“Twelve Years a Slave” Audiobook to Support the LSUA Archives
Alexandria, Louisiana – Louisiana State University at Alexandria is proud to announce its archive collection will benefit from sales of the recently released audiobook, “Twelve Years a Slave.”
“Twelve Years a Slave” is a first person account of Solomon Northup’s ordeal of being kidnapped and sold into slavery in the plantation system of 1841 despite being a free man from the north. Northup was eventually sold in New Orleans and worked in the cotton fields of Rapides and Avoyelles parishes for 12 years before being rescued and returning home.
A large collection of documents related to the life of Solomon Northup is housed at LSUA and is the result of a lifetime of work by former LSUA faculty member Professor Sue Lyles Eakin. Eakin first discovered the book “Twelve Years a Slave” when she was just 12 years old and dedicated her career to not only preserving Northrup’s story, but also the history of the area.
As a result, Eakin Films and LSUA have entered into a unique partnership. “The Eakin Family, and Eakin Productions, have generously offered LSUA the opportunity to receive a portion of funds from the sale of the audiobook version of Twelve Years a Slave,” said University Archivist Michelle Riggs. “The funds will help to preserve Professor Sue Eakin’s valuable papers and to help make them available to researchers.”
Buyers may purchase a copy of the audiobook by visiting the website http://twelveyearsaslave.org. From there, click on “Foundations We Support” in the menu on the left and then click on “Dr. Sue Eakin Collections at LSUA.” After clicking, scroll down to the box at the bottom and click on the Downpour.com link and purchase using the promo code “LSUA.”
The “Twelve Years a Slave” audiobook is narrated by Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Louis Gossett Jr. In addition, a major motion picture based on the book and starring Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Paul Giamatti is scheduled for release this October.
