I think you must have read a lot of books and some of them may be about history. However, the book going to recommended here will be very special, like its long name: Twelve years a slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a citizen of New York, kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the red river, in Louisiana. I can't say enough good things about this book. It is an honor to read about this significant part of American history from a person who experienced slavery first hand. I never saw the movie because I am not a fan of violence but I think every American should read this book. It should be read in all high schools.



This book tells an amazing story. After living as a free man for the first thirty-three years of his life, Solomon Northup was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery, leaving behind a wife and three children in New York. Sold to a Louisiana plantation owner who was also a Baptist preacher, Northup proceeded to serve several masters, some who were brutally cruel and others whose humanity he praised. After years of bondage, he met an outspoken abolitionist from Canada who notified Northup's family of his whereabouts, and he was subsequently rescued by an official agent of the state of New York. Twelve Years a Slave is his account of this unusual series of events. Northup describes life on cotton and sugar cane plantations in meticulous detail. One slave narrative scholar calls his narrative "one of the most detailed and realistic portraits of slave life." He also leavens his account with wry humor and cultural commentary, making many parts of the narrative read more like travel writing than abolitionist literature. Twelve Years a Slave presents the remarkable story of a free man thrown into a hostile and foreign world, who survived by his courage and cunning.





You will definitely consider it as an excellent book. It is valued for its historical significance. As what other readers comment, the book should be required reading for every American. Growing up in the North, I had always found it hard to imagine that slavery not only existed in this country, but flourished. Until I read Solomon Northrup's "12 Years a Slave." It is a masterpiece of history, of one man, one free man's life. It shows a true picture of 'The Old South'. Mr. Northrup was a free black man with a beautiful wife and two daughters living in Saratoga, NY. He was lured from his home by slave traders who specialized in the awful practice of kidnapping free black citizens and selling them into slavery. Torn from his home and family, Mr. Northrup endured the worst that can happen to a human being, and still live. And yet, he remained fair and honest, never stooping to the level some of his white masters did. I am not going to rewrite the book in this review because I recommend reading it for you. Slavery was and is a vile institution. Solomon Northrup is my new inspiration. This book will shock you. But you will be the better for having read it.