Twelve Years a Slave: (Penguin Orange Collection)

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.

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.

This is a compelling narrative of a free, black citizen of New York being kidnapped in Washington, DC and sold into slavery to a plantation in the far backwaters of Louisiana. The long 12 years away from his family and his free life, cast into a situation where, unlike many of his fellow slaves, he was very aware of the differences between freedom and slavery. He is finally able to get word in his final year of captivity to his family and some white friends with influence, who make the effort and are finally able to find him and free him legally. This book is the unvarnished account of those 12 years. Slavery is an ugly thing. The very notion of owning another human being should be repellant to us all, and yet long years of America's historydisprove that notion. In all the reading I have done, it appears to me that the owning of a slave leads to a dangerous degradation of the human soul of the Master class even moreso than of the slaves themselves. In order for slavery to exist, it requires heinous distortion of Christian values, and incredibly tortuous disrottions of the thought, mental, and spiritual processes to justify this practice. Generations of slave ownership have created the culture of slavery and whites coming from that tradition of slave ownership still are not free of the distorted beliefs the practice of slavey created, which were then modeled and passed down through the generations. Imagine young children forced to watch their father beat slaves nearly to death, often for no real reason, but because they had that power over another human being. Generations away from that actuality, those distorted beliefs still flow in the veins of many as a cultural remnant of the ugliest kind. This book reveals much of that in a very comprehensible way. It isn't new information so much as well presented information. It was an excellent book to read.

Edit—this is the link Amazon gave me so this is the edition I read. I read a 99¢ Kindle edition. There were some obvious typos and wrong words. It looks like it might have been done with optical character recognition. I only recall one or two sentences in the book whose real wording could not be divined. It was not so big a problem to interfere with my voracious reading of this outstanding book. I enjoyed the convenience of an cheap Kindle version, but I will likely purchase a critical edition in the future. This is not just an important historical document, it is a gripping story. Witten in eloquent English prose (with occasional Victorian flourishes in language as well as deference to public modesty), it offers a compelling tale rich with vivid and detailed descriptions of slave life on the lower Mississippi circa 1841–1853. Personally for me, as a white Southerner who grew up with the spectre of slavery in the United States heavy on my shoulders, I have not sought out much of this kind of material. Reading it turned out to be a revelation, bringing details into sharp focus—the specifics of the privation, the discomforts, and the wanton cruelty of that society. Just the fact that Northup initially finds himself with several other free persons who were abducted into slavery is chilling. It must have happened a lot, and in an era when by law no slaves could be imported into the U.S.—they had to come from existing "stock". So this business of abducting free men and women must have been a brisk trade in those days. Nor is this book a nonstop grind of horror. It is certainly harrowing, but there are moments of joy and humor (intended and unintended—there is a hilarious passage where he describes in his oblique Victorian way that he subdued a white man who tried to kill him by kicking him in the testicles). The description of slave Christmas is memorable and deeply melancholy. There is a very funny description of several slaves at a Christmas dance competing for the affections of a girl named Lively. There are also thought provoking observations about human nature and the times Northup lived in, as well as fascinating details about agricultural practices. I feel this book has deepened my compassion for my African-American contemporaries and the size of the problems they face. I look forward to reading more slave narratives. I remember being impressed by Frederick Douglass and his powerful, lyrical prose, but all I read has been things he wrote in the cause of Abolition. I am looking forward to reading his account of being born a slave and becoming literate under that condition, and gaining his freedom. It will present an interesting contrast with Northup's tale, since he was born a free man in the North, and was kidnapped and forced into bondage. Every American should read this book. I wish it was assigned in every public school in maybe seventh or eighth grade. This detailed look at the experience of slavery from the point of view of someone who was very intelligent with a great memory, a great stylist of English, and having the perspective of growing up a free man gives the reader a rare front seat to history in a gripping and satisfying story.

Although apparently slave narratives existed toward the end of the antebellum period, they were rare. For the simple reason that lifetime slavery did not afford the opportunity for first-hand accounts to be written. And, with the teaching of reading and writing illegal in most Southern states, few bondsmen possessed the ability to communicate their stories through the written word in any event. Solomon Northup was well educated and was afforded the liberty to write his story. Tragically, this free Negro - born free, educated and a master violinist - was lured from his New York home to Washington D.C. on a promise of employment as a violinist with a show. Drugged in our capital city - very much a southern city fully in support of slavery - Northup woke in a slave pen and soon was shipped south to New Orleans and sold into bondage. His initial attempt to tell his DC captors he was a free man were met with a promise of death if he spoke of that to anyone. Representing a substantial investment to his owners (he had several), his talk of being a free Negro or display of his education would have invited severe punishment or death. Certainly the southern planters and contractor who owned him at various times would not have cared anyway having shelled out significant money for his purchase. For twelve years Northup lived the life of a slave. This account is riveting. The witness to the events of slavery - the selling process, vicious whipping and being run to ground by dogs, back-breaking labor, escape attempts, rape of favorite females who caught an owner's lustful look and all of the other atrocious practices of America's "peculiar institution," are dramatic and bring home an appreciation of what it meant to a slave to be a slave far beyond what any general history of the institution can achieve. Northup also provides interesting accounts of the cotton harvesting and packaging process as well as how sugar cane plantations operated as well as general accounts of how slavery was organized and managed in the places to which he was held. Northup is a skilled writer. His presentation of his story - and the events are so riveting that they could almost stand on their own without a narrative - makes this a very well written as well as important narrative. Although written in conventions common to the era - the author sometimes addresses the reader directly and gives commentary that current writers would feel redundant - this is a very readable and enthralling account of what slavery was probably like for many who endured it. Highly recommended.

