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Twelve Years a Slave

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Twelve Years a Slave

By: Solomon Northup
Narrated by: Hugh Quarshie
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About this listen

Hugh Quarshie reads the extraordinary autobiography of Solomon Northup. His harrowing true story, first published in 1853, was a key factor in the national debate over slavery prior to the American Civil War, significantly changing public opinion on the topic of abolition. It tells the horrifying tale of Solomon Northup, an educated, free black man living with his wife and children in New York State, whose life takes an appalling turn when he is kidnapped, drugged and sold into slavery.

Shipped to New Orleans, he endures the life of a slave in Louisiana's isolated plantation country. For twelve long years, he endures the unimaginable brutality and inhumanity of daily life, while keeping his dignity intact and dreaming of one day returning home to the arms of his family.

Twelve Years a Slave is soon to be a major motion picture, starring Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender.

©2013 AudioGO Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

  • 10 Best Audiobooks of 2013 (Salon)

    • "The resurgent interest in '12 Years a Slave' has everything to do with Steve McQueen's masterful film adaptation, but the book has more to offer than the movie, and the Ghanian-British stage actor Hugh Quarshie's conversational delivery stands out among a slew of newly released competing audiobook adaptations." (Kyle Minor, Salon)
"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 Online)
All stars
Most relevant

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, especially to anyone who claims to be too busy to take time to read the book.

What other book might you compare Twelve Years a Slave to, and why?

I have not read one that I would compare it too.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When he finally regains his freedom.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes the inhuman treatment of a fellow human being.

Human injustices

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For me, this book, and the subsequent film of the same name, makes unquestionably clear how a legacy of suffering is inherited by all of humanity. From the unresolved trauma of countless, horrific injustices inflicted upon the enslaved, to the morally impoverished hearts borne from the delusion of those that foolishly believe they can profit from taking away another's freedom, desperately clinging to lies that justify their actions. It is not possible that the history of slavery can be separated from the context of modern times. Everything is inextricably interconnected and the chickens are coming home to roost on a daily basis. Lest we forget, make it your duty to listen to the testament of Solomon Northup....

Lest we forget the context of #blacklivesmatter

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The more I heard the more impressive I found Steve McQueen's transcription. The voice actor was exactly as I imagined him to be.

Devastating with plenty of tears

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It's a fascinating and moving story that shines a light on the realities of a period in time that is still mostly swept under the carper. The story is also exceptionally well narrated.

superb listen

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So sad to read how little black lives mattered. the unnecessary beating we endured at the hands of people willing to be wickedly racist.

A Traguc Read

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