As a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.

Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights.

In this biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers.

露絲‧拜德‧金斯伯格（Ruth Bader Ginsburg）不僅是美國史上首位民主黨兼猶太裔女性身分的聯邦最高法院大法官，也是最受人民歡迎的一位大法官。她在美國家喻戶曉，並因其直率敢言的作風，被年輕人暱稱為「聲名狼藉的RBG」。本書作者傑佛瑞‧羅森為美國國家憲法中心主任兼執行長，也是她的好友，藉由書中多年來一系列與金斯柏格的對談，呈現了最有血有肉的RBG，讓人一覽這位不平凡的女性平易近人且不為人知的一面，以及她在法律執行面向上無比縝密、超越時代的思索。對談從九○年代開始，延續到川普時代，金斯伯格分享了她對各種事務的看法：她剖析「羅訴韋德案」的利弊；她笑談她與丈夫的鶼鰈情深；她分析#MeToo運動的崛起；她討論她最希望被推翻的判決；她也分享該如何保持自律，如何擁有充實又富有同理心的人生，當然，還有她對最高法院的未來展望。這部難能可貴的訪談錄展現了真實的金斯伯格，一個擁有鋼鐵般決心，以最高標準要求自我，同時竭盡畢生所能、讓世界變得更美好的偉大人格。