Cover of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

by Frederick Douglass

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Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 1 state

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass is assigned in US schools at grades 8–12, with a Lexile measure of 1080L. It appears across 4 curriculum references and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Lexile
1080L
Grade range
Grades 8–12
Difficulty for grade
Within the grade 6–8 band (925–1185L)
Age range
Ages 13–18
Pages
128
Reading time
about 2h 20m (est.)
First published
1845
Genre
Slave Narrative / Autobiography
ISBN-13
9780486284996

Reading difficulty: At 1080L, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave falls within the typical 925–1185L text-complexity range for 8th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.

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About this book

Frederick Douglass's firsthand account of his enslavement, his self-taught literacy, and his escape to freedom in the North. The narrative is among the most-assigned primary-source texts in Common Core ELA Appendix B, APUSH, AP Language, and state American Literature frameworks.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Slave Narrative / Autobiography title, reads at young-adult to upper-middle-grade complexity, typically at grades 8–12. Written in the 1840s; pairs with curriculum units on slavery and literacy as freedom; cited across 4 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

slavery · literacy as freedom · abolition · identity · resistance

Content notes

graphic violence · slavery depictions · racial slurs (historical)

Common Sense Media recommends age 13+.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave?
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 8–12, with a Lexile measure of 1080L. It appears on 5 school reading lists across 1 state, from grade 11 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
What is the Lexile level of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave?
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave has a Lexile measure of 1080L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
How long does it take to read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave?
It takes about 2h 20m to read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (128 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 140 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
Is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave hard to read for 8th grade?
At 1080L, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave falls within the typical 925–1185L text-complexity range for 8th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
What curricula assign Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave?
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave appears on reading lists for AP English Language & Composition, AP United States History (APUSH), Common Core State Standards (ELA), and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
1080L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
Grade band
Grades 8–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 5 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: summer.

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