A review by emmacb
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

5.0

A beautifully written book about a terrible experience. Northup's words manage to portray many of the horrors of slavery as much through what he doesn't say as what he does - he doesn't dwell on emotional descriptions of his labour, or of the abuses he both endured and witnessed, and this matter-of-fact tone only stands to make the awfulness even plainer. His acknowledgement that, whilst he had a happy ending, so many others in his situation didn't is completely heartbreaking.
This book also shows me how much more I have to learn about American history by drawing attention to issues and injustices I hadn't heard of before.