50 books to read before you die discussion

Solomon Northup lived in the 1800s, he was born a free man but during his life was kidnapped and sold into slavery. After his release he wrote an account of the events, his memoir Twelve Years a Slave published in 1853. The book was out-of-print before the end of the century but was re-discovered and republished in the 1960s, in 2013 a film was released based on this true story.

Twelve Years a Slave is one of our group reads for Q3 of 2021 (Jul, Aug, Sep). Have you read this book?

I loved this book! What an amazing story. Ending was very exciting.

I read Twelve Years A Slave a few weeks ago but forgot to comment on the discussion. It's a powerful one. I'm glad it survived the years, and going out of print, because Solomon Northup captures a historical moment. He effectively articulates his experience, and the experiences of others that he witnessed, and leaves you to make your own assessments. I wonder what his contemporaries thought of this book when it was published. I found it thought-provoking, this is history but it's also relevant to today. Seeing how people stood up against slavery, or didn't, makes you reflect on your own actions. In what forms does slavery still exist today and what am I doing about it?