Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup

Imagine you are living your life as usual with a family to come home to and work that you look forward to. The future seems bright and suddenly one day you wake up as a slave. You try to get out of that nightmare, but the harder you try, the more the reality hits right on your face. That's exactly Solomon Northup experienced, and his misery lasted for whole big 12 years before he was finally rescued.

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:

    

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Wings Of Fire an Autobiography - APJ Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari

About The Author:

A.P.J Abdul Kalam does not need any description. He was popularly knoen as the People'e President, serving India officially as the 11th President from 2002 to 2007. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, is a renowed scientist and has remarkable contiribution towards India's process towards aeronautics. He is also awarded with three of country's most honoured awards - Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) and Bharat Ratna (1997). The missile man of India passed away at the age of 83 on 27 July 2015.

The Blurb;

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the son of a little-educated boat-owner in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating in the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna. As chief of the country’s defence research and development programme, Kalam demonstrated the great potential for dynamism and innovation that existed in seemingly moribund research establishments. This is the story of Kalam’s rise from obscurity and his personal and professional struggles, as well as the story of Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag-missiles that have become household names in India and that have raised the nation to the level of a missile power of international reckoning. This is also the saga of independent India’s struggle for technological self-sufficiency and defensive autonomy-a story as much about politics, domestic and international, as it is about science.

What I Felt About The Book
I absolutely loved the book. Yes, despite the fact that the book is more about India's journey to Rocket science, despite the fact that I did not understood a major chunk of the sentences, I was not able to put it down till I finished reading it.

There were some places when I was nodding my head and had to stop reading reminding myself of my own very similar thoughts. For example, one line or quote says -

I used to wonder what made poor people smoke away their hard-earned money.
This is something I keep on repeating whenever I see the rush on any wine/alcohol shop. I seriously wonder the irony - 'I am sure that they would have a reply of no money or poverty whenever when their children ask for a new toy or their wife wished a new ornament/dress. And there they were quenching their addiction of smoking and drinking which in turns take them close to dead end thereby leaving their loved ones with more unfulfilled wishes!'

Success of SLV-3 cought media attention to Kalam. Like all of us, he had same feeling in his heart- "Glory of SLV-3 had not gone to everyone who deserved it". I am sure it is one feeling (either being recognised or being on the other side) each and every individual; must have experienced at least once in his/her lifetime. Great personalities are also humans. We all know this fact. But the mere acceptance of such simple facts gives immense mental peace that they too think like us.

Then, there were some close to heart instances. When Kalam got much needed air Force helicopter ride to Madurai to attend his niece Zameela's wedding - which he had got late for pertaining to his work commitments and was actually feeling guilty for in his subconsciousness, I had the same feeling as Dr Arunachalam - "You have earned this for your hard work..."

The chapter - "STEWARDS" - is quite interesting in terms of forming a team and choosing the leaders to lead them.
- "I had to get the right type of leader who could clearly visualize the goal, and channelise the energies of his team members who would be working at different work centres in oursuit of their own individual goals."

What I Liked About the Book:
1. Former President DR. APJ Abdul Kalam
2. The beginning - The simplicity of life and ability to relate left me awestruck
3. Honest depiction of thoughts at various incidents.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:
Aeronautical Terms - Yes, the book is flooded with them and though, great effort has been done to make the reader understand them, 90% of them went over my head. Result - I skimmed through some pages.

At many places, I had to control my hands really hard to not write those paragraphs of great wisdom. The pages are filled with a number of thoughts to ponder and wow lines.

It's definitely a must read for any one in the field of Rocket science and aeronautics. It's a good read for workaholics.
I would have termed it highly recommended to anyone if the focus was less on turn on aeronautical events and their scientific explanations.

Made In India by Biddu

About The Author

Biddu was born in India, where he started his career playing in a pop band whose influences lay in the classic repertoire of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Following his early success, he decided to hear West and move into the international music arena. He struck gold, signing the unknown Carl Douglas and producing "Kung Fu Fighting?" which went on to become a hit all over the world. He also wrote and produced hits for Tina Charles and soul legend Jimmy James. 

Around this time, Biddu became involved in Indian music: he composed the cult "Aap Jaise Koi" for the film Qurbani which set a new landmark for sales in India He followed this up with a pop album, Disco Deewane, with Nazia Hassan, which became the largest selling pop album in Asian history, and was the first Indian album to hit the charts in fourteen countries. In 1995, Biddu wrote and produced the three-million-selling album Made in India with the singer Alisha Chinai. To date, Biddu has sold over thirty-eight million records worldwide.

About The Book

The Blurb Says

As a child, Biddu dreamt of going west and making it big as a composer. At the age of sixteen, he formed a band and started playing in a cafe in Bangalore, his home town, At eighteen, he was part of a popular act at Trinca's, a nightclub in Calcutta devoted to food, wine and music, At nineteen, he had college students in Bombay dancing to his music. 

In his early twenties, he left the country and ended up hitchhiking across the Middle East before arriving in London with only the clothes on his back and his trusty guitar. What followed were years of hardship and struggle but also great music and gathering fame. From the nine million selling "Kung Fu Fighting" to the iconic youth anthem of "Made in India" and the numerous hits in between. Biddu's music made him a household name in India and elsewhere. 

In this first public account of all that came his way: the people, the events, the music tours and companies Biddu writes with a gripping sense of humor about his remarkable journey with its fairy tale ending. Charming, witty, and entirely likable, Biddu is a man you are going to enjoy getting to know.

About The Cover

The cover is simple yet attractive with the Author holding his favourite instrument - the Guitar.

About The Book

Failure to flee from home more than once, travelling in unknown country with just a guitar and small backpack, questioning from police in drug smuggling and many more - these are no doubt experiences of a lifetime.

Honestly, I had not heard of the name before I got the opportunity to read this biography. I have never been very much interested in music and music to me has always been just a form of entertainment once in a while or while driving. But that does not mean I have not heard of numbers like "aap jaisa koi meri jindagi me in aaye" and the anthem of every teenage girl - "Made in India". I have grown up singing these songs by all my heart.

The author has narrated his life story in a short and humorous manner. There were many incidents when I desperately wanted to know the outcomes early and had to hold on myself from flipping the pages and finding out.

What I Liked About The Book:

1. Humour - Biddu has been quite successful in making me smile every now and then.

2. Adventures - yes, as the title states, I loved them specially the one when Biddu got caught by his school after bunking. Some were funny and others were actually scary.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:

1. Professional - although the author has opened up quite a bit about his personal life, I still found the book more professional for an auto biography. I would have loved to read more about his love life, the spiritual connections of his wife with yoga, his mother and many more.

Here are some lines worth noting:

When you are young, failure is not an option.

...youth gives you freedom to fly to the sun.

I knew that music was my mistress and forever I would dance to her tune.

‘Sanctions of any kind only hit the man on the streets, no one else,

It's a learning experience for anyone looking to make a mark in a particular field. Like Biddu, he did work at restaurants, but made sure that he stood close to his field and choose the jobs wisely which landed him with right people at right time.

This review is a part of book tours at Book R3vi3ws