Twelve Years a Slave

Locations
Call Number: 921 Northup, Solomon, Black Studies 921 Northup, Solomon
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Northup, Solomon	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Northup, Solomon	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Black Studies 921 Northup, Solomon	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Originally published: Auburn, N.Y. : Derby and Miller, 1853.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

literary retribution submitted by amy on July 5, 2014, 6:37pm I fully expected to be outraged by the chronicle of abuses Solomon Northup endured during his captivity, and I was. What I didn't expect was such a compelling narrative and an author whose intelligence and humanity is evident on every page. From his subtle use of detail to build empathy and credibility (and not just for his personal story but for those of all the other slaves he meets), to the fair and nuanced portraits of his various masters, and his refusal to shy away from the brutality and hopelessness he encounters while never resorting to sensationalism or victimization, Northup's achievement is all the more remarkable coming from someone who had every reason (and was surely encouraged by ardent abolitionists) to exact literary retribution by even more dramatic means.

Easy words to read, though emotionally wrenching submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 21, 2015, 8:14pm Once again, I am astonished by the degree to which something written so long ago is not only readable, but compelling to the point of being heart wrenching and tremendously difficult to put down. No wonder this was made into a movie. (And an astonishingly well done one, that depicted not only the horrors of slavery, but the way that slavery degraded the lives of all of those involved in the system, from the overseers to the owners to the plantation mistresses. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie as well.)

Solomon Northup's writing is clear and descriptive, painting a picture that is nuanced and full. He praises those who are kind in an abhorrent system, and condemns with full description those who are abusive simply for the sake of power. He is clear-sighted, giving us a window into slavery with a first-hand view that still can make me cringe, more than 150 years later.

We need to know this. This is our history, White and Black, North and South. This book is a good place to start, or to learn more, or to understand more deeply. And it reads easily enough that the work of reading won''t be hard, even if the journey is.

Great historical read submitted by kferguson on June 16, 2017, 10:34am A great historical read. Very well written.