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Twelve Years a Slave

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Twelve Years a Slave

By: Solomon Northup
Narrated by: Sean Crisden
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About this listen

Twelve Years a Slave is the autobiographical account of Solomon Northup, an African American who was born free in New York in the early 1800s. In 1841, Solomon Northup was captured and forced into slavery for a period of twelve years. Northup's account is detailed in its account of life on a cotton and sugar plantation and the daily routine of slave life during the first part of the 19th century. The book describes the daily life of slaves in Bayou Beof, their diet, the relationship between master and slave, the means that slave catchers used to recapture them, and the ugly realities that slaves suffered. Comparable to the accounts of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, and William Wells Brown, Twelve Years a Slave is a captivating narrative of the life of freedom and slavery experienced by one African American man prior to the American Civil War.

Public Domain (P)2012 Tantor Americas Black & African American Classics Cultural & Regional Historical Military Social Sciences United States

Critic reviews

"A moving, vital testament." ( Saturday Review)
All stars
Most relevant
I have long maintained that I know enough about Slavery and colonial exploitation of Africans but this reinforces my belief in putting an end to racism and all the discrimination that goes around us.

Remarkable story. Listen with an open heart

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Whilst at times, horrific, as a writing style was more encyclopaedic. Well worth dipping into .

Slavery

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Would you listen to Twelve Years a Slave again? Why?

Absolutely brilliant. The poetry juxtaposed with the slavery simply makes the horror stand out even more starkly. Taking into account the time that this was written highlights the intelligence of Mr. Northup in more profound colours than simply black or white. As Solomon notes, "There is a special place in hell reserved for Edwin Epps".

Poetry combined with horror

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“12 Years a Slave” is primarily documentary rather than narrative. It’s importance in the genre of slave narratives is clear and it seems later writers such as Alex Haley are indebted to this book. That said, it doesn’t make a particularly good listen and, in my opinion, it lacked the life and vividity of other books of its type.

An important book superseded by its descendants

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