《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.
【Helbling文學讀本（Helbling Readers）簡介】
● Helbling Classics（經典英文文學改寫）
● Helbling Fiction（當代原創英文小說）
《Helbling文學讀本》為一套最優質的英文分級閱讀讀本，英語難易度由初級銜接到中級。在各項英語認證考試中，本系列書培養的英語能力級數如下：
GEPT英檢 | TOEIC多益 | TOEFL iBT托福 | IELTS雅思 |
中級 | 550 | 57-86 | 4.5 |
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全系列皆隨書附贈全文朗讀MP3。
內文編排精美，採用彩色印刷，全文穿插精美插圖，單元設計豐富。
除了精彩的小說之外，另編寫有：
1.About the Author（作者簡介）：介紹作者，幫助認識創作背景。
2.About the Book（本書簡介）：介紹故事內容概要，幫助了解故事的背景與旨意。
3.Before Reading（閱前活動）：設計各種問題和活動，幫助暖身，啟發各種探討與學習。
4.After Reading（閱後練習）：設計各種深入的問題和題目練習，幫助復習內容，加深英語的學習印象。
5.Test（測驗）：有些讀本在閱畢之後，設計有各種測驗題目，包括文意測驗和英語練習等。
6.隨文討論：在故事行文中，另設計有針對內文情節的問題探討，幫助做啟發性的思考。
【本書錄音採用美式發音】