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{{Infobox person

{{Infobox person

|name=Myrtle Sue Lyles Eakin​

|name=Myrtle Sue Lyles Eakin​

(Louisiana historian, professor, and journalist)​

(Louisiana historian, professor, and journalist;

Compiled ''Twelve Years a Slave'')​

| birth_date=December 7, 1918​

| birth_date=December 7, 1918​

| birth_place=Rapides Parish, [[Louisiana]], [[United States|USA]]​

| birth_place=Rapides Parish, [[Louisiana]], [[United States|USA]]​

| death_date =September 17, 2009 (aged  90)​

| death_date =September 17, 2009 (aged  90)​

| death_place=Bunkie, Avoyelles Parish, ​

| death_place=Bunkie, Avoyelles Parish, ​

|spouse=Paul Mechlin Eakin, Sr. (married 1941-1995, his death)​

| spouse=Paul Mechlin Eakin, Sr. (married 1941-1995, his death)​<br>

|children=Russell Lyles Eakin (deceased)<br>​

Russell Lyles Eakin (deceased)<br>​

Sara Eakin Kuhn<br>​

Sara Eakin Kuhn<br>​

Samuel Fred Eakin<br>​

Samuel Fred Eakin<br>​

Samuel Pickles and Mary Myrtle Guy Lyles<br>​

Samuel Pickles and Mary Myrtle Guy Lyles<br>​

'''Alma mater''':<br>

'''Alma mater''':<br>

[[Louisiana State University]]<br>​

[[Louisiana State University]]​

University of Louisiana at [[Lafayette]]​

University of Louisiana at [[Lafayette]]​

|religion=[[United Methodist]]<ref name=clamar/>​

|religion=[[United Methodist]]<ref name=clamar/>​

|party=Nonpartisan<ref name=clamar/>​​

|party=Nonpartisan<ref name=clamar/>​​

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'''Myrtle Sue Lyles Eakin''', known as '''Sue Eakin''' (December 7, 1918{ &ndash; September 17, 2009),<ref>Obituary of Sue Lyles Eakin, Melancon Funeral Home, Bunkie, Louisiana,  September 21, 2009.</ref> was an [[United States|American]] [[historian]], a [[professor]], and a [[journalist]] from Bunkie in Avoyelles Parish, [[Louisiana]]. She specialized in Louisiana]history, particularly the Old South.  Eakin is best known for documenting, annotating, and reviving interest in the 1853 ''Twelve Years a Slave,'' a [[slave]] narrative by Solomon Northup, a free man from [[New York]] who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841.​

'''Myrtle Sue Lyles Eakin''', known as '''Sue Eakin''' (December 7, 1918{ &ndash; September 17, 2009),<ref>Obituary of Sue Lyles Eakin, Melancon Funeral Home, Bunkie, Louisiana,  September 21, 2009.</ref> was an [[United States|American]] [[historian]], a [[professor]], and a [[journalist]] from Bunkie in Avoyelles Parish, [[Louisiana]]. She specialized in Louisiana]history, particularly the Old South.  Eakin is best known for documenting, annotating, and reviving interest in the 1853 ''Twelve Years a Slave,'' a [[slave]] narrative by Solomon Northup, a free man from [[New York]] who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841.​

In 2013, a popular film version of ''Twelve Years a Slave,'' a Golden Globes]nominee, was released. [Directed by Steve McQueen and written by John Ridley, the picture stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup. Much of the photography was taken in the summer of 2012 in the [[New Orleans]] area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-golden-globes-nominations-main,0,4163377.story#axzz2nGhs0jcZ|author=Susan King and Rene Lynch|title=Golden Globes nominations: '12 Years a Slave,' 'Hustle' take Oscar lead'|publisher=''[[Los Angeles Times]]''|accessdate=December 12, 2013}}</ref>  ''Twelve Years a Slave'' won the 2013 [[Academy Award]] for Best Picture. In his acceptance speech for the honor, director McQueen thanked Eakin: "I'd like to thank this amazing historian, Sue Eakin, whose life, she gave her life's work to preserving Solomon’s book." Eakin discovered Northup's narrative when she was twelve years of age and again when in college; in time, she pushed the project to fruition after many years of work.<ref name=oscarwinner>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20140304/NEWS01/303040012/Central-Louisiana-historian-Sue-Eakin-s-work-gets-Oscar-mention|author=Jodi Belgard|title=Central Louisiana historian Sue Eakin's work gets Oscar mention"|date=March 4, 2014|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk]]''|accessdate=March 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/12-years-a-slave-brad-pitt-and-steve-mcqueens-best-picture-oscars-acceptance-speech-in-full-9165040.html|title=''Twelve Years a Slave'' Brad Pitt and Steve MoQueen's Best Picture Oscars Acceptance Speech in Full|publisher=independent.co.uk.|accessdate=March 3, 2013}}</ref>​

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==Background==

==Background==

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