Reviews

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

vishal_moorthy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.75

ashley_b22's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

jammythejamspreader's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

emilybelger's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

2.5

heathercottledillon's review against another edition

4.0

It's hard to rate a book like this. On one hand, it is not enjoyable. Reading it made me feel outraged and depressed. On the other, it's a well-written story that must be told. Northrup was obviously very well-educated, and his memoir is much easier to read and to follow than some other books from the mid-1800s. I only wish he'd included more of his thoughts and feelings instead of simply describing the events. Still, I'm glad I read it, and I think we should read more first-person accounts of this horrible part of history to know what it was really like and not rely on our watered-down textbooks.

lit_laugh_luv's review against another edition

3.0

A harrowing story that really gives insight into life for enslaved peoples, and does not shy away from the blunt truth. Growing up in Canada, our education system very much neglected acknowledging slavery in our country's history, and so it felt important for me to read this and better understand a lived experience (even if the events took place in America).

I hesitate in giving this 5 stars simply due to the structure of the book; I was really interested in some secondary characters but they weren't fully explored. Similarly, the ending felt a bit abrupt and I would have appreciated more of Solomon's perspective and emotions throughout. Some sections are a bit dense and feel academic, but that's likely due to the age of the book more than anything else.

renia_gk's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

3.5

biswajit2907's review against another edition

dark inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

marko_krstanovic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

5.0

a_gillie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

It’s all in the book. 
Engaging prose, beautiful descriptions, harrowing recollections, and viciously intelligent. Northup writes with a shocking honesty and maintains a scholarly dignity while recounting the unimaginable indignities he was bound to suffer through.