The book I read was called "Stolen Into Slavery" and it as about a man (Solomon Northup) who was
illegally captured into slavery. It is a true story written by Judith and Dennis Fradin. The story begins
when Solomon is a free man living in Saratoga Spring, New York with his wife and children. He plays
the violin for parties and he is popular among the crowd. But one day, two white men ask to take him
on tour with them and offer him a great deal of money. He thought he would only be gone for a few
days so he didn't think to leave a note for his family. The next thing he knows he is laying on the cold,
filthy floor of a slave dungeon in Washington DC. Solomon tries to explain to the men that he is free
and he has papers. But when he reaches into his pockets, all of his papers are gone. The men had
known he was free but they also knew they could get away with this fraud because who would believe
Solomon? Other than people that can do nothing to help him. So that is where the next 12 years of his
life begins. Solomon had been a free man his whole life. His parents were free and lived in the north, so
he was automatically free and so are his children. He never knew what it was like to be a slave. He is
then sold to another slave owner that runs a cotton plantation. It seems as if his troubles get worse as
everyday passes. Solomon starts to forget his old life and the slave life becomes his normal. After 12
years of being sold and re-sold to malicious slave owners, Solomon is freed and goes home to Saratoga
Springs where his family is still waiting for him. This book is very relevant to American History
because slavery was a giant part of this country's evolution. This true story was a great example of how
it was really like for black people of those times.
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