book review 12 years a slave

Twelve Years a Slave

By solomon northup.

This is an important work of nonfiction. It is a historical memoir by Solomon Northup after being freed from slavery in the Southern United States. Northup was an African-American man born free in New York in the early 1800s who was abducted into slavery.  

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

Stripped of his identity and freedom, Solomon Northup endured twelve years of hardship and exploitation on various plantations in Louisiana. The book powerfully depicts the physical and psychological torment endured by enslaved individuals during this dark period in American history.

Today, it is rightly regarded as one of the most important books of the period. 

Table of Contents

• 1 Northup’s Unforgettable Writing Style 
• 2 Impact on Literature and Film 
• 3 Character Development  
• 4 Personal Experience 

Northup’s Unforgettable Writing Style 

The writing style in this book is both powerful and evocative, leaving a profound impact on readers. The author’s prose is emotionally charged, with descriptions that transport readers into the world of slavery. 

Through his narration, he humanizes the enslaved, making their suffering palpable and compelling readers to confront the horrors of slavery . The book’s historical accuracy is another remarkable aspect. As a firsthand account, it provides invaluable insight into the lived experiences of enslaved people during the mid-19th century in the United States. Northup’s attention to detail, including names, places, and dates, adds credibility to his narrative.

The book’s overall value lies in its unfiltered portrayal of slavery, offering a perspective often absent from historical records. It dispels romanticized notions of the era and challenges misconceptions, bringing to light the gruesome realities of bondage and exploitation.

Impact on Literature and Film 

The book’s impact is multifaceted, something that is well-worth mentioning. In 2013, ‘ Twelve Years a Slave ’ received a cinematic adaptation directed by Steve McQueen. The film garnered critical acclaim and a wide audience, further amplifying the impact of Northup’s story. 

It won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, propelling the narrative of slavery to the forefront of popular culture and elevating its significance globally.

The adaption also sparked conversations about historical accuracy and the representation of slavery in cinema. It compelled viewers to confront the painful realities of the past, challenging conventional narratives and promoting a more nuanced understanding of American history.

Character Development  

The author demonstrates a remarkable use of character development to convey the multifaceted aspects of the individuals portrayed in his memoir. Throughout the book, Northup presents a diverse cast of characters , each with their own unique personalities, struggles, and backgrounds.

As the central figure in the narrative, Northup’s character undergoes a profound transformation. Initially, he is portrayed as a free man, proud of his accomplishments and the life he’s built with his family. 

However, after being kidnapped, he has to adapt to survive the brutal conditions of slavery. The reader witnesses his emotional journey, from fear and despair to resilience and determination.

The book also delves into the characterization of slaveowners and overseers, some of whom are depicted as sadistic and merciless, while others show moments of humanity and complexity. 

The author’s approach humanizes the victims, making the reader deeply empathize with the oppressed and recognize the complexity of human behavior under such extreme circumstances.

Personal Experience 

Reading this memoir was a deeply emotional and eye-opening experience. The raw descriptions of Solomon Northup’s journey brought up a number of emotions.

It was impossible not to feel immense empathy for the enslaved individuals, as their suffering was depicted with such stark realism. The book made me confront the inhumanity of slavery and the profound injustices endured by millions of people. 

It also left me feeling a mix of anger, sadness, and admiration for the resilience of those who endured such unimaginable hardships. Northup’s powerful narrative is undoubtedly compelling. It forces readers to confront the privilege of freedom and the importance of acknowledging and learning from the painful chapters of history. 

I also feel that the book does a fantastic job highlighting the urgency of acknowledging historical injustices and the importance of striving for a more just and equitable society today.

Twelve Years a Slave: Northup's Unforgettable Memoir

• Writing Style

Twelve Years a Slave Review

‘Twelve Years a Slave’  is a moving memoir of 19th-century America that details the twelve years that Solomon Northup spent enslaved in the Southern states.

