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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I found this book difficult to rate. It's undoubtedly well written, and the fact of its existence is amazing in itself. Solomon Northup's story is brutal, and one that ought to be read for the stark and detailed portrait of slavery it presents. There were times where the narrative lagged - but this is a real life account and a primary source.
In summary - not always easy nor entertaining, but certainly worthwhile and essential.
In summary - not always easy nor entertaining, but certainly worthwhile and essential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Violence
dark
tense
fast-paced
With its stuffy style and often passive voice, this was not exactly a reading/listening pleasure, I thought in the beginning of the audiobook. Yet, at the same time, the style gives the narrative a further sense of authenticity. What stayed with me from this book was not the atrocities inflicted on the slaves, but rather the normality of it all, the sense that the white people were doing a _good_ thing. Most chillingly, we are still barely a step removed from the same mindset, and right now taking steps backwards.
In mid-2013 I first saw the trailer for the movie Twelve Years a Slave and knew right away I wanted to see it. I've got to be honest I'd never heard of Solomon Northup nor his story. What I appreciated most about reading Twelve Years a Slave was it was the most honest telling of that time period I've ever read. The descriptions that Solomon had on being a slave, his masters, and his fellow slaves made you feel like you were back in the mid-1800's in the South,
What can I possibly say that hasn't already been said before. To me Twelve Years a Slave should be required reading for all students in America. It shows slavery through the eyes of a slave not something we have many first hand accounts of. I'm so glad I read Twelve Years a Slave and cannot wait to see the movie.
What can I possibly say that hasn't already been said before. To me Twelve Years a Slave should be required reading for all students in America. It shows slavery through the eyes of a slave not something we have many first hand accounts of. I'm so glad I read Twelve Years a Slave and cannot wait to see the movie.
I can only imagine the depths of despair this man was forced to endure. He kept the text rich in details of slave living, while sparing of the horror & degredation he was forced toendure. He was surprisingly upbeat and positive, in spite of the beatings and other wrongs done to him. Highly recommend this short, but powerful, story.
One of the cases where reality seems stranger than fiction, and staggeringly more horrifying.
It's a powerful, surprisingly well-written true account of a man's journey from freedom to slavery and back again. More than that, it's a close examination of what it truly meant to be a slave, of the hardships suffered, and the fleeting moments of whatever happiness might be had when one's freedom is an unattainable dream. There's much to learn of our own society, and the interaction of its various segregated communities, within these pages.
I feel like a jerk only giving it 3 stars, but the writing style was not for me. It’s a sad, uncomfortable read nevertheless.
The unimaginable nature of Solomon Northup's experience makes it easy sometimes to mistake it for fiction. So many near brushes with death, foiled attempts at escape, and how delicately his eventual rescue balanced on a string of coincidences - it really does read like the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster, which makes the fact that it is completely true somehow even more harrowing.
The better the book, the less I have to say about it. Let's face it, I started doing reviews so I could petulantly whine about books I disliked, so when I stumble across a book so good I have essentially no real criticism of it, the review will probably be pathetically short.
This might be the best book I've ever read. The sheer horror and emotional impact of slavery, told through the eyes of a person who lived through it... what else do I really need to add?
Solomon Northup is one of the most likable people I've ever had the pleasure to read about. He is constantly driven through torturous ordeal after tourtuous ordeal, and not once is there an ounce of self-pity in him. He tries to free himself from his bonds using at times ingenious methods... and when they fail, the sheer injustice of the situation hits you. No matter what he did, no matter how smart or brave he was, there was never a way out. And that's the nature of slavery.
I want to crush Epps' skull in with my bare hands. That he acted with such pointless cruelty and got away with it all...it's rage inducing. Reading this book destroys the image of slavery being nothing more than a bad thing that happened a long time ago and it's all much better now. These were real people who had their entire lives ruined by the pathetic laziness and greed of men like Epps and Tibeats.
Frankly the only part of the book that hasn't aged particularly well is the allegation of there being "good" slave owners. But even then I think the point it makes is still poignant today. Cruel men like Epps and Tibeats are enabled by injust power structures, and otherwise good men like Ford and Chapin are courrupted by it into serving it. Chapin performs acts of genuine bravery to save Northup's life, but yet the sheer unfairness of the system means even good men's virtues are in service to evil. Injustice corrupts all who are complicit in it, no matter how many virtues they possess.
An absolute must-read for anyone. 10/10
This might be the best book I've ever read. The sheer horror and emotional impact of slavery, told through the eyes of a person who lived through it... what else do I really need to add?
Solomon Northup is one of the most likable people I've ever had the pleasure to read about. He is constantly driven through torturous ordeal after tourtuous ordeal, and not once is there an ounce of self-pity in him. He tries to free himself from his bonds using at times ingenious methods... and when they fail, the sheer injustice of the situation hits you. No matter what he did, no matter how smart or brave he was, there was never a way out. And that's the nature of slavery.
I want to crush Epps' skull in with my bare hands. That he acted with such pointless cruelty and got away with it all...it's rage inducing. Reading this book destroys the image of slavery being nothing more than a bad thing that happened a long time ago and it's all much better now. These were real people who had their entire lives ruined by the pathetic laziness and greed of men like Epps and Tibeats.
Frankly the only part of the book that hasn't aged particularly well is the allegation of there being "good" slave owners. But even then I think the point it makes is still poignant today. Cruel men like Epps and Tibeats are enabled by injust power structures, and otherwise good men like Ford and Chapin are courrupted by it into serving it. Chapin performs acts of genuine bravery to save Northup's life, but yet the sheer unfairness of the system means even good men's virtues are in service to evil. Injustice corrupts all who are complicit in it, no matter how many virtues they possess.
An absolute must-read for anyone. 10/10