12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup
12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup
77 Rating(s)
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12 Years a Slave

Author: Solomon Northup

Narrator: Mirron Willis

Unabridged: 8 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/23/2021


Synopsis

Solomon Northup was born in the early 1800s in New York, and was born as a free man. He lived as a free man for over 30 years, until he was tricked into moving to Washington, D.C. by men offering him a job as a musician. Once he made it to D.C., he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana, where he was forced to work on a plantation until he could make his escape. His family had no way of knowing where he was or if he was safe – he was on his own with no hope of escaping the circumstance.

In this harrowing memoir, Northrup describes the horrific conditions he and the other slaves lived in, the ways they were mistreated by their owners and were forced to mistreat one another, and the difficulty he had making his way out of slavery and back to his family. This tale is bleak, but eye-opening to the plights of slaves in the years leading up to the Civil War.

12 Years a Slave was a fast best-seller when it was published just 8 years before the Civil War, and is an integral text from the time period. This memoir was the basis for the 2013 Oscar-winning film of the same name.

About Solomon Northup

Solomon Northup (b. 1808) was an African American carpenter who was born free in Minerva, Essex County, New York, but was bound into slavery later in life for a period of twelve years. He is the author of the autobiographical account Twelve Years a Slave, which chronicles his experiences as both a slave and a free man. After regaining his freedom, Solomon became active in abolitionism, lecturing widely on his experiences as a slave throughout the Northeast in order to end the practice of slavery.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Miranda on December 10, 2020

Old books get a bad rap...but do they deserve it? Check out my latest BooktTube Video - all about the fabulous (and not so fabulous) Olde Boies. The Written ReviewWhat difference is there in the color of the soul?Solomon Northup, born a free man during slavery times i......more

Goodreads review by Brian on February 08, 2022

There's a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation, that will not go unpunished forever. There will be reckoning yet ... it may be sooner or it may be later, but it's a coming as sure as the Lord is just. -Solomon Northup, 1855 I am a middle-age American white guy obsessed with my country's shameful......more

Goodreads review by Dr. Appu on May 07, 2023

This book discusses the story of Solomon Northup, born in New York and leading a peaceful life there. He was kidnapped in Washington city, sold into slavery, and had to work as an enslaved person for 12 long years in Louisiana. The author delineates the slave trade in Washington D.C., and New O......more

Goodreads review by Maria on January 06, 2022

Um Herói da Vida Real Existem múltiplas e variadas ficções sobre a escravatura nos USA. Porém, histórias verdadeiras, narradas por alguém que as sofreu e viveu, não conheço outra além desta! Solomon Northup nasceu e viveu livre no Norte dos USA. Um dia foi emboscado, raptado e vendido como escravo no......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on December 08, 2020

This is a very powerful and important book. It seems like lately a lot of my selections have focused on the dark side of American history - and this one is particularly dark, sad, and disturbing. I missed the big rush to read this book a few years ago when the movie came out. But I am finally glad I......more