What surprised me about this book wasn't the depth of cruelty laced throughout, or how impossible it was to even comprehend that this happened to millions of innocent people (though both did very much affect me) what really surprised me was how well this book is written.

The pace is pitch perfect, my attention was held throughout and I felt invested in not only the plight of Solomon Northup but of each enslaved person he introduces during his twelve years of captivity. There is extraordinary detail in his account of what happened and great pains are made to describe meticulously the work required of them, the day to day life of a slave in the southern American States and how it felt to be so oppressed.

This is not just one of the most important books of the 19th century, it is essential reading for the future, lest we forget those who suffered greatly.