Twelve Years a Slave

In 1841, Solomon Northup was a free black man living in upstate New York, with his wife and three kids. His freedom ended abruptly one day, when two men named Brown and Hamilton tricked Solomon with a promise of a job in the circus. Brown and Hamilton were just looking to take advantage of the Fugitive slave laws in the U.S. at the time, and looking to collect a quick dollar by selling Solomon back into bondage. Solomon was first kept in a holding pen in Washington D.C., and held by a man named James Burch, who claimed that Solomon was his slave, which of course he was not. It is in the slave pen where he meets Eliza, once a mistress to her master with kids from him and had some measure of freedom but she was sold to another master and now resided in the slave pen. Eliza was living the life of a slave, and suffering the emotional devastation from that fact, by constantly weeping. Solomon was transported first to Virginia and then to New Orleans, where he was bought by William Ford, a relatively kind owner who also bought Eliza, but could not afford Eliza’s children, and therefor added to her constant state of melancholy. Ford was in debt so he eventually sold Solomon to a cruel master named Tibbeats who worked Solomon day and night whipped him regularly, and nearly hung him to death, if not for the actions of an overseer named Chaplin, and a 400 dollar mortgage put on Solomon by Ford, Solomon, now called Platt, would have been a dead man that day. After more severe treatment at the hands of Tibbeats, Solomon ran away from Tibbeats and back to Ford, but the happiness Solomon felt with Ford was not meant to last. Solomon was soon no longer the property of Tibbeats or Ford, he was sold to another slaveholder in Louisiana named Edwin Epps, who seemed to share the sadism of Tibbeats, and none of the small kindnesses of Ford, when Epps was drunk he was even more cruel to his slaves. Epps had a favorite slave, named Patsey from Guinea, she could pick cotton better than Solomon and better than any other slave, male or female for that matter, but the unwanted intentions of Epps and the unwavering jealousy of Mrs. Epps made Patsey’s life intolerable. She tried to bribe Solomon to kill her, but he did not. Solomon had resolved to gain his freedom from the brutal and sadistic Epps one way or another. He wrote a letter to his friends in the North and asked a man named Armsby to deliver it. Armsby had come to Epps plantation looking for an overseer’s job. He spent several days with Epps, and Solomon somehow trusted him with his freedom, but Armsby betrayed him and told Epps about the letter In 1852 Solomon wrote another letter and asked a carpenter’s assistant named Bass to deliver it to his friends in New York State. Bass was Canadian, and vocally anti-slavery, but would he deliver Solomon’s letter, and secure his freedom? There are not enough glowing adjectives to describe this book. If you care about history, this is a must read for you. This is real history, written contemporaneously after the events of Solomon Northup’s kidnapping, and subsequent life as a slave. There is no embellishment here, there doesn’t need to be. It is just one man’s story, his harrowing experience with the peculiar institution of slavery. Solomon is first kept in a slave pen in Washington D.C. and the irony of the fact that he is being held in bondage, while just a few feet away leaders speak of freedom, that irony is not lost on Solomon. He speaks so eloquently and powerfully about freedom, real freedom, from the perspective of a man who has just had his every freedom taken from him. Today, in the atmosphere of political hyperbole that we live in, many politicians and people speak of their ‘freedoms’ being taken away by this law or that. If they can still protest the fact that laws are impinging on their rights, they haven’t lost any freedom at all. Solomon’s relationship with God is an integral part of his story. Most people in his position would be bitter and angry, but he steadfastly believed that God would one day deliver him. I find Solomon’s faith remarkable in the face of what he had to deal with every day for 12 years. Moreover, Solomon described William Ford as a ‘good Christian.’ I personally don’t think anyone who owned people as property is a good Christian, but Solomon Northrup did, and that makes him a good Christian. I implore you to read this book, it is not an easy book to read, reading about man’s inhumanity to other men in such stark terms, but it is well worth the effort.

