12 Years A Slave Movie and Book



Illustration from 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (published 1853)

I went to see the movie "12 Years A Slave" in hopes of learning more about slavery from the perspective of a slave.  I may incorporate a former slave as a charaacter in the sequel to Hiram's Honor.  I was so taken by the story that I looked up the original book published in 1853. I read the first person account with images from the movie in my mind. For the most part the movie follows the book. The written account has much more detail and is thus more valuable to understanding the author and thus building a character for my story.  I was amazed at how Solomon Northup, an educated free black man kidnapped into slavery, was able to experience the trials of being a slave and yet retain hope for returning to freedom.  The injustice of the story overwhelms you but in the end you rejoice with Northup as he rejoins his family after 12 years in the most brutal of circumstances.