Twelve Years a Slave

Solomon Northup has been living in Louisiana for over a decade – first on one plantation, then another.  He wasn’t born into slavery but sold in a case of mistaken identity – stolen from his family and his life in New York.  Northup hasn’t spoken his true name to anyone since his first days of slavery until now, when a carpenter from Canada arrived to build his master a new house.  That conversation would set in motion the wheels of justice and freedom for Northup.

Twelve Years a Slave is Northup’s autobiographical novel detailing his journey from being born free in upstate New York to finding himself enslaved to realizing his freedom once more.  His writing is unique for several reasons: it shows the danger free black citizens faced in this era, it does not shy away from the physical and mental atrocities bestowed on American slaves, and it was published prior to the American Civil War.  A contemporary of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this memoir was somewhat unknown after it’s initial success until the 1960’s when historians from two Louisiana colleges rediscovered the manuscript and retraced Northup’s journey.  Solomon Northup’s accounts of the slave markets in Washington D.C. and the plantations in Louisiana have allowed historians to accurately locate and define these locations and their impacts to the area even now over a century later.

I give Twelve Years a Slave 5 out of 5 stars.  The honesty and transparency of Northup’s writing left me stunned at what he experienced and questioning how I would handle being ripped from my life and enslaved.  While other Southern literature has depicted slavery, these accounts generally show it from the slave owner’s perspective and never from the view of someone who was free and forced into slavery.  It cannot be denied that, even after returning to freedom, Northup and his family would have faced some backlash and danger after the publication of this memoir.

With detailed accounts of physical punishments, this book may be best directed towards mature audiences over 13.  I would recommend this book for all readers studying the American slave trade and Antebellum era – it will give a different perspective than what will be found in many textbooks.  I would also recommend this book for those working against the modern-day slave trade – there are many parallels between Northup’s baiting to Washington D.C. by supposed friends and coworkers and the common predatory behavior of current human traffickers.  I also see parallels between Northup’s escape and that of the stories we hear on the news of the women and girls who escape their captors today.

I chose Twelve Years a Slave in honor of Juneteenth.  This Federal holiday recognizes the anniversary of the Texas proclamation freeing slaves from their bonds in 1865 – more than two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  Since enforcement of a federal law generally relied upon Union Soldiers at this time, Texas (a Confederate State) was one of the last holdouts of the slave trade in the US.  I think it is important to honor Juneteenth and the journey of so many freeborn people who found themselves unlawfully enslaved like Solomon Northup.  Many people assume slavery died with the Civil War, but its remnants remain.  Over 50 million people are enslaved worldwide – that’s approximately 1 in every 200 people.  That doesn’t sound like a lot, but consider Truist Park, home to the Atlanta Braves team, can seat 41,000.  With an average of 1 out of every 200, approximately 205 people in attendance may be victims of modern-day slavery.  That is a staggering number to consider.  Honoring Juneteenth keeps this conversation in the spotlight for our community – the more we talk about it and the more outrage that we create, the better chance we have to end this practice for good.

For more information on modern slavery and human trafficking, visit A21.org to see how you can get involved to stop this barbaric practice.

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities, Heather Webber
• Current audio book: Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
• Book I’m most looking forward to: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, Colleen Oakley