Twelve Years a Slave: by Solomon Northup with Original Illustrations

The Farmer, canal worker, and violinist Solomon Northup’s memoir Twelve Years A Slave is an account of his time in enslavement mainly in Louisiana from 1841 to 1853. The memoir was originally published in 1853. Solomon Northup was born in New York State to freed African American parents in July of 1808. Northup was a part of his community in upstate New York. Solomon and his wife who was named Anne Hampton had three children. Solomon Northup is a skilled violinist. Northup is invited by two white men to play the violin at their circus in Washington, D.C. While there in Washington D.C., Northup is drugged and kidnapped into enslavement. Northup ends up as an enslaved man in Louisiana. Northup’s memoir is a well-written and moving book that captures what life was like for the enslaved African Americans in the slave system in Louisiana in the 1840s and early 1850s. Northup’s book was made into a film by screenwriter John Ridley IV and director Steve McQueen. The movie, 12 Years a Slave (2013), is a pretty book-accurate version of the memoir. Solomon Northup is performed by the actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. I agree with the Goodreads reviewer named Warren Nelson that the biggest change that the movie made was that in the book, Northup is very religious, in the movie there is less focus on the religiosity of Northup. Solomon Northup’s memoir, Twelve Year A Slave is a moving and compelling view of the life of enslaved man in Louisiana between 1841 and 1853. Work Cited: Searchlight Pictures. “12 Years A Slave- Official Trailer (HD).” Searchlight Pictures. July 19, 2013. 12 YEARS A SLAVE - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube