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1.49k reviews for:
Twelve Years a Slave: The Autobiography of Solomon Northup
Louis Gossett Jr., Solomon Northup
4.23 AVERAGE
1.49k reviews for:
Twelve Years a Slave: The Autobiography of Solomon Northup
Louis Gossett Jr., Solomon Northup
4.23 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Educational and eye opening
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
rated 75% enjoyability
*NOTION NOTE TO SELF IN SPOILER*
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
An all together human recount of one man's very inhuman kidnap and sale into slavery.
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
This autobiography is a moving and profound look at the institution of slavery and how many different experiences a black man or woman could have in the United States at the time. Within the first few chapters of the book we learn that Northup who is a free man living a relatively easy and peaceful life in New York has befriended both white and black people and made a name for himself through his multiple skills and amazing fiddle playing. After he is kidnapped, we meet another man in a similar situation and a woman who lived as a free black woman on a plantation because she was the mother of one of the owners children. Her descent into slavery comes after the owner dies. Finally, there are a range of other slaves more used to the life style including a Native American.
I just nearly understand why the validity of this book was questioned for so long. Northup had a very interesting experience in slavery that, in some ways, goes against what is often taught about the period. He goes into detail explaining the levels of cruelty that exist within the bayou and compares multiple owners to each other to give the reader a sense of the great variety of their personalities. The one who Northup ends up with for the majority of his enslavement is a cruel and deadly owner that takes pleasure in causing his slaves pain. To worsen the situation his wife also enjoys watching them suffer, particularly one slave, Patsy - who the wife seems to be jealous of or threatened by. Northups own ability to elude death seems nearly endless... there were so many instances where I imagined that ONLY G-d could have saved him from being lynched and murdered.
I appreciated the honestly of the commentary. I think when reading this books it's important to remember that even as a free man, Northup would have had limits that made him more appreciative (if that's the right word...eh.) of the life of a white man - this is obvious when he goes on and on about the beautiful plantation owner who is the only woman owning a house and slaves on the bayou.
Eakin's historical context gives the reader a different perspective of Northup. One where he has an arrest, is fired for being intoxicated yet seems to rebound from slavery as a speaker, active abolitionist and safe house operator for runaways. I only wish we knew more about his life and death in the years after the book is published.
Overall - 4 stars. It seems unfair to give an autobiography "stars." This is a great work if for anyone looking for information on slavery, kidnapping and unexpected justice in a century where it rarely existed for black people. I would definitely recommend it.
Update: The New York Times published a correction to the original 1853 Article.
Here is a link to Slate. It discusses the correction and links to the article from 1853
I just nearly understand why the validity of this book was questioned for so long. Northup had a very interesting experience in slavery that, in some ways, goes against what is often taught about the period. He goes into detail explaining the levels of cruelty that exist within the bayou and compares multiple owners to each other to give the reader a sense of the great variety of their personalities. The one who Northup ends up with for the majority of his enslavement is a cruel and deadly owner that takes pleasure in causing his slaves pain. To worsen the situation his wife also enjoys watching them suffer, particularly one slave, Patsy - who the wife seems to be jealous of or threatened by. Northups own ability to elude death seems nearly endless... there were so many instances where I imagined that ONLY G-d could have saved him from being lynched and murdered.
I appreciated the honestly of the commentary. I think when reading this books it's important to remember that even as a free man, Northup would have had limits that made him more appreciative (if that's the right word...eh.) of the life of a white man - this is obvious when he goes on and on about the beautiful plantation owner who is the only woman owning a house and slaves on the bayou.
Eakin's historical context gives the reader a different perspective of Northup. One where he has an arrest, is fired for being intoxicated yet seems to rebound from slavery as a speaker, active abolitionist and safe house operator for runaways. I only wish we knew more about his life and death in the years after the book is published.
Overall - 4 stars. It seems unfair to give an autobiography "stars." This is a great work if for anyone looking for information on slavery, kidnapping and unexpected justice in a century where it rarely existed for black people. I would definitely recommend it.
Update: The New York Times published a correction to the original 1853 Article.
Here is a link to Slate. It discusses the correction and links to the article from 1853
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced