Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
One of the most remarkable narratives I have ever read.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
There are no words for this. The reality of slavery is so much more devastating than any imagining could be.
While reading this novel, I often thought about what I learned about slavery in school and the many films I've seen on the subject, most notably, the television series Roots, which is probably most of our first visual representation of a slaves' life – but I thought, "Noooo, they got it wrong! Slavery was 50 times worst than any representation I've ever seen on a film."
Solomon Northup, was a free born, African America man living in New York state in the early 1800s. He had a wife, three children, and was able to provide for his family working various jobs, depending on the season. Solomon is kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 years, in the deep south.
What makes this novel so compelling is his story telling. He goes into great detail explaining what is feels like to be a slave; the constant state of fear (scared of waking up late, scared of not working fast enough, scared of being in the wrong place at the wrong time if your master is in an angry mood), the whippings (which happened more often than I originally thought), the brutal labor, the little food (yet being forced to work at 100% at all times with little nourishment), and the depressing feeling of being separated from your family (being sold to another master was the worst nightmare of most slaves, more fearful than the whip). His prose paints a clear picture of what it feels like to be a slave.
I highly recommend this non-fiction novel (did I mention, this is a TRUE story) to any and everyone interested in American or African American history.
This novel is currently being made into a film by director Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender. I have to admit, I am very eager to see this film (it's slated for release Sept. 6, 2013) because I'm curious to see if they will be true to the original work, and go hard and showcase slavery in its most brutal form, even if it will make audiences uncomfortable, because as time goes on, I think we forget how truly horrible an institution slavery was.
Solomon Northup, was a free born, African America man living in New York state in the early 1800s. He had a wife, three children, and was able to provide for his family working various jobs, depending on the season. Solomon is kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 years, in the deep south.
What makes this novel so compelling is his story telling. He goes into great detail explaining what is feels like to be a slave; the constant state of fear (scared of waking up late, scared of not working fast enough, scared of being in the wrong place at the wrong time if your master is in an angry mood), the whippings (which happened more often than I originally thought), the brutal labor, the little food (yet being forced to work at 100% at all times with little nourishment), and the depressing feeling of being separated from your family (being sold to another master was the worst nightmare of most slaves, more fearful than the whip). His prose paints a clear picture of what it feels like to be a slave.
I highly recommend this non-fiction novel (did I mention, this is a TRUE story) to any and everyone interested in American or African American history.
This novel is currently being made into a film by director Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender. I have to admit, I am very eager to see this film (it's slated for release Sept. 6, 2013) because I'm curious to see if they will be true to the original work, and go hard and showcase slavery in its most brutal form, even if it will make audiences uncomfortable, because as time goes on, I think we forget how truly horrible an institution slavery was.
How does one rate a slave narrative? It feels like literary criticism is inappropriate here. So I'm going to go with four stars because, while it's not my favorite book ever, it is a worthwhile book to read at least once, and if you get an opportunity to do so, perhaps once when you are young and once when you are old.
I think the first thing I fascinating about this book were the descriptions of everyday life--what the slaves ate, where they slept, what their work was like, the rules they had to follow, etc. When you read about slavery in, for example, a high school textbook, you get only a vague idea of what slaves went through, and that sort of allows you to distance yourself from remembering that these were real people and things that actually happened. "Hearing" it in a slave's own words makes it more real.
The second thing that interested me, or really surprised me, was the compassion and understanding Solomon expressed for some of the slaveholders. His opinion was that they were slaveholders only because it was part of their culture and upbringing. They were not bad or evil people, they simply had never considered that there was another option. It's one of those obvious but profound thoughts that is going to take me a while to digest, as I can see how it applies to other situations of oppression as well.
I think the first thing I fascinating about this book were the descriptions of everyday life--what the slaves ate, where they slept, what their work was like, the rules they had to follow, etc. When you read about slavery in, for example, a high school textbook, you get only a vague idea of what slaves went through, and that sort of allows you to distance yourself from remembering that these were real people and things that actually happened. "Hearing" it in a slave's own words makes it more real.
The second thing that interested me, or really surprised me, was the compassion and understanding Solomon expressed for some of the slaveholders. His opinion was that they were slaveholders only because it was part of their culture and upbringing. They were not bad or evil people, they simply had never considered that there was another option. It's one of those obvious but profound thoughts that is going to take me a while to digest, as I can see how it applies to other situations of oppression as well.
