Today, while drinking a latte at Wholefoods, I finished skimming 12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup.
After seeing the movie, I wanted to read the book. So, I downloaded the book for under $2, and I attempted to read it.
The beginning of the book was very interesting: the journey of turning a free man into a slave.
However, once he is turned into a slave, the story that he tells is just like all of the other stories that we have read or seen such as The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass and Roots by Alex Haley. And, based on these stories, as well as the stories told by Solomon Northup, slavery was terrible, and I couldn't image going through that kind of treatment and surviving. So, I skimmed the pages where he went into details about being a slave.
However, I did read the ending, because I was curious to know how he regained his freedom. And, that part of the book was interesting as well.
The book and the movie are very similar, and I would recommend the movie over the book, and I typically NEVER do this. But, the book moves very slowly and the movie does a great job of telling the story in a manner that is more attention grabbing.
See or read 12 Years A Slave, and learn American History.
Happy Black History Month, My People!!!
Freedom is a Beautiful Thing.
