seller, and no Black American autobiography matched its popularity until The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Ryan Holiday called Washington's memoir deeply moving and inspiring in his list of 36 books for young and ambitious people.