"A free man, who is a hardworking farmer, ends up in bondage serving under various masters. His struggle for survival and freedom consumes 12 years of his life. His only 'folly'? He was a maan of color. 12 Years a Slave is one of the best slave narratives ever penned. It was adapted into a movie by the same name in 2013 and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Drama).

The book was first published in 1853, three years after the Fugitive Slave Act. Solomon Northup's narrative acted as an important cultural symbol of slave life on southern plantations in America before the Civil War."