I read this prior to seeing the movie because I wanted to see what the story really was without Hollywood embellishment. This had no embellishment as far as I could tell and I could really get in touch with what this man went through. It read like a personal biography told by your grandfather. I could imaging Solomon Northup sitting in a room with a group of people just telling his tale while someone recorded it. It seemed very genuine. Because of it's matter of fact voice, I was able to read the story with a detached emotion. While I got interested in the characters and their stories, I was not overwhelmed with the emotion that I'm sure I will be when I see the movie and hear it with personal feelings from the characters along with all the cinematic glitz.. I do not mean to take away from what this man went through, as I am very certain it was extremely emotional and critical to the development of the rest of his life, but his straight fowardness with the facts just made the terrible truth of this time in American history easier to read for me. I like to listen to narratives as the details of peoples lives often interest me. But, they can become mundane sometimes. Since this is a situation that I have no first hand knowledge or experience with, it fascinated me from beginning to end. The only part that seemed to drag to me was the full chapters on how to plant, cultivate,and harvest cotton and sugar cane. While very important for explaining the everyday life that Mr Northrup lived during these years, it was very difficult to read because I have no knowledge or interest in anything agricultural. I would recommend this as a great narrative of a man who suffered great injustice and lost 12 years of his life in an American institution that no one living today will ever experience first hand. It is a testimonial of how awful humans can be towards one another and hopefully it can help modern day people to turn away from such things and treat each other a little better every day.

I have to admit that I'd never heard of this narrative until the movie got so much press this year. I had supposed that it was a work of contemporary fiction upon which the film had been based ( a la Jones' The Known World), and was surprised to learn that the book is a true slave narrative, first published in 1853. While primarily a heart wrenching story of injustice stacked upon injustice, the book also provides a great deal of interesting side history. Northrop was clearly a keen observer, and it was the detail he provided that allowed for so much of the story to be independently verified many years later. I was fascinated by his accounts of a typical day in the life of a slave during cotton season, then corn, or cane. He describes vividly the processes of sowing, harvesting and getting the finished product out on the market. He describes the terror slaves faced regarding their expected and actual output in a day's labor, as well as the harsh punishments affixed for not meeting expected output. It's vividly described and I've not read an account that better illustrates just how hard a slave worked, and how much was stolen from them (beyond the obvious wages) with each day's labor. The book is not an easy read. First, the sad and violent details are simply difficult to stomach. But, the flowery embellishment of mid-19th century prose also requires patient reading and frequent trips to the dictionary. After doing some research of my own, I've come to believe that while the ghost writer may have taken some license with the language, it is Solomon's voice and story we are reading and that the events described are all factual. Overall, this is an important and invaluable read. It is sometimes hard for the 21st century mind to process the unspeakable crimes described in this narrative, but this stain on our nation should never be forgotten, and it makes a book such as this one very important. In the end, I found myself inspired by Solomon Northrup's spirit and actions in the face of such evil and adversity. A truly worthwhile read.

This isn't a pretty read. It's a historical account of one man's capture from being a free man to slavery for over a decade, showing the bad and the worse of everyday life, with few good moments. It was dictated to a white man, who transcribed, and may have politicized the narrative, though the facts of the story stand as enough of a statement. Solomon's recounting of his experiences are factual and thorough, from educating about the farming and harvesting cotton and sugar cane to the brutal nature of everyday slave life. The Bible is used by one master to justify his actions, and the antiquated belief that slaves are animals, as discussed in this passage: "I can say, from a ten years' residence with Master Epps, that no slave of his is ever likely to suffer from the gout, superinduced by excessive high living. Master Epps' hogs were fed on shelled corn—it was thrown out to his "n******" in the ear. The former, he thought, would fatten faster by shelling, and soaking it in the water—the latter, perhaps, if treated in the same manner, might grow too fat to labor. Master Epps was a shrewd calculator, and knew how to manage his own animals, drunk or sober. " Abuse of all kinds, malnutrition, awful housing, and praying for death are recurring, understandable themes that may make this difficult for sensitive readers. Brief moments of fiddling and the much-cherished Christmas holidays and feast are but a slight reprieve, though the former does give Solomon benefits that others lack. This edition seems to have some typos, but remains a worthwhile historical read.

