Twelve Years a Slave is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American
Solomon Northup as told to and edited by David Wilson. Northup, a black
man who was born free in New York state, details his being tricked to go
to Washington, D.C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the
Deep South. He was in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before he was
able to secretly get information to friends and family in New York, who
in turn secured his release with the aid of the state. Northup's acco