• Historically important
• Emotionally impactful
• Realistic narrative
• Painful images

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About Emma Baldwin

Emma Baldwin, a graduate of East Carolina University, has a deep-rooted passion for literature. She serves as a key contributor to the Book Analysis team with years of experience.

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Twelve Years a Slave

Freedom Denied…

Author:  Solomon Northup

Born in 1808 to a free black father in Minerva, New York, Solomon received a solid education, learned to play the violin, married, raised three children and worked various jobs in rural New York, establishing himself as a citizen of honorable stature.  However, his unremarkable life was changed forever in 1841 when he was drugged and kidnapped from his hometown by two visiting businessmen.  In chains and stripped of any identifying documents he was transported south to Virginia where his protestations of freedom were met with violent whippings.   Beaten into submission and shipped onward by sea, he was eventually sold to a plantation owner in the bayou country of northern Louisiana where he would spend the next twelve years in the darkest servitude.

Uprooted from anything he had ever known, Northup tells his story with an astonishing balance of sorrow and objectivity.  Despite his violent hatred of the institution of slavery, the regular beatings he receives and his daily yearning for an opportunity to escape, he never hesitates to point out the frequent acts of kindness that he encounters during his time as a slave.  While witness to some of the most cruel and vile acts imaginable, he somehow manages to hold onto his humanity.   As the title alludes, a fortuitous combination of events leads to his freedom in 1853 and reunification with his family.

Shortly upon his return to New York, Northup was motivated to write his story due to the widespread belief, even in the North, that slavery really wasn’t so wicked,  that maybe it was “good for the Negro” to have such a rigorously structured system for their “employment”.   Just one year earlier, Uncle Tom’s Cabin had been published and had met with strong criticism from slave holding states, protesting that the mistreatment of slaves had been flagrantly exaggerated, so much so that Harriet Beecher Stowe felt the need to publish a second book presenting the source material for her original novel.  Northup wanted to fully document that, at least in Louisiana, the reality of slavery was as horrific as the most zealous abolitionists claimed.    Throughout the book he includes the details of his widespread contacts throughout the Red River Valley in order to buttress the veracity of his claims.

While the modern reader may find Northup’s early 19th century writing style a bit of a challenge, I actually grew used to the formal prose rather quickly.  The author frequently shows great restraint in the descriptions of the horrors he witnesses, lest he be accused of hyperbole or embellishment.  His matter-of-fact delivery – as if he were testifying in court – stands in such stark contrast to the daily terrors he describes that it makes the story that much more moving and gut-wrenching.

In the end, Twelve Years a Slave is both a profound memoir and a well written, passionate abolitionist document from an involuntary inside informant.  Strongly recommended for anyone interested in American history or who has never heard of Solomon Northup.

— D. Driftless

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Stray Thoughts

A home for the stray thoughts of an ordinary christian woman.

Book Review: Twelve Years a Slave

When he was 32, he met a couple of men who said they were circus performers on their way back to Washington, D.C. They planned to give several performances along the way and asked him to come with them and play his violin. Anne was away and he thought he would be home soon, so he didn’t notify her. Slavery was legal in Washington, so they advised him along the way to obtain papers declaring his freedom.

One afternoon after the group stopped in a saloon he became terribly ill. He went back to his hotel room in not a very good state (probably drugged). “The memory of that night of horrible suffering will follow me to the grave,” he later wrote. During the night some men came to his room and said they were taking him to a doctor. On the way he became “insensible” for an unknown period of time, and “when consciousness returned, I found myself alone, in utter darkness, and in chains.” His papers and everything else were gone.

He later discovered he was in a slave pen within sight of the US Capitol building. When someone finally came into his cell and he protested that he was a free man, he was severely beaten.

He was eventually taken to Louisiana, his name was changed to Platt and those holding him said he was from GA. He was bought for $1,000 by a farmer named Ford who later became a preacher.

In many northern minds, perhaps, the idea of a man holding his brother man in servitude, and the traffic in human flesh, may seem altogether incompatible with their conceptions of a moral or religious life. From descriptions of such men as Burch and Freeman [those who sold him], and others hereinafter mentioned, they are led to despise and execrate the whole class of slaveholders, indiscriminately. But I was sometime his slave, and had an opportunity of learning well his character and disposition, and it is but simple justice to him when I say, in my opinion, there never was a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford. The influences and associations that had always surrounded him, blinded him to the inherent wrong at the bottom of the system of slavery. He never doubted the moral right of one man holding another in subjection. Looking through the same medium with his fathers before him, he saw things in the same light. Brought up under other circumstances and other influences, his notions would undoubtedly have been different . Nevertheless, he was a model master, walking uprightly, according to the light of his understanding, and fortunate was the slave who came to his possession.

This, especially the parts I highlighted, helped me in understanding why a professing Christian could ever hold a slave. Someone once said that though the Bible doesn’t expressly forbid slavery, applying Jesus’ admonition to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” would nip it in the bud. I don’t know why it took Christians so long to realize this.

Ford and Northup had a good working relationship. The latter was able to use his carpentry skills in a variety of ways and knew he was appreciated. Ford took time to instruct his slaves spiritually. But when he came into debt, he had to sell several of them, Northup included.

After his severe beating for maintaining his freedom, Northup kept quiet about it, and with his name change, it was impossible for anyone he knew in his previous life to find him. The next two masters he was sold to were cruel and unreasonable. He was beaten, unjustly charged, worked to exhaustion for the majority of his time in slavery.One of his masters taught slaves Scripture as well, but took passages about slaves out of context and misused them to justify his beating of them.

Finally when his master had a visitor, Bass, who argued with him about the justice of slavery, Northup took a huge chance to talk with him privately to ask if he would send a letter in his behalf to friends in NY who might be able to advocate for his freedom. It’s amazing that the letter got where it needed to go and then that those who worked to liberate Northup found him, as Bass had not signed his name (fearing repercussions) and Norhthup’s name had been changed. A whole series of seeming coincidences (or, as I prefer, signs of God’s providence) worked together, and the scene where Northup realizes who the men are who have come for him is priceless.

Along with telling his own tale, Northup tells of several others he encountered along the way. Slave women had  a particularly hard time of it: when the master made sexual advances toward them, they could not refuse, at least not without beatings; when the master’s wife knew of it, then she was jealous and dished out her own punishment. One such woman with two children was sold with him: her master’s wife sold her and her children when the master was out of town, and the scene of her separation from her children was heart-wrenching (one was sold to someone else; the seller just out of spite  would not let Ford buy her child). She was ever after a broken woman.

He also writes of moral dilemmas he found himself in. At one time he was “promoted” to a driver, and part of his responsibility was to whip other slaves who were not performing up to par. “If Epps was present, I dared not show any lenity, not having the Christian fortitude of a certain well-known Uncle Tom sufficiently to brave his wrath by refusing to perform the office.” Instead, he got proficient with the whip to make it look like he was beating them, yet not letting it actually touch them, and they writhed as if beaten. Another time he secretly obtained paper, made ink, and wrote a letter to friends up North, and took a chance by asking someone to send it. But that someone told his master, though he didn’t give a name. His master confronted him, and he knew it would mean a beating, if not death, to have been found out. He asked how he could write a letter with no supplies and suggested that the man, who had been working temporarily for Epps, was trying to scare him with the thought of runaway slaves so Epps would hire him as an overseer. Epps believed him.

One of the conversations Bass had with Northup’s last owner was the following:

These n…. are human beings. If they don’t know as much as their masters, whose fault is it? They are not allowed to know anything. You have books and papers, and can go where you please, and gather intelligence in a thousand ways. But your slaves have no privileges. You’d whip one of them if caught reading a book. They are held in bondage, generation after generation, deprived of mental improvement, and who can expect them to possess much knowledge? If they are not brought down to a level with the brute creation, you slaveholders will never be blamed for it. If they are baboons, or stand no higher in the scale of intelligence than such animals, you and men like you will have to answer for it. There’s a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation, that will not go unpunished forever. There will be a reckoning yet—yes, Epps, there’s a day coming that will burn as an oven. It may be sooner or it may be later, but it’s a coming as sure as the Lord is just.

