An Apple Books Classic edition.

In 1841, Solomon Northup was a free, educated Black man living in Saratoga Springs, New York—until the day that two men kidnapped him and sold him into slavery in Louisiana. This is Northup’s account of those years, when he learned about “the measure of ‘man’s inhumanity to man.’” Northup endured unconscionable mental and physical abuse, but he never lost hope that his family would rescue him…if he could just find a way to contact them.

Twelve Years a Slave was published as abolitionists throughout the U.S. were campaigning to end slavery, and it has stood the test of time as a blistering indictment of slavery. In 2013, Northup’s story was adapted into an award-winning movie. Northup’s story remains important—and the question he addresses to us readers continues to resonate: “What difference is there in the color of the soul?”