I first heard about this book when the movie adaptation made into the nominee list of 2014 Academy Awards Best Picture (and eventually won it). I thought, "Pfft, only twelve years. Many were born in slavery and died in it."
But nevertheless, I always wondered about the hardship of being a slave, and even more so on the mental and emotional part of it, I finally read it. The introduction mentioned that his story is written in a matter-of-fact manner, so I would imagine a rather flat tone, something like a Wikipedia entry.
And how wrong I was. One thing that really stood out for me about this book is how the author always give sneak peeks at the end of the chapter, like a spoiler, making the reader know what will happen in the end, but making the reader even more curious about what happened in between. The book was also written with great description, of course on the pain and hardship, but I especially liked how he described the emotions, not just of himself, but of the fellow slaves his life encountered. The one that gave me long-lasting impact until now is on a character named Eliza, but any other reader may be impacted by other characters, they are humans anyway, full of emotions and thought just like you and I, but treated with such degradation because they are just mere properties, although I believe considerably expensive properties such as a house or a horse, but still, mere properties, that they can be bought or sold or even be killed if their masters wished to do so.
This story was told from a first person's view, so I would expect a happy ending. But the world is not rosy as we would love it to be, slavery may have been abolished in the States (and the Americas) but there are still millions today who are still in some form of modern slavery.
Ultimately, most of these human tragedies, Atlantic slave trade, Congo Free State, Holocaust, Stalin's reign, Cultural Revolution, Khmer Rouge, are well-known. But we will never apprehend what the individuals go through, if not for literature works like these. After all, they, all the millions who suffered and died, are humans, full of emotions and thoughts, no different than us.
The most depressing part of the story is beyond the book. The author, after lived in liberty as a free man a few years after being rescued, disappeared from public records. He may have been kidnapped again and enslaved. There are many theories of what happened to him, and there are opinions that it is unlikely that he was kidnapped again, as he would be rather old to be of any value. But I don't know.
But nevertheless, I always wondered about the hardship of being a slave, and even more so on the mental and emotional part of it, I finally read it. The introduction mentioned that his story is written in a matter-of-fact manner, so I would imagine a rather flat tone, something like a Wikipedia entry.
And how wrong I was. One thing that really stood out for me about this book is how the author always give sneak peeks at the end of the chapter, like a spoiler, making the reader know what will happen in the end, but making the reader even more curious about what happened in between. The book was also written with great description, of course on the pain and hardship, but I especially liked how he described the emotions, not just of himself, but of the fellow slaves his life encountered. The one that gave me long-lasting impact until now is on a character named Eliza, but any other reader may be impacted by other characters, they are humans anyway, full of emotions and thought just like you and I, but treated with such degradation because they are just mere properties, although I believe considerably expensive properties such as a house or a horse, but still, mere properties, that they can be bought or sold or even be killed if their masters wished to do so.
This story was told from a first person's view, so I would expect a happy ending. But the world is not rosy as we would love it to be, slavery may have been abolished in the States (and the Americas) but there are still millions today who are still in some form of modern slavery.
Ultimately, most of these human tragedies, Atlantic slave trade, Congo Free State, Holocaust, Stalin's reign, Cultural Revolution, Khmer Rouge, are well-known. But we will never apprehend what the individuals go through, if not for literature works like these. After all, they, all the millions who suffered and died, are humans, full of emotions and thoughts, no different than us.
Spoiler
The following section have spoilers. It is best that you read the book entirely first before reading the following spoilers.Spoiler
The most depressing part of the story is beyond the book. The author, after lived in liberty as a free man a few years after being rescued, disappeared from public records. He may have been kidnapped again and enslaved. There are many theories of what happened to him, and there are opinions that it is unlikely that he was kidnapped again, as he would be rather old to be of any value. But I don't know.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
I don't read much non-fiction (I know, I know...), but I could not put this book down! I devoured it, finishing it in less than a day. Twelve Years a Slave provides vivid detail of Northup's years spent [wrongly] enslaved & the people who most impacted his life in those years. This is an absolute must-read!
Amazing, start to finish. It's a period piece so it was sometimes hard to follow in audiobook, but still... every word cut to the bone.