One of the best and most enduring of the slave narratives, it is a frank, incisive depiction of slavery in the American south.
Solomon was an African American born free in New York during the 19th century, but was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south. Twelve Years a Slave paints a vivid picture of the horrid realities of slavery and the harrowing circumstances under which Northup was restored to freedom. It was recently adapted into a multi-Oscar winning film directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
