Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup — A Powerful and Essential Read
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup — A Powerful and Essential Read
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup is the harrowing true story of a free Black man from New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Enduring twelve long years of brutality, forced labor, and unimaginable suffering in Louisiana’s plantation system, Northup’s account exposes the devastating inhumanity of slavery. His memoir, written after his escape and restoration to freedom, remains one of the most powerful firsthand testimonies of America’s darkest era.
My favorite Solomon Northup quote from the book:
Questions I pondered while reading:
My review of the book:
This is not an easy book to read, nor should it be. Twelve Years a Slave is an unflinching portrayal of cruelty, endurance, and the will to survive when all dignity is stripped away. Solomon Northup’s narrative, told with precision and humanity, serves as both history and warning.
It is a harsh read, but an essential one. Northup forces readers to look directly into the heart of injustice and question how such suffering was ever tolerated. His story demands to be remembered so that the world never again excuses or forgets the horrors that human beings can inflict upon one another.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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