The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African vs Twelve years a slave: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Slaves, Slavery, Personal narratives, Biography & Memoir, History
The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African
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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, written in 1789, details its writer's life in slavery, his time spent serving on galleys, the eventual attainment of his own freedom and later success in…
Twelve years a slave
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Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. It recounts how Solomon Northup, born a free man in New York, was lured to Washington, D.C., in 1841 with the promise of…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Twelve years a slave has the widest readership — 126971 ratings behind its score.
- Twelve years a slave runs the darker storyline; The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African | Twelve years a slave | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.4 (5) | 4.2 (126971) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (13) | 4.4 (55) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (36) | 4.5 (432) |
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Reception
| The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African | Twelve years a slave | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 36 | 126971 |
| Editions | 298 | 1029 |
| Citations | — | 20 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 163710 |
| Reading it now | — | 11650 |
| Written reviews | — | 8818 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 5836 |
| Pages | 132 | 192 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African or Twelve years a slave?
Twelve years a slave has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Twelve years a slave 4.2/5, The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African 4.1/5).
Which is shorter to read: The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African or Twelve years a slave?
The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (132 pages, ≈ 2 h 27 m); Twelve years a slave (192 pages, ≈ 3 h 33 m).
Which is harder to read: The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African or Twelve years a slave?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African: Demanding; Twelve years a slave: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African: no film adaptation on record; Twelve years a slave: 5 film adaptations.