BOOK OF NEGROES On BET
Lawrence Hill’s novel Someone Knows My Name, (Norton, 2008) has been adapted as a 6-part TV series, using the book’s original Canadian title, The Book of Negroes. Debuting last night, it will continue over the next two nights.
Critics are mostly favorable, with some predicting that this puts BET in line for its first Emmy nomination.
The following is from our December story about the series:
The novel, a fictional slave narrative, is based on the stories of American slaves who escaped to Canada after the Revolutionary War and were then recruited by British abolitionists to settle in Sierra Leone. The Washington Post praised its “heart-stopping prose” and noted that “Hill balances his graphic depictions of the horrors of enslavement with meticulously researched portrayals of plantation life.”
Directed by Clement Virgo, the movie stars Aunjanue Ellis, Louis Gossett Jr., Cuba Gooding Jr., and Lyriq Bent.
Gossett was interviewed about the series during its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in November. He compares it to another TV mini-series he starred in, Roots.
Learn more at the Official Web Site.
Trailer:
Tie-in:
