Twelve Years A Slave - The Solomon Northup Story

"12 Years A Slave' Wins Best Picture Drama At 2014 Golden Globe Awards"

"12 Years a Slave" Named Best picture at 2014 Oscars

 Twelve Years a Slave, originally published in 1853, is a breathtaking story about the life of Solomon Northrup, a New York citizen who was kidnapped after being lured to Washington DC and sold into slavery for nearly 12 years between the years of 1841 and 1853.

Northup, from upstate New York was a free black man who was a highly skilled carpenter and an accomplished fiddle player.  While in New York, two circus promoters offered Northup a high paying job, which they said would only take a few days to complete. Without letting his wife know of his whereabouts, he traveled with these strangers, only to find himself drugged, beaten and bound in a cell. When Northup argued his right as a free man, he was severely beaten and demanded to never to mention his free life in New York unless he wanted to be killed. 

Shortly after, Northup is taken by ship to New Orleans, where he and many of the other slaves are subject to harsh conditions including the deadly disease, smallpox. During his years as a slave, Northup works on many different plantations for some very cruel and abusive owners, yet he's also tormented by the fact that he cannot reveal his true identity as a free man to anyone, not even a fellow slave. 

Twelve Years a Slave has been made into a motion picture directed by Steven Rodney McQueen is set to debut today (Oct 18, 2013). By me being a history enthusiast, naturally I find this to be quite a compelling story. I can’t wait to see the movie and compare it to how close the movie is to the actual book. Eager patrons are already flocking my library branch looking for copies of this book. This Book is a MUST READ!

 Northup, Solomon. (2013)  Twelve Years a Slave. Paperback | CreateSpace Independent Publishing | ISBN -13:978-1492137049 | $4.77 | 154 Page