By Esther Callens
One of this century’s most powerful narratives that recount one man’s struggle for freedom has been re-published. Twelve Years a Slave is the factual memoir of its author – Solomon Northup. Giving readers an up-close, yet mere glimpse of the injustices that Solomon Northup endured, Twelve Years a Slave painted a vivid portrayal that was pivotal in the discussions that led to the Civil War. This was an amazing act for a Black man in the mid 1800s.
Solomon Northup was born a free man in Saratoga, New York in 1808. He was an experienced carpenter and talented violinist. In 1841, he was approached by two gentlemen offering him a lucrative job as a musician in a circus – if he were available immediately. Northup accepted the gentlemen’s offer and began traveling with them. Things quickly changed for Northup as he found himself drugged and chained. This led to the realization that he had been kidnapped by the presumed gentlemen and sold into slavery.
Northup suffered a lifetime in those 12 years, as he was belittled and beaten by numerous owners.
Through a series of events spearheaded by the help of a kind gentleman, Solomon was reunited with his wife and three children in the winter of 1953. He went on to write his memoirs and to become a keynote figure in the abolition movement.
Twelve Years a Slave is and will always be a biography of great significance. It is unique in the sense that Northrup was a freeman before being enslaved, thereby presenting a profound narrative of both aspects. It is not surprising that Northup’s story has been made into a major motion picture that continues to garner numerous awards. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup with introduction by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, PhD, is an Atria Books/37 Ink/Simon and Schuster publication.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the author of Wrench, the New York Times bestselling novel. In addition to being a prolific teacher, Dr. Perkins-Valdez is the beneficiary of the First Novelist Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. She makes Washington, D.C. home.
