CenLamar | Est. 2006

  • Addendum: “12 Years a Slave” Teaching Materials

    I’m thrilled to have heard from high school teachers and college professors who requested additional supplementary materials they can include in their lesson plans for “12 Years a Slave.” Thankfully, Sue’s son- my cousin- Frank Eakin recently launched www.12YearsASlaveBook.com In addition to the audiobook, which was voiced by Academy Award and Emmy Award winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr., the website also features a series of extras: maps, pictures, audio clips, biographical information, and a stellar blog that includes, among other things, the story of Solomon’s living great-great-great grandson. If you are interested in buying the definitive copy of the book, don’t…

  • Why “12 Years a Slave” Will Always Matter to Louisiana

    Why “12 Years a Slave” Will Always Matter to Louisiana

    I had a slight advantage over the other kids in my junior high Louisiana history class: Two of my great-aunts, Sue Eakin and Manie Culbertson, wrote our textbook, Louisiana: The Land and Its People. I was the only person in my class (and probably the only kid in the entire state) whose textbook was inscribed by its authors. Of course, this wasn’t something you brag about in junior high, and I knew it probably wasn’t wise to tell my teacher that my aunts first gave me their book when I was in the fourth grade, lest he think I had somehow already…

  • Everything Wrong With Louisiana Republicans

    Everything Wrong With Louisiana Republicans

    I. Lights, Camera, Inaction! Three days after the Tea Party caucus of the Republican Party effectively shut down the federal government, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor bought a bundle of stethoscopes and lab coats. The day before, on CNN, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had stumbled over a question about funding for the National Institute of Health during the shutdown, and Republicans immediately pounced, suggesting, not so subtly, that Reid was more than happy to let children die of cancer. Of course, any rational human being, given the context, would immediately understand that Reid wasn’t saying that at all. Quoting…