12 Years A SlaveSolomon Northup
12 Years A Slave
by Solomon Northup · first published 2021
4mentions
1recommended by
4HN commenters
2014–2025first – last mentioned
25% recommend75% neutral
Solomon Northup was born a free man in New York State. At the age of 33 he was kidnapped in Washington D.C. and placed in an underground slave pen. Northup was transported by ship to New Orleans where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next 12 years working as a carpenter, driver, and cotton picker. This narrative reveals how Northup survived the harsh conditions of slavery, including smallpox, lashings, and an attempted hanging. Solomon Northup was among a select few who were freed from slavery. His account describes the daily life of slaves in Louisiana, their diet and living conditions,
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
12 Years a Slave had an interesting bit about how you can make ink by boiling maple bank, though it was far less thorough than Northup's descriptions of the agricultural processes for cotton and sugarcane. There should…
on “How to Make Ink in the Middle Ages” ↗Anyone interested in books published by former slaves, go search Google Books. 12 Years A Slave is there among others.
on “Show HN: SlaveryStories.org – Memoirs from American Slaves” ↗Japanese 21st century light novel titles have a long way to go if they want to catch up with 18th century book titles, like 12 Years a Slave Narrative of Solomon Northup, citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana (now shortened to 12 Years a Slave),…
on “Book subtitles are getting longer because of SEO” ↗…God by Jordan B. Peterson - I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek - The Holy Bible - Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef - I Am Giorgia by Giorgia Meloni - 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup - The Two-Income Trap by Elizabeth Warren - The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray - The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray - The War on the West by Douglas Murray - Porn…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