‘Twelve Years a Slave’ by Solomon Northup With a number of great additions including: * Timeline * Biography of Solomon Northup * 120 Questions - Test Your Memory! * Original Illustrations * 5 Additional Slave Narratives * Downloadable Free Audio Links * Individual Table of Contents for Each Book
The 6 slave narratives include: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (1808-1863 or 1875) - Published 1853 Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) - Published 1852 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs under the name Linda Brent (1813-1897) - Published 1861 The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) - Published 1845 Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) - Published 1901 Harriet, The Moses of Her People by Sarah H. Bradford (1818–1912) - Published 1886
There are even downloadable free audio links for Twelve Years a Slave, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Up From Slavery.
Twelve Years a Slave A stark reminder of the brutality of slavery and the indomitable spirit of humanity. Now an Oscar winning film.
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe The best-selling novel of the 19th century and the book credited with fueling the abolitionist cause that led to the Civil War. Harriet Beecher Stowe was the person to whom Solomon Northup dedicated his book.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs A heart-rending look at the unique pressures on female slaves; ranging from sexual abuse to the loss of their children and the harsh and often jealous treatment received from mistresses.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass One of the most famous slave narratives of his day and ours. Frederick Douglass details his journey from the slave to freeman, orator and abolitionist.
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington The autobiography of Booker T. Washington tells us of his life as a child slave during the civil war through to his attempts years later to help black people help themselves via education.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People by Sarah H. Bradford Sarah Hopkins Bradford tells the story of Harriet Tubman, a free woman, who helped many escape slavery during the civil war via the Underground Railroad travelling from the Northern United States to Canada.
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Solomon Northup was a free-born African American from Saratoga Springs, New York. He is noted for having been kidnapped in 1841 when enticed with a job offer. When he accompanied his supposed employers to Washington, DC, they drugged him and sold him into slavery. From Washington, DC, he was transported to New Orleans where he was sold to a plantation owner from Rapides Parish, Louisiana. After 12 years in bondage, he regained his freedom in January 1853; he was one of very few to do so in such cases. Held in the Red River region of Louisiana by several different owners, he got news to his family, who contacted friends and enlisted the New York governor in his cause. New York state had passed a law in 1840 to recover African-American residents who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Northup sued the slave traders in Washington, DC, but lost in the local court. District of Columbia law prohibited him as a black man from testifying against whites and, without his testimony, the men went free. Returning to his family in New York, Northup became active in abolitionism. He published an account of his experiences in Twelve Years a Slave (1853) in his first year of freedom. Northup gave dozens of lectures throughout the Northeast on his experiences as a slave, in order to support the abolitionist cause.
In the early 1860s, Northup, along with another black man, aided a Methodist minister in Vermont in helping fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. The circumstances of Northup's death are uncertain.
Solomon Northup's memoir was reprinted several times later in the 19th century. An annotated version was published in 1968, edited by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon. The memoir was adapted and produced as a film in 2013 by Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup. Previously, a TV movie had been made of Northup's story, Solomon Northup's Odyssey (1984), directed by Gordon Parks. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove wrote her poem "The Abduction" about Solomon Northup (published in her first collection, "The Yellow House on the Corner", 1980.)
Since 1999, Saratoga Springs, New York, has celebrated an annual Solomon Northup Day.
How to rate a book such as this, takes some thinking. I cannot rate it as enjoyable, because the suffering it details is not enjoyable. Amazing as in astonishing is a better rating. The kidnapping and being sold into slavery is harrowing. The appalling treatment is harrowing. This history is important, because it serves to remind us both of the cruelty meted out to slaves, and of the humanity of those who fought to conquer it.
I only read Twelve Years a Slave and not the other books included. Twelve Years was excellent. It was so well written that I could vividly see the scenes of which Solomon Northup wrote. This is the truest account of slavery that I have ever read. It is so disappointing that he was taken away from his family and not listened to when he stated he was free. To live those 12 years in slavery took more than courage to endure. I highly recommend this book.
Also, the movie is good, but does not do this book justice. There are so many parts of the book left out of the movie, that I would recommend reading the book first. It is a quick read.
Bought this for my African-American course because it is supposed to have several of the works we are reading. However, once downloaded it seems not to work. I cannot access any of the texts, and only see a few black and white images. I removed from kindle and downloaded again, and the same thing is happening. Disappointed in this purchase but glad that it was so cheap. I feel like I just got tricked into donating money.
The horrific details of slavery that Northup describes in his memoir of mistakenly being taken captivity open the reader's eyes to the cruelty of this Southern custom which some people today still consider a valid way of life. The writer's capacity for words and narrative is so far above that of his captors that one is astonished that he could keep secret his status as a free black in order to survive life in Louisiana and not be sent further away to Texas as punishment, when he longed to join his wife and family in Fort Edward/Glens Falls, N. Y. His endurance after multiple lashings and attempted escapes through swamps makes him superhuman. Anyone with illusions that there were good slave owners needs to read this.
I read this book after watching the movie "Twelve Years a Slave." The movie took a few artistic liberties (movies usually do), but for the most part it stuck to the book. The book itself was shorter than I anticipated, but very succinctly captured Northup's experiences and is very compelling. Not an easy read, however most books on slavery are not.
I've read this twice this year so far. Gave me a interesting perspective of this man's life. Very good read and have recommended it already many times. This is one of those books, in my opinion, if you haven't read it at least once in your life you really should.
A must read, necessary to fully appreciate American history.
my first exposure to slavery in America as it truly existed and an appreciation of the Emancipation Proclamation. I believe this should be read by everyone.
This book offers an up close and personal look at life as a slave told in story form. The author, who was a free man, was taken captive and sold. This is a story of his 12 year journey back to freedom. Highly recommend.
A compelling narrative piled high with fear, injustice and, finally, triumph. Just as good as the film, and the film won Academy Awards. Strongly recommended.
Giving five stars to books like this always feels like I'm giving a thumbs up to terrible things. Let's just say my appreciation for this book is 5/5 stars.
Have completed 12 Years A Slave which was the main purpose for downloading it. I also plan to read the others as I feel they are popular works I should have read before.
I loved this movie sad story but was captivated by the characters. Decided to read the book. So far it is as good as the movie. It was written by the man enslaved after his release.
Crudeza máxima sobre cómo era la vida de un esclavo en aquella América. Lleno de ejemplos que ponen los pelos de punta y te hacen pensar hasta dónde llega el ser humano y la política. ¿Hubiéramos sido nosotros diferentes si hubiéramos sido educados en que aquello es lo normal? Esperanzador saber que aún a pesar de la educación recibida, la gente con pensamiento critico era capaz de saber que eso no era lo correcto y luchaba contra ello. Demasiado autobiográfico y descriptivo, duro de leer en algunas partes. Sobretodo cuando se habla de cómo se labra la tierra durante páginas y páginas. Siento poca empatía hacia el personaje, ya que lo considero poco profundo y bastante plano.
This book by Solomon Northup honestly gave me nightmares at first because I could vividly see the scenes that Solomon Northup wrote. It’s very disappointing to see how people were treated back and betrayed just for money. I am glad to say that as a society we have come a way long way from slavery and that is something I am proud of.
This is the only book I’ve ever read written from the slaves point of view. How tragic what our fellow man endured. I am thankful that there were those who saw this evil and helped the enslaved to the best of their ability.
Absolutely incredible stories slaves who fought for freedom and survival during the pre-Civil War. Very powerful collection of books all in one. Now I need to watch the movie but get my mind set for what I would encounter.
This book was just ok. I found it rather boring in some spots and got confused sometimes in the story line. I feel like I will get more out of watching the movie.