Review
''Its truth is far greater than fiction.'' --
Frederick Douglass, writer, former slave, and abolitionist
''A moving, vital testament to one of slavery's 'many thousands gone' who retained his humanity in the bowels of degradation. It is also a chilling insight into the 'peculiar institution.' '' --
Saturday Review ''I can never read his account of his days in slavery, of his independence of spirit, of his determination to be free . . . without believing that it would make a difference in today's world if our contemporaries knew of such a man as Solomon Northup.'' --Dr. John Hope Franklin, past president of the American Historical Association, bestselling author, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
''The extraordinary narrative of Solomon Northup is the most remarkable book that was ever issued from the American press.'' --
Detroit Tribune(1853)
''Such a tale is more powerful than any fiction which can be conceived and elaborated.'' --
Cincinnati Journal (1853)
''(Audiobook narrator) Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power.'' --
AudioFile''The extraordinary narrative of Solomon Northup is the most remarkable book that was ever issued from the American press.'' --
Detroit Tribune(1853)
''Such a tale is more powerful than any fiction which can be conceived and elaborated.'' --
Cincinnati Journal (1853)
''(Audiobook narrator) Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power.'' --
AudioFile''The extraordinary narrative of Solomon Northup is the most remarkable book that was ever issued from the American press.'' --
Detroit Tribune(1853)
''Such a tale is more powerful than any fiction which can be conceived and elaborated.'' --
Cincinnati Journal (1853)
''(Audiobook narrator) Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power.'' --
AudioFile --This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
About the Author
Author Bio: SOLOMON NORTHUP (ca.1808-1870) was an African American who was born a free man in Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1841 he was kidnapped after being lured to Washington, DC, and sold into slavery in Louisiana. Following his courageous rescue came his riveting memoir,
Twelve Years a Slave, which helped cement public opinion in favor of abolition leading up to the Civil War. Dr. Sue Eakin first discovered the story of Solomon Northup as a twelve-year old and her research of the narrative became her lifetime project. This audiobook is her authenticated edition of the work.
DR. SUE EAKIN (1918-2009) first discovered the story of Solomon Northup when she was twelve years old. Discovering that book on the library shelf of a plantation home in her native Louisiana determined her life's path. She went on to write her master's thesis about Solomon's story and, after decades of research, produced the first authenticated edition of the book in 1968. In 2007, at the age of eighty-eight, she completed a final, definitive edition with over one hundred pages of additional, fascinating information, never-before-published images, and unique maps related to the story.
Reader (Narrator) Bio: LOUIS GOSSETT, Jr., is one of the most respected African American actors in film, television, stage, and voice-over history with a distinct voice that carries quiet authority. A triple-threat talent with an Emmy for
Roots, an Oscar for
Officer and a Gentleman, and a Golden Globe for
The Josephine Baker Story, Gossett is in the upper echelons of elite actors. As an impassioned activist, he firmly believes in giving back to the community and has donated his performance royalties from the
Twelve Years a Slave audiobook to his nonprofit organization, the Erascism Foundation, which focuses on planting the seeds of social tolerance with children and eliminating the stigma of racism.
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.