Later he asks, “What difference is there in the color of a soul?” Indeed.

After he was united with his family, Northup wrote of his experience in 12 Years a Slave   The book ends fairly soon after his reunion with his family, and afterward, according to Wikipedia he worked “again as a carpenter. He became active in the abolitionist movement and lectured on slavery.” He was uniquely gifted and qualified to write this book and shed light on a horrible institution and give voice to others who could not share theirs.

In the “ enhanced edition ” of the book, which is supplemented by the research of Dr. Sue Eakin, she writes, “In 1853, Solomon’s autobiography brought immediate reaction from New York newspapers, and his first-hand account was perceived as validation of Stowe’s portrayal of Southern slavery. Twelve Years A Slave was published less than a year after Stowe’s spectacularly successful fiction.” Her own story of discovering the book as a child and then spending decades of her life researching it is pretty interesting as well.

I listened to the audiobook based on Eakin’s version very ably read by Louis Gossett, Jr. and read parts in the Kindle version as well.

Genre: Classic non-fiction My rating: 10 out of 10

(Sharing with Semicolon ‘s Saturday Review of Books, Carole’s Books You Loved , Literary Musing Monday )

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12 thoughts on “ book review: twelve years a slave ”.

Wow! What a perspective. It is so difficult to understand how people, especially “good” people can believe it is okay to own another human being, but then often, as a white person, I’m sure our views about others are skewed because we just accept what we’ve been taught. Whether we were taught outright or more just by how our parents or society did things and believed things. We accept beliefs without questioning them and don’t even know we hold a belief. We think it just is. It is so very eye-opening to get a different perspective. We all need our eyes opened on something. We have to try very hard to understand our own biases and then once recognizing them, work to change them. Thank you for sharing this book and this story.

I was never drawn to this book but now after your review I am. I too could never figure out how people who called themselves Christian could hold to slavery and defend it but that paragraph you shared does shed light on the attitude of the time.

I don’t think we who have only known freedom can even imagine what it must have been like for those poor people. I can’t imagine my child being taken away from me. This sounds like a very intense book. Thanks for the review.

I agree that I wouldn’t have thought of reading this, but your review makes me want to. I remember hearing about the movie when it came out. I like that it’s a true story, but how sad. I think your thoughts relating slavery and Christianity are just right — how could we justify it with the “golden rule”? It’s a good yardstick to use for many things today as well.

WOW…this does sound to be quite intense. I imagine that I’d spend time with tears rolling down my face. Thank you so much for this great review, Barbara. If you give it 10 out of 10 stars it should be very much worth the read.

A 10 out of 10 means this is really good. Thanks for the review, Barbara. I’d seen the movie which was so good but so sad, but I hadn’t thought of reading the book.

I’ve never heard of this book, but what a great review. You really develop the complexity of the story. Judgment surely arrived on the nation. What would America’s community life be like if it had never practiced slavery?

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The IndiaBookStore blog

Review: 12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave started filling the bestseller line in almost all bookstores, having gained widespread acclaim due to the award winning success of its movie adaption . Movies based on books inadvertently bring out the need for comparison where, almost unfailingly, the books gain the upper hand . Amazingly enough, this time the movie topped the book!

The book portrays the tale of a ‘free black man’ that will make your heart bleed for him. The story is of Solomon, from the state of New York, who got kidnapped in Washington and was sold into slavery and the horror that ensues for the next twelve years. Coming from an audaciously independent breeding, with no sense of bondage, Solomon falls into the abyss of slavery with no respite in sight.

The book goes through various philosophies and emotions. How the loss of a friend and hope can make life that much more worthless. How love commands respect and how the owners who treat their slaves with even a modicum of compassion get better output. And the extent to which the fight for survival changes a person. The story also has a poignant reminder of how even the most kind hearted and well meaning are suppressed by societal influence, and how music can inculcate companionship. The protagonist is in a place in his life where humans feel more dangerous than hounds, snakes or alligators. Despite the end being known, one would still want to go through the whole book because it contains such heart wrenching comparisons that one cannot help but sympathize with the protagonist for the hardships endured.

