Twelve Years A Slave - Narrative of a Citizen of New-York, Solomon Northup Kidnapped in Washington City in 1941, Rescued in 1953, From a Cotton Plantation Near the Red River, in Louisiana. by Solomon Northup - The title of the Penguin Classic says a lot, but it doesn't say it all.  If you saw the movie, you don't necessarily have to read the book.  For me, the visual story-telling was more emotional than the written word.  I think it's because it's beautifully written in that musical and formal 1800's style, and because Solomon's patience was so astounding, and his storytelling so straightforward.  He was more intelligent than his captors and than his owners, and that intelligence showed itself in the way he finally figured out a way to regain his freedom.