There are very few primary accounts of Slavery from people who experienced it, especially in written form. This book is probably the most well known of them all,and for good reason. It’s a genuinely horrifying read that depicts the terror a slave felt every day as they lived. This one is unique because it has a happy ending. I also highly recommend the movie adaptation of this book starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Goodreads Description- This unforgettable memoir was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. This is the true story of Solomon Northup, who was born and raised as a freeman in New York. He lived the American dream, with a house and a loving family - a wife and two kids. Then one day he was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the deep south. These are the true accounts of his twelve hard years as a slave - many believe this memoir is even more graphic and disturbing than the film. His extraordinary journey proves the resiliency of hope and the human spirit despite the most grueling and formidable of circumstances. Twelve Years a Slave is an autobiography first published in 1853 –just after he was rescued from slavery. I found it somewhat odd that the book was quite lacking in emotion considering what a huge impact it must have had on Solomon's life. It had the feeling of someone who is telling a story but who was not involved in it. I wondered if maybe delving into the hurtful parts of his past wasn’t something that was comfortable for him to do. Especially since he wrote in the first one or two paragraphs that it was suggested to him by friends that he should write about his experiences since Uncle Tom's Cabin and other stories like it were becoming popular at the time. However, this book ended up sounding like it was written merely as an official record of what was happening in the country at that time. My expectation was completely different to what I actually found in the book. This primarily affected my average reaction to this book. It merely tells of Solomon’s kidnapping, his time as a slave (brave and yet, trying to keep under the radar to survive), the atmosphere in the North (types of plantation, the process, the people, etc), and lastly, his miraculous deliverance. There were few moments where I was touched (slightly) but overall, after all the accolades the movie has received, I can’t see it in the book. I haven’t yet seen the movie though I would hazard a guess that being a screen adaptation, there will probably more emotions involved and being on screen, the graphic deliverance of some scenes will touch people harder than the words used in this book. I also thought the book moved so slowly. That also affected my reading experience. Had it moved at a fasted pace I might have been more drawn in to the book, but again I have to realize that this is not a modern book. It was written in 1853. The language was different then so I had to take that into effect when reading the book. Since the language was so different, maybe it was just my lack of understanding that made my reading experience so slow. All in all, I wish there were more of an emotional aspect to the book. I didn't feel like I connected to anyone in the story. It was a "just the facts" kind of story which I really wasn't expecting, especially since the movie got all of the buzz that it did. The topic itself, a free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery is a perfect topic to bring out tons of emotions but Northrop just didn't take that route in his writing and we will never know why he didn't. This book is getting a generous 3 star rating from me. Frankly, I just didn't like it and felt like I just was dragging myself through the book. There are so many better books about slavery, the Civil War, etc... I would go with another book. 3 stars.

As slave stories go, this one is, in my view, without peer. Northup's s captivating tale -- which has gained attention because of the movie that shares the book's title -- is told in exacting detail with an easy prose. He sets the stage masterfully, describing people and places before proceeding into the narrative. Unlike works of fiction, this book is so compelling because, by all accounts, it is true. There is no polemical axe to grind, as with Uncle Tom (a novel at one point wryly referenced by Northup). Here you see both the brutality of slavery and the moments of kindness by slaves and even some slave owners. Solomon tells the story with clarity and intelligence. The free versions on other sites I found were pretty poorly formatted, so spending a dollar for a polished version on Amazon is worthwhile, but this one is not the best of them. Granted, the book is formatted adequately, and any typographical errors in this version seem to be simple reproductions of the original. However, the supporting material is a letdown. I read the version that includes the introduction by novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez. That introduction is borderline insulting, as it makes only a weak attempt to separate accounts with fictional elements like Roots from an authentic account like this one. Worse still, Perkins-Valdez can't resist indulging in repeatedly referencing her own recently released slave novel, even going so far as to quote herself. There are almost no historical elements to this version beyond the main book -- no mention of Northup after the book, no mention of he writer who helped him pen the book, nothing. There is more information on the writer of the introduction than there is the author. One other oddity worth mentioning: the original book's preface -- the one done by the man who helped Northup write the book -- has been curiously excised from this version too. That makes this version something less than complete. For those looking for a better version, you might consider Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Dr. Sue Eakin Based on a Lifetime Project. New Info, Images, Maps , which contains a robust amount of supporting material and, better still, is right now the same cost as this version.

