"Twelve Years a Slave" is a memoir written by Solomon Northup, a free African American man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. The book details his harrowing experiences on various plantations in the southern United States, highlighting the brutal realities of slavery and the struggle for freedom. Published in 1853, the memoir gained significant attention and contributed to the abolitionist movement. It provides a firsthand account of the inhumane treatment of enslaved people and serves as a powerful reminder of the injustices of slavery in American history.