12 Years a Slave: A True Story of Betrayal, Kidnap and Slavery

Author(s): Solomon Northup

Fiction

Tricked by two men offering him a job as a musician in New York State in 1841, Solomon Northup was drugged and kidnapped. His life in jeopardy, he was forced to assume a new name and fake past. Taken to Louisiana on a disease-ridden plague ship, he was initially sold to a cotton planter. In the twelve years that follow he is sold to many different owners who treat him with varying levels of savagery; forced labour, scant food and numerous beatings are his regular fare. Against all odds, Northup eventually succeeds in contacting a sympathetic party and manages to get word to his family. The ensuing rescue and legal cases are no less shocking and intriguing than the rest of the tale. Northup's meticulous first-hand recordings of slave life provide a true-life testament to tremendous courage and tenacity in the face of unfathomable injustice. A new film premiering in 2014, featuring Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch, is sure to introduce this amazing story to a new audience.


Product Information

Solomon Northup (1808 - c. 1864-1875) was an African American carpenter who was born free in Minerva, Essex County, New York, but was bound into slavery later in life for a period of twelve years. He regained his freedom in January 1853.

General Fields

  • : 9781843914716
  • : Hesperus Press Ltd
  • : Hesperus Press Ltd
  • : 0.227
  • : August 2013
  • : 195mm X 125mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : September 2013
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Solomon Northup
  • : Paperback
  • : 306.362092
  • : 300