"The Journals of Lewis and Clark" is a moving, epic 19th century document of Americana that was one of the very special events in my literary life. "Twelve Years a Slave": this is another. "The Journals" is the first-person account of a triumphant trek across a still-virginal continent, full of youth and optimism. This, in utter contrast, is an account of a trip through hell, through our national shame, the antithetical document. "The Journals" was written by the voyagers themselves, and thus is full of misspellings, bad grammar, sketchy descriptions. But whereas "Twelve Years" was told by the kidnapped freeman Solomon Northup, he wisely told it to a professional writer, a journalist and poet named David Wilson. It must have been an ideal collaboration, because Northup's voice comes through consistently, there is a plethora of meticulous detail that only he could have known, it is tightly organized and the reader's attention is held throughout. And yes, it is graphic. I thought the refined, 19th century style would shield me from the raw sadism and brutality that I sensed from the movie clips I saw, but no such luck: the euphemisms and gentility seem to make the outrages all the worse. But surprisingly it wasn't the physical savagery--the whippings and punishments--that were hardest to take, or most moving; I was braced, more or less, to hear about those. It was other moments. Northup, naturally respecting the humanity of his fellow slaves, took time to get to know them as people, as individuals, even in the "slave pens" where they were held awaiting sale. One woman named Eliza was unforgettable. She had been forced to be the concubine of a plantation owner whose estranged wife, unfortunately, wound up in possession of her. Told she was finally going to be freed, along with the children she had by him--this was something the man had promised--Eliza was taken to Washington D.C. and sold off instead. As if that weren't cruel enough: shipped along with her children to a slave trader in New Orleans to be re-sold there, she watched her 10-year-old son Randall being sold first, to a separate owner. All her cries, begging and pleading and bargaining couldn't alter what she knew would be an everlasting separation. In his naive, childish attempt to comfort his mother, Randall said, "Don't cry, Mamma. I'll be a good boy." As if it HIS future conduct were any part of her agony, as if he had any idea of what his sale meant or portended. I had heard always that American slavery "separated families"; these particulars brought it home with a vengeance. There was worse to befall Eliza, to befall her still younger daughter; but I will leave that for you to discover. My watershed emotional moment won't be yours, anyway; there are too many others to count. But they are all credible, and Northup's evenhanded recital allows for (relatively) kind slaveholders and even confessions of his own shortcomings: this is an honest narrator. But the fact that we know in advance to expect a happy ending (and an eventual end of slavery, for that matter) in no way mitigates our instruction in how human ingenuity had institutionalized subjugation and devised ever-so-demonic means of enforcement. And the means were indeed demonic: on the very eve of emancipation we had gone the whole nine yards, with baroque convolutions of law and a systematic dehumanization that was almost elegant in its design. Once humans are viewed as economic means to an end, there is no stopping. It has been a full month since I read "Twelve Years a Slave" and I told myself that there were already enough good reviews, that Amazon didn't need mine. But I needed to write this, if only to mark a truly significant event in my reading life. Being fully human is not a given, and I'd like to think I became a little more human from reading this. Solomon Northup was a man of great courage and character, though he wouldn't have said so; it's his humanity that is the soul of this book, and one from which we can still learn. A note on this edition: there were many typos, and no notes. (I bought this cheap edition to fill out a shopping basket to get free shipping, if truth be told) But it didn't matter. What is here is enough.