A review by zena_ryder
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

5.0

This book is a vivid and readable account of the author's real experiences. Solomon Northup was a free black man, living in New York and was kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery in Louisiana. He was in captivity for 9 years before he was able to acquire a piece of paper in order to write a letter to friends and family to let them know where he was so they could rescue him. He was betrayed and not able to mail the letter. After 12 years as a slave, he finally met someone — a Canadian carpenter who was vocally anti-slavery — who was able to help him. Northup's happiness at finally being able to return to his family is set against the background of the friends he leaves behind in slavery.

If you want to learn about slavery in the American south, I highly recommend this book. It goes without saying that you will be enraged, and there are no adequate words for the sadness when you think about all the untold slaves who weren't as "lucky" as Northup — they were born, lived, and died entirely in slavery.

Incidentally, if my memory serves well, the movie of the same name seems to follow the book pretty accurately.