Frederick Douglass story

I like how he describes things, he doesnt seem to be angry or doesnt try to overexaggerate the sufferings, which he could have easily done. It's an interesting story, but I find it hard to relate to those people's lives , the things seem too unrealistic for me to comprehend in 2008. However, i'm sure the book had a lot more impact on people 100-150 years ago than it does now, and I think it has a lot of historic value too.