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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 directed by Steve McQueen and written by John Ridley. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays 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; under pay wall}}</ref>

In 2013, a popular film version of ''Twelve Years a Slave,'' a Golden Globes nominee, was directed by Steve McQueen and written by John Ridley. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays 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]]''|date=2014|author=Jenn Selby|accessdate=December 12, 2013; under pay wall}}</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; no longer on-line}}</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=October 26, 2019}}</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; no longer on-line}}</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=October 26, 2019}}</ref>​