It took me a while to get used to Northup's voice. I guess it's been a while since I've read a book published before 1950. I wish I had read this before watching the movie because I spent way too much time trying to put faces from the movie I saw over a year ago to the characters in the book. It really is a fascinating read and informs the modern reader about slavery at the time. Although I do not believe Northup is completely impartial, he does strive to create a balanced narrative and avoid stereotypes.
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Heartbreaking but amazing.
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I don't think my review could do this book justice.

andresreading's review

4.0

This edition of Twelve Years a Slave, detailing the story of Solomon Northup, comes with a following account of Frederick Douglass. I found the two stories to complement eachother. The former, and principal, tells us about a free man who, having dark skin, was kidnapped into the South with the purpose of making him a slave, which he was for all of twelve years. The latter, tells us about a young man who was born a slave, and managed to escape to freedom. The details that both men describe, show an honest account of the evil actions that were commited against the dark-skinned human beings in the USA. I believe it was a highly commendable thing for them to have written their accounts. Lest it be forgotten.
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I guess I just wasn’t ready for this type of book. I couldn’t get into it at all.....
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