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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The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Have you ever read a book that is predictable with every chapter and eventually you can predict it page by page, but still – you want to go on an on with it? You never ever want it to finish?

Well, the very famous children classic - “THE SECRET GARDEN BY FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT” is one such book, or at least I found it like that.

It is the story of two 10-year-old children Mary Lennox and Colin Craven living in two opposite parts of world. Both are spoiled to the highest level a child could be raised to. The story begins with Mary and how she finds her way to another part of world, makes friends and eventually, her journey to find Colin. The plot then revolves around these children discovering themselves with life and experiences and the mother nature.

I could go on and on writing more about the novel and it’s blurb, but then I honestly feel that one should really go and read it. I think, anything more written here might serve as a spoiler.

Coming to my reaction to the novel. I have already admitted that it’s one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The book has so much simple lessons of life in store. The lessons, we all know all through but somehow tend to not acknowledge them. Also, it’s a perfect example of what a child can do to other child and why they must have a company to grow with.

Magic of mother nature, positive attitude, determination and optimism flows all through the book.

Imagine a ten-year-old making another child of same age and same level of tantrum, sleep by singing and talking softly!!!

After reading it, whenever I am asked about a book I found lovable and flawless, my answer would be “The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett until I find another one like it.

Then, there is a chapter which talks about how a bird called robin feels about humans around him. He talks to his wife and it was just hilarious and true at the same time!

I cannot believe myself when I am talking with such positive attitude about a book. I think, I should just stop and leave you with that It’s a gorgeous piece of simple writing where the message, the emotions, the surroundings, everything is described just perfectly.

There were of course many lines and phrases I read and re-read. A few of them, I have put up in the post also. There are total 27 chapters and my personal favorites are "I SHALL LIVE FOREVER—AND EVER—AND EVER!" and “The Curtain”.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Did you read the whole post? Because if you did, I need not answer it now! Go get it reader! In case you have a kindle unlimited subscription or own a kindle or use the kindle app on any device, guess what? It’s free on Amazon Classics.

If you like my review and plan to give it a shot, you may try that by above link. They point to my Amazon Affiliate and when purchased from, I get a tiny commission with no extra charge to you.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Ever since my childhood, Jungle Book to me had been all about the very famous “Jungle Jungle pata chala hai, chaddi pehen ke phool khila hai, phool khila hai”. I downloaded the “The Jungle Book” to read the actual version of same and it took me to a total surprise – a pleasant one indeed.

The book is a good mix of five (most popular of all - the 'Mowgli' is actually divided in three stories.) stories. All the stories are followed by a related poems/songs/rhymes. All the poems summarize the nature of animals and their lives in the preceding story.

I think I might be repeating myself from my earlier posts that there is a reason some books are termed "Classics".

I could not write a single, whole some review for the "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling, so I decided to go one by one. The short stories along with their title and following verses are as below:

1. Mowgli's Brothers - Childhood hero Mowgli being rescued and raised by wolves and the realization of animals that he is a man after all! This chapter is the one we all know much about.

Wolfs always hunt in pack and they ought to have few lines to get them going. "Hunting Song of the Seeonee Pack” helps them to remain focused and follow their leader.

2. Kaa's Hunting - Big hypnotizing python - Kaa is helps Baloo and Bagheera to rescue Mowgli from the "Bandar-log".

I found this song very close to monkeys or at-least how we perceive them. The monkeys found pride in the song while Mowgli realized that this was not an environment he could enjoy for long. It's called the "Road Song of the Bandar-Log".

3. Tiger! Tiger! - The final of Mowgli's series where he goes to a village where humans live. But then, Jungle is where his heart belongs to. He along with his wolf brother finally brings an end to the cruel Shere Khan.

Finally, Mowgli sings "Mowgli's Song" with much pride and tells everyone about his victory over Share Khan. It's popularly known as the victory song, but I could not help but notice the tiny elements of sadness in verses. Life sure is unpredictable!

4. The White Seal - It's a brave story of Kotick - a rare white seal who decides to find a safe place for his fellow seals. Honestly speaking, this one is my favorite of all. There are so many takeaways from this little story with respect to 'modern society' we are living in. This story might make way to another post from my end.

The "Lukannon" song - which I found a bit sad does a good justice to the story. Reading the verses shows why Kotick decided to follow a path which was discouraged by all but was much needed at the same time.

5. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi - A mongoose named 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi' finds himself rescued by a family of humans and returns the favor best by rescuing them back by a family of Cobra.

The tailor-bird "Darzee" sings in celebration as Rikki-Tikki-Tavi hunts cobra and made the garden a safe place to live for other creatures. The song is titled - "Darzee's Chaunt".

6. Toomai of the Elephants - World of Elephants has always been of much interest ever. It's a nice story about little boy Toomai and his adventurous encounter by elephants - of all types!

Wait before you think that the story has come to an end. a beautiful song Little Toomai‘s mother sang to him when he was a baby awaits next. It's a gorgeous song depicting the law of nature called "Shiv and the Grasshopper". Toomai‘s mother explains that the creator - Shiva is the one who "made all" and also ensured that all are fed leaving no one hungry.

7. Her Majesty's Servants - What happens when animals from different regions or work culture meet? What do they discuss? This short story is a compilation of one such event when mule, camel, horse, elephant and bullock spend the night together and discover new things about each other’s work - obviously each thinks theirs is better than others.

The story is followed by "Parade-Song of the Camp Animals" - a enthusiastic song where each group gets to echo their own verse and then a common one.

All the stories depict the world through the eyes of animals. They also focus on the basic nature of animal in picture turning it in the form of a tale children might enjoy. I would however like to give a disclaimer warning that it's nowhere near to Disney's magical world and might crush those sugar-coated images of animals we have built. As a child, I might not enjoy it originally and thus think that it's justified to tweak them a bit when it comes to presenting the same to children.

Very rarely I write this - Go for it with open heart! You would not regret the time invested. I Loved it thoroughly. Need more reasons to add it to your library - It's free on Kindle!

                                                                        

note - all quotes have been created for free at http://quozio.com/

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Book Title:- Great Expectations

Author:- Charles Dickens

Oh my god! I never expected that it would take an effort read a classic. People have been reviewing Great Expectations for 150 years. To be very frank, i found Great Expectations not so great to my own expectations.It was good, but not great.

The story gained some interest from the beginning but i found it boring, dull, lifeless, and flat in. Many times, i had to remind myself what the plot was about. But, as i forced myself to complete the book and not leaving it half read, i sincerely thank that moment. I regained interest in the story after more than half of it. I even asked for the summary to one of my cousins who had seen the movie, but still while reading it, i found it much better. May be this is the reason i always say that books are always better than movies!!!

Written in first person, the main character Pip and his decisions as well as expectations looked quite close to real life. Miss Haversham added some mystery to the story. The end was a bit surprising but not unpredictable. From the very beginning, i could make out ultimate fall of Estella.

But, i have a doubt, it is known as children's book. From where can children have so much patience to get themselves hooked to this story. May be my perception change once i have many more classics...:)

How did you like the book? Would you go ahead and read it after my thoughts on it? Write your heart/mind in comments section. I would be glad to read out your end of thinking on the book.