Twelve Years a Slave

By: Solomon Northup

Narrated by: Louis Gossett Jr.

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Official Movie Tie-in Audiobook for the Academy Award's Best Picture and Golden Globe's Best Drama winner.

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller.

In this riveting landmark autobiography which reads like a novel, Academy Award and Emmy winner Louis Gossett, Jr., masterfully transports us to 1840s New York, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana to experience the kidnapping and twelve years of bondage of Solomon Northup, a free man of color. Twelve Years a Slave, published in 1853, was an immediate bombshell in the national debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War. It validated Harriett Beecher Stowe’s fictional account of Southern slavery in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which had become the best-selling American book in history a few years earlier and significantly changed public opinion in favor of abolition. Experience our official movie tie-in audiobook for the award-winning motion picture, directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o. This audio edition with an accompanying custom map is based on the research of Dr. Sue Eakin, the nationally recognized authority on Solomon Northup who spent a lifetime authenticating his story.

Hard working Solomon Northup, an educated free man of color in 1841, enjoys family life with his wife and three children in Saratoga, New York. He delights his community with his fiddle playing and antic spirit, and has positive expectations of all he meets. When he is deceived by “circus promoters” to accompany them to a musical gig in the nation’s capital, his joyful life takes an unimaginable turn. He awakens in shackles to find he has been drugged, kidnapped and bound for the slave block in D.C.

After Solomon is shipped 1,000 miles to New Orleans, he is assigned his slave name and quickly learns that the mere utterance of his true origin or rights as a freeman are certain to bring severe punishment or death. While he endures the brutal life of a slave in Louisiana’s isolated Bayou Boeuf plantation country, he must learn how to play the system and plot his escape home.

For 12 years, his fine mind captures the reality of slavery in stunning detail, as we learn about the characters that populate plantation society and the intrigues of the bayou – from the collapse of a slave rebellion resulting in mass hangings due to traitorous slave Lew Cheney, to the tragic abuse of his friend Patsey because of Mrs. Epps’ jealousy of her husband’s sexual exploitation of his pretty young slave.

When Solomon finally finds a sympathizing friend who risks his life to secret a letter to the North, a courageous rescue attempt ensues that could either compound Solomon’s suffering, or get him back to the arms of his family.

AUTHENTICATION: Northup’s harrowing first-hand account was authenticated from decades of research by Dr. Sue Eakin, who rediscovered the original narrative as a 12-year old in 1931 and made it her life’s work.

For additional audio clips, background info and images, see our website at www.12YearsASlaveBook.com.

Download your unique free map based on Solomon's narrative.

©2013 Eakin Films & Publishing (P)2013 Eakin Films & Publishing

Critic reviews

“...Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power." ( AudioFile, 2013)

“I can never read his account of his days in slavery, of his independence of spirit, of his determination to be free…without believing that it would make a difference in today's world if our contemporaries knew of such a man as Solomon Northup." (Dr. John Hope Franklin, past president of the American Historical Association, best-selling author, recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom, nation's highest civilian honor)

"[T]he extraordinary narrative of Solomon Northup is the most remarkable book that was ever issued from the American press." ( Detroit Tribune, original 1853 review) "Its truth is far greater than fiction." (Frederick Douglass, famous writer, former slave and abolitionist) "It will be read extensively, both at the North and the South." ( New York Tribune, 1853, published by Horace Greeley)

This was a great depiction of the slaves struggles

this is a wonderful and gut-wrenching sorry about the trials and struggles the slaves endured during a dark and shameful era of American history. A must- read least we forget and repeat this tragedy.

Twelve Years a Slave worth the time

Good narrative, easy to follow. Mr. Gossett gave a good performance with his familiar voice and inflection. Unlike other Audible recordings he chose to read through without giving each character a different voice. This is the only reason I did not give the performance 5 stars. The book and movie screenplay are very much alike. If you enjoyed the movie, you should enjoy the book.

