Author to Talk about Solomon Northup, the Main Character in Oscar-Winning Film 12 Years a Slave

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Sept. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- David Fiske will speak at the Holyoke Public Library. He is a co-author of the book, Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years A Slave, which provides a compelling chronological narrative of Northup's entire life, from his birth in an isolated settlement in upstate New York to the activities he pursued after his release from slavery. This comprehensive biography of Solomon Northup, written by Fiske, Clifford W. Brown, and Rachel Seligman, picks up where earlier annotated editions of his narrative left off, presenting fascinating, previously unknown information about the author of the autobiographical Twelve Years A Slave.

Fiske will describe Northup's kidnapping and will reveal details of his life after he regained his freedom, relating how he traveled around the Northeast giving public lectures, worked with an Underground Railroad agent in Vermont to help fugitive slaves reach freedom in Canada, and was connected with several theatrical productions based on his experiences. A play, "The Free Slave," was presented in several towns in the Pioneer Valley.

The story of Northup's life demonstrates how the victims of the American system of slavery were not just the slaves themselves, but any free person of color--all of whom were potential kidnap victims, and whose lives were affected by that constant threat.

Program will take place on October 4, 2014, 2:00 pm at the Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts.

For more information, call the Library at 413-420-8101.

More information on Northup is available at:

http://solomonnorthup.com