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1.46k reviews for:
Twelve Years a Slave: Including; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Solomon Northup, Frederick Douglass
4.23 AVERAGE
1.46k reviews for:
Twelve Years a Slave: Including; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Solomon Northup, Frederick Douglass
4.23 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
This is a well-written and truly moving memoir that only gives a glimpse into the horrors of slavery. Despite being more than a century and a half old, this book is an engaging read.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
The oppression makes me ill. So sad that slavery is a part of my American heritage :(
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Twelve Years a Slave is Solomon Northup's memoir on his time as a slave. Northup recounts the incidents leading up to his kidnapping and subsequent sale into slavery, the different masters that he had and his way out again.
Northup tells his story without any filters and it is incredible to think of he could have stayed sane and focused on getting out despite the hatred and sorrow that surrounded him.
A haunting book and reading it 150 years later after its publication I can't imagine how it must have felt like to read it in that day and age.
Highly recommended reading.
Northup tells his story without any filters and it is incredible to think of he could have stayed sane and focused on getting out despite the hatred and sorrow that surrounded him.
A haunting book and reading it 150 years later after its publication I can't imagine how it must have felt like to read it in that day and age.
Highly recommended reading.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
emotional
informative
fast-paced
A compelling memoir - filled in the blanks and answered some questions I had after seeing the movie. Written in the 1850's - the formal language and adjective laden writing style take a bit of getting used to but it just highlights what an intelligent, articulate man Northup was.
Finished reading: December 26th 2014
“Life is dear to every living thing; the worm that crawls upon the ground will struggle for it.”
Spoiler
This book was a gift of a friend who knows I always like reading historical books, whether fiction or non fiction. Twelve Years A Slave is not the first book about slavery that I've read, but without doubt it is one of the more powerful once. In this memoir Solomon Northup, born a free man, tells us about how he was kidnapped, then forced into slavery during twelve long years and finally rescued from such fate. It's not an easy read and at times a bit slow in pace, but the message is powerful enough to keep reading. I think most people already suspect how slaves were treated in Southern USA back in those days, but actually reading a testimony makes it hard to ignore such inhumane treatment that was used on black slaves. Like Northup said in his book, it was part of the culture and most slave owners didn't know any better, but still... Even humane masters as Ford were still seeing slaves as property and forced them to work for him. A heavy, but strong book and definitely recommended to those who are interested in reading more about the life of slaves.
Solomon Northup was born a free man in the state of New York. He got married, had some children and were able to coope by working hard. Even in the free states, work for black men was harder to find, but both Solomon and his wife were creative enough to scrape together an income. Solomon plays the violin, and when to gentlemen invite him to travel with them to Washington with the promise of money, he quickly agrees to join them. Unfortunately, they deceived him and Solomon was kidnapped, severely beaten and then sold into slavery in 1841. Once crossing the border to the Southern States, he knew that nobody would believe he was a free man without his papers. And those who did, would most likely kill him rather than set him free. So he kept his mouth shut and during twelve years played the role of Platt the slave on different plantations in Louisiana.
Solomon/Platt had different owners during those twelve years and while some, like master Ford, treated him at least with humanity, others were mere brutes and unnecessarily cruel. They actually try to kill him various times when he refuses to be humiliated too much, and owes his life to more humane southerners. Solomon tells us the story of when he manages to escape against all odds and arrive safely back at master Ford's land, who then protects him from harm. Solomon first works at the cotton plantation, and later is hired to sugar cane plantations as he is way more productive at the latter. He help building new houses and other useful buildings and stands out for his cleverness and violin skills. And then finally he meets the right man that will help him reclaim his freedom...
If you are interested in reading more about the life of slaves during the years of slavery in Southern USA, Twelve Years A Slave is without doubt a must read. This is not just another testimony written by a slave, in this memoir we see the facts through the eyes of a free man that was forced into slavery. That and the fact that Solomon Northup clearly was an educated man, makes this book that much more powerful. The prose is not always easy to read, but the message makes up for it. Plus, this book was written back in 1853...
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.