88 pages 2 hours read

Solomon Northup, Sue Eakin, Joseph Logsdon, Karolyn Smardz Frost, Eric Ashley Hairston

Twelve Years a Slave

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2013

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Before You Read

Reviews & Readership

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup is lauded for its powerful firsthand account of slavery and its detailed, vivid narrative. Readers appreciate its historical significance and emotional depth but find its language challenging at times due to its period-specific style. Overall, it is an eye-opening, essential read for understanding American history and the resilience of the human spirit.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Twelve Years a Slave?

Readers passionate about American history, slavery narratives, and personal resilience will find Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup compelling. Comparably, fans of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe or Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs will be enthralled by Northup's vivid and poignant account.

Recommended

Reading Age

18+years

Book Details

Themes
Identity: Race
Society: Class
Values/Ideas: Equality
Topics
History: World
Genre
Classic Fiction
Biography