Powerful and articulate

Solomon Northup was a free man in New York state in the 1800s, who found himself kidnapped and sold into slavery. In Twelve Years a Slave he shares his account of the experience.

I always wanted to read the book, and yet had put it off. I tried to watch the movie but was too outraged to see it through. This time I chose to listen to the audiobook, narrated by Louis Gossett Jr. The tale is grave, violent and tragic - but if anything, Northup softens the blow of his own tale. Gossett does not.

Northup expressly states at the end of his account that he wishes not to make any express statement about slavery, and instead lets the book stand for itself. I am not sure how one could read this without making a conclusion about how wrong slavery was - is! - whether he was originally a free man or not.

Excellent

This title is one of the best that l have come across during my entire subscription with Audible. l could not even take a break from it. l fell asleep at night listening. ln the morning l had to find where l had left off when l fell asleep.I2 Years a Slave was excellent.

Those who fail to learn history....

This is a story that everyone should read at least once in their life. A powerful piece of history that deserves to be preserved. After all, those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it.

Producer Note: Louis Gossett and Dr. Sue Eakin

Any additional comments?

I'm Frank Eakin of Eakin Films & Publishing, the producer of this audiobook. We are hopeful that AudioFile Magazine’s outstanding review of Louis Gossett, Jr.’s narration of TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE in early 2013 will be the first of many that will set the stage for a Grammy nomination: “...Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power." Aside from being a world class performer with an Emmy for his role as Fiddler in ROOTS and an Oscar for OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, Lou’s passion for this story and the subject of human suffering drives his riveting performance. He has been a wonderful partner in this venture and his work comes from the heart.

The story of Solomon Northup has a long history in my family. Originally published in 1853, the autobiography was lost to history by the early twentieth century, when a 12-year old avid reader in central Louisiana – the future Dr. Sue Eakin – reached upon the library shelf of a plantation home and discovered a dusty copy of the book that would determine her life's path. She went on write her master's thesis about Solomon’s story and after decades of research, produced the first authenticated edition of the book in 1968. In 2007, at the age of 88, she completed a final definitive edition with over 100 pages of additional fascinating information, never-before-published images and unique maps related to the story that will be released as an e-book and paperback on Amazon soon. This audiobook edition comes with an accompanying copyrighted custom map developed by Dr. Eakin that tracks the story and shows the plantation tracts owned by the slave masters mentioned in the narrative.

For more info, including updates on the 2013 movie starring Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti and Michael Fassbender (directed by Steve McQueen), check out our website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed. Also see our Facebook page for Eakin Films & Publishing and the title’s Wikipedia page. Whenever you see Dr. Sue Eakin’s name associated with a book or audiobook related to Solomon’s story, that’s us – and you’ll know that you’re buying a high quality product with Dr. Eakin’s lifetime of research and dedication behind it.

A Journey You Must Take

Would you listen to Twelve Years a Slave again? Why?

I absolutely would listen to this story again. The narrative was remarkable. Louis Gossett at his finest.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Twelve Years a Slave?

The recounting of a free-man being stolen away into captivity. It's just riveting. Everyone can imagine the emotions that must have flowed.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene is when the family is reunited.

interesting but sad with a happy ending.

Slavery is a horrible fact of US history. It is difficult to understand how men could be church goers but treat humans the way they did. I am glad that this story resurfaced.

didn't read it I return the book it starts slow

didn't read it it starts slow I was not interested in it I returned it

amazing and heartbreaking

Lou Gossett jr. was the perfect narrator for this first-hand account of a man who went from Freeborn to slavery and back to Freedom in the 1840s and 50s. Amazing and quite detailed about the everyday life of hopelessness and abuse. also, an uplifting presentation of his recollections of good people who went quite out of their way to return him to his family. he was amazingly articulate and introspective and was able to take you from feelings of fear, helplessness, Joy, forgiveness, and utter horror.