Based on a true story, this book is a memoir of those twelve
years spent by the author. Born a free man in New York, Solomon Northup was
lured to Washington, D.C., in 1841 with the promise of fast money, then drugged
and beaten and sold into slavery.
While we sit in our cozy beds and curl up with a book - this
book; we feel terrified and extremely sorry for the misery they must have gone
through. It is that moment of truth we must realize and thank the generations
before us for making us come to a world where we can raise our voice - where we
do not need to prove that we are free!
The story is heart wrenching and keep the reader on its
toes. The best part is that is unexaggerated - the author has very clearly
stated bad ad bad and good as good. Yes, a slave he was - but he was glad to be
a slave to a good human at heart.
Then, there is a short story inside about a mother and her
two children. The lines below left me sore in throat. I was speechless. This
violation of innocence is the worst part about child trafficking. Poor little
souls have no idea wat they have been tricked or forced into. All they want is
love and that warm hug from their family. I always have goosebumps thinking of
the sudden and cruel realities of evil being thrown upon them. I am sure I cannot
even imagine a child earning to obey out of fear when just hours or days before
everyone was at his or her service.
"The lad was a sprightly child, that answered to the
name of Randall. Most of the time he was playing about the yard, but occasionally
would cry, calling for his mother, and wondering when she would come. His
mother’s absence seemed to be the great and only grief in his little heart. He
was too young to realize his condition, and when the memory of his mother was
not in his mind, he amused us with his pleasant pranks."
It was not only the child, the plea and wails of the mother
too - which obviously fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. I could not help but
cry my heart out on those pages.
"Life is dear to every living thing; the worm that
crawls upon the ground will struggle for it."
The book is full of lines and phrases I went back and reread
to confirm if I comprehended it correctly. This was such an eyeopener and
realization of sad realities and bitter truth. We are sitting in the comfort of
our house and wonder if we are doing too much work or too little! Imagine a
slave who is forced to do some work which he is constantly dreading upon to not
to be in less amount than the day before and at the same time praying that it's
not more too - for that would set the new standard right then and there.
Below are some lines so aptly describe the reason of being
someone so cruel ad stonehearted. As we say - it's not a person who is wrong
it's the education and environment around him/her that's to blame:
"It is not the fault of the slaveholder that he is
cruel, so much as it is the fault of the system under which he lives. He cannot
withstand the influence of habit and associations that surround him. Taught
from earliest childhood, by all that he sees and hears, that the rod is for the
slave’s back, he will not be apt to change his opinions in mature years."
While the author was rescued and became free, I could not
help but wonder about the fate of his fellow mates specially those who were the
slaves of some cruel men!
Would I recommend it to my friends: YES! BUT WITH A WARNING
OF BEING READY TO BE SCARED AND BE THANKFUL TO TIMES THEY ARE LIVING IN.
I picked up the free copy from Amazon classics. The book is
currently in public domain and can be easily read free of cost. If once does
wish to go ahead and buy it – it’s a great book to add to that bookshelf as-well.
IF you wish to add “Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup” to
your bookshelf, visit the links below to purchase the book from Amazon.
Below are some links. Alternatively, go to the Amazon search results and pick the
publisher or price you are comfortable with:
Note: I may get a small commission if you purchase using
them - WITHOUT YOU BEING CHARGED AN EXTRA PENNY.
