★ 本書錄音採用英式發音
★ 英語級數：Intermediate（中級）
《自由之心：為奴十二年》是一部真實傳記，講述自由之人所羅門．諾薩普（Solomon Northup, 1808–1863?）的親身經歷。故事發生在十九世紀中葉，原本是自由之身的所羅門，他在33歲左右時，在華盛頓遭到兩名白人拐騙，被販賣為奴隸，之後過了十二年被奴役的日子。
他在被奴役的十二年之間，換過幾位奴隸主，經歷一段又一段的悲慘歲月。最後，歷經波折才被營救出來，這一年是1853年。而再經過了十二年之後，美國所有的州才廢除了奴隸制度。
1853年五月，所羅門．諾薩普出版了自己的故事，清楚描繪奴役歲月的景況，那是無止盡的勞動、不公平的對待，奴隸被視為財產，毫無人道可言。書中詳述奴隸每天要做的活，細說所羅門的各種遭遇，包括逃亡的企圖。
2012年，《自由之心》被拍成電影，由史提夫．麥昆（Steven McQueen）執導。本片多在路易斯安那州的紐奧良拍攝，在當年夏天，使用了四座史上知名的棉花田農場當作拍攝地點。電影於2013年發行，並榮獲了多項主要大獎。
Twelve Years a Slave follows the story of a free man, Solomon Northup, from 1841, when he was illegally sold into slavery, from the initial period as a slave to William Ford, through the increasingly cruel times under John M. Tibeats, and then with Edwin Epps, from whom Solomon was eventually rescued in 1853.
Solomon paints a clear picture of the life of a slave, the endless work and unfair treatment, where people are generally treated as property, without any humanity. The book gives details of the slaves’ daily duties, as well as the particular things which happened to Solomon, including his attempts to escape.
In May 1853, Solomon Northup published his story. It was edited by David Wilson. Solomon wanted readers to understand the situation of black slaves in the slave states of the USA. In his preface, the editor, David Wilson, said that he firmly believed that the story of Solomon’s twelve years of slavery was true. He checked it as far as he could, although it was not possible to get evidence about everything.
Wilson stated that Solomon’s “fortune” during his time as a slave, lay in the fact that he was owned by several different masters. Some showed humanity, while others only cruelty. And indeed, Solomon writes of these people with either gratitude or bitterness.
In 2012 Twelve Years a Slave was made into a film directed by Steve McQueen. It was mostly filmed around New Orleans, Louisiana, in the summer of 2012 using four historic cotton plantations for the location. The film was first released in 2013 and it has won several major awards.