There is a lot of literature on this subject, but this book comes forth with a different understanding, which has not been explored by any other artist in any other medium. The story of Solomon Northup highlights the difference between being born into slavery and being pushed into it. There is no question that the plight suffered by slaves is the same, regardless of where they come from, but the quintessential difference is how a person reacts and adapts to it. The author also expresses extreme indignation towards whites who assume they know the plight of slaves.

The book had an interesting and gripping storyline, but shifted its perspective a lot. The slow progression of events and unnecessary details that had nothing to do with the story made it mind numbing at times. But one has to remember that this is not a piece of sophisticated literature; this an account of a person, who put it in the best way that he could – the story of his life with horrors many of us could never imagine.

The abovementioned lacunas are where the movie trumps the book; it does away with the inessential description and irrelevant plot lines and makes it real. The brilliant use of cinematography and the contrast in music to emphasize the conflicting emotions prevalent in a scene made it that much more hard-hitting. The movie tugs at your heartstrings in a way the book couldn’t.

Want to explore the books vs movies connection a bit more? Go no further than our Talkies or Text? comparison of Wuthering Heights ! 

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It's All About Books

2014 , 4 Star Rating , Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEW: Twelve Years A Slave – by Solomon Northup

“Life is dear to every living thing; the worm that crawls upon the ground will struggle for it.”

This book was a gift of a friend who knows I always like reading historical books, whether fiction or non fiction. Twelve Years A Slave is not the first book about slavery that I’ve read, but without doubt it is one of the more powerful once. In this memoir Solomon Northup , born a free man, tells us about how he was kidnapped, then forced into slavery during twelve long years and finally rescued from such fate. It’s not an easy read and at times a bit slow in pace, but the message is powerful enough to keep reading. I think most people already suspect how slaves were treated in Southern USA back in those days, but actually reading a testimony makes it hard to ignore such inhumane treatment that was used on black slaves. Like Northup said in his book, it was part of the culture and most slave owners didn’t know any better, but still… Even humane masters as Ford were still seeing slaves as property and forced them to work for them. A heavy, but strong book and definitely recommended to those who are interested in reading more about the life of slaves.

Solomon Northup was born a free man in the state of New York. He got married, had some children and were able to coope by working hard. Even in the free states, work for black men was harder to find, but both Solomon and his wife were creative enough to scrape together an income. Solomon plays the violin, and when to gentlemen invite him to travel with them to Washington with the promise of money, he quickly agrees to join them. Unfortunately, they deceived him and Solomon was kidnapped, severely beaten and then sold into slavery in 1841. Once crossing the border to the Southern States, he knew that nobody would believe he was a free man without his papers. And those who did, would most likely kill him rather than set him free. So he kept his mouth shut and during twelve years played the role of Platt the slave on different plantations in Louisiana.

Solomon/Platt had different owners during those twelve years and while some, like master Ford, treated him at least with humanity, others were mere brutes and unnecessarily cruel. They actually try to kill him various times when he refuses to be humiliated too much, and owes his life to more humane southerners. Solomon tells us the story of when he manages to escape against all odds and arrive safely back at master Ford’s land, who then protects him from harm. Solomon first works at the cotton plantation, and later is hired to sugar cane plantations as he is way more productive at the latter. He help building new houses and other useful buildings and stands out for his cleverness and violin skills. And then finally he meets the right man that will help him reclaim his freedom…

If you are interested in reading more about the life of slaves during the years of slavery in Southern USA, Twelve Years A Slave is without doubt a must read. This is not just another testimony written by a slave, in this memoir we see the facts through the eyes of a free man that was forced into slavery. That and the fact that Solomon Northup clearly was an educated man, makes this book that much more powerful. The prose is not always easy to read, but the message makes up for it. Plus, this book was written back in 1853…

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