"Twelve Years a Slave" is a powerful story of faith and endurance about the true events that Solomon Northup experienced between 1841 and 1853. The novel’s language is a bit outdated, but that is understandable since it was first published in 1853. It also uses many terms to describe African-Americans that some might find offensive, but again, I think that is understandable given the context and the time of the writing. The book portrays scenes of brutal punishment and the harsh realities that slaves in Louisiana endured around 360 days a years. I mention that because the book touches on how slave owners offered a three to six day respite to slaves around Christmas, which is one of the many things I learned, and found interesting in the book. While it was hard to read about the terrible things Mr. Northup endured, there were a few bright moments such as Christmas that I mentioned, as well as, a few “good” slave owners that treated their slaves in a near-humane fashion. These kinds of owners were somewhat ironic in how they treated slaves well, but were still in the business of owning and using slave labor. I thought Northup offered some interesting insights into the human condition. Such as how brutality was something learned and passed down. Northup doesn’t dismiss the terrible way many white men treated slaves, but he does seem to understand how slave-owning white men could grow up in an environment where slavery was accepted, and not question the rightness/wrongness of the situation. Northup also pointed out handling slaves in such brutal ways affected white men and their character. Overall, I enjoyed the book. There were a few surprises along the way in regards to the things Mr. Northup endured how he managed to not be executed for some of his actions! I think it is a worthy book for white and black folks to understand what happened in our past, and to understand why freedom is so important for all citizens of the United States.

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.

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.

I read the book before seeing the film. The latter is fairly close to the author's storyline. Beware: many unused words and old-fashioned grammar, but nevertheless a very moving and truthful account of slavery.in the Southern States. Solomon Northrup was evidently a righteous and intelligent person who tried hard to deliver the most precise testimony of his misfortune, showing both the evil behaviour of some masters and overseers, and the kindness of others he happened to meet. Everybody should read this jewel of a book as it is enlightening.

Esse filme é muito bom.

Dieses Buch gehört - genau wie "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" (Harriet Ann Jacobs) - in jeden Geschichts- und Ethikunterricht. Solomon Northrup erzählt seine Geschichte, sein Leid, die Ungerechtigkeiten und Unmenschlichkeit seiner Zeit auf unglaublich eindringliche und trotzdem irgendwie distanzierte Art und Weise. Oft hatte ich den Eindruck, er minimiert sein persönliches Leid zugunsten der Beschreibung der Schicksale einiger seiner Leidensgenossen. Zudem schildert er sehr plastisch die geographischen, politischen und allgemein sozialen Gegebenheiten seiner Zeit. Man hat davon schon oft gehört und /oder gelesen - man hat darüber gesprochen (und hoffentlich auch nachgedacht) . . . aber das Lesen und somit "Miterleben" aus der ureigensten Sicht und Erlebniswelt eines Betroffenen, hinterläßt doch ganz andere, viel eindringlichere Spuren als bloßer Geschichtsunterricht. Das Solomon Nothrup's Leidensweg sich in der Mitter des 19. Jhd. abspielt, ist die Sprache und Erzählweise dementsprechend etwas antiquiert - somit allerdings auch enorm authentisch. Mit nur grundsätzlichen Englischkenntnissen wird sich sicherlich mancher schwer tun, die Gesamtheit der sprachlichen Beschreibungen zu verstehen. Nun möchte man sagen, dass dies alles Leid, Ungerechtigkeit, Unmenschlichkeit einer vergangenen Epoche ist - tragisch aber lange vorbei. Ist das wirklich so ? Wenn ich überdenke, was in unserem heutigen, aufgeklärten, vernetzten Informationszeitalter alles an Menschenhandel abläuft, noch weitverbreitet Sklavenhandel und Sklaverei zum akzeptierten Alltag gehört, komme ich zu dem Schluß, dass dieses Buch leider kein Geschichtsbuch, bzw. die Teilautographie eines lang vergangenen Jahrhunderts ist, sondern eine Beschreibung der Demütigungen, Schmerzen, Erniedrigungen und Ausbeutung, die auch heute noch recht global verbreitet ist. Schon deshalb ist dieses Buch ein absolutes Lese-MUSS - nicht nur für den Geschichtsinteressierten, sondern für jeden, der seine Augen nicht verschlossen halten möchte und jeden, den mehr intereissert als die allgemeinen Alltagsfreuden unserer westlichen Welt. Das Leiden des Sklaven "Platt" ist vorbei - das Leiden der Zwangsprostituierten, Billigst-Sklavenarbeiter, Kindersklaven der heutigen Welt noch lange nicht !

An excellent book. I took a while to get into it, and in fact had to force myself to keep reading it. Then when I finally got into it, I could not put it down. I loved it.

I like the quality of this book. It also has illustrations.