By Judith and Dennis Fradin
A captivating true story of a free black man and how he was sold into slavery and his hard fought twelve years to freedom. Solomon awakens in a slave pen in Washington D.C. and tries to explain that this is a mistake and he is a free man. But all of his papers and money have been stolen and he is beaten. He looses his name and his identity as he is moved further into the South. His first name becomes Platt and his last name changes every time he gets a new owner.
Solomon is a skilled individual, a carpenter and an accomplished violin player. Due to the economy in the south, he changes hands several times, going further from home with each transfer. Eventually, he lands at he Epp Plantation in the backwaters of Alabama. His first attempt of contacting his family to the North, becomes a near miss and he learns to be weary of those around him. He needs to find somebody who is willing to risk aiding him. Finally, a travelling carpenter comes to help build a new house, and Epps has Solomon help build the homestead. As they work, Solomon comes to believe that he has finally found somebody that would be sympathetic to his plight. Letters are sent back to New York in hopes that somebody will somehow prove that he is free and help set him free.
This historical book is a true story of Solomon Northrup and his quest for freedom. I am not going to tell you the ending, kinda makes reading it necessary. This is a shortened version of Solomon's own autobiography, "Twelve Years a Slave" and as such skims over many of the details. Which is why I am only giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I found it a trifle young and believe it would be appropriate for students fourth grade and up. I do believe older students would read and enjoy the actual original transcript.
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