The Book of Negroes makes TV debut Wednesday on CBC TV

The Book of Negroes, atelevision adaptation of Lawrence Hill's book, makes its television premiere on CBC onJan. 7.

• CBC Books: Lawrence Hill and his literary achievement The Book of Negroes

The internationally co-produced, six-part miniseries follows the story of an African woman named Aminata Diallo, played by Aunjanue Ellis,who is kidnapped from Africa and sold into slavery in the southern U.S.

Stars from the six-part miniseriesincludeAcademy Award-winning actors LouGossettJr. and CubaGoodingJr.

Lou Gossett Jr.,who plays Daddy Moses, an African American slave who helped lead a band of runaway slaves to freedom,says The Book of Negroesisa fresh take on the theme.

"Slavery is very much involved in this lady's life,"Gossetttold CBC News before November's North American premiere in Toronto at Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox."But it's really a triumphant story about this woman who can tell the story.In that way, it's better than Roots, and 12 Years a Slave because it's a portrait."

Gossett talks more about the miniseries in the video above.

Hill's 2007 novelwas named after the actual historical document which recordedthe names and descriptions of thousands of Loyalist slaves who were granted their freedom and sent to NovaScotia.

Cuba Gooding Jr. said he was blown away when he heard the story. He hadn't known of the story until the project was pitched to him.

"[It] wasone of those moments in my career where I just shook my head and [said] 'what was I doing in school? What was the curriculum that we didn't learn anything about African American history?''

Not only was he intrigued by the project, he couldn't put the script down.

• VIDEO|Cuba Gooding Jr. was blown away by The Book of Negroes story

"[The producers] send you all six episodes, and you read one or two and then you give them an answerI couldn't stop and read all six," said Gooding, who playsSam Fraunces, afreed slave from Jamaica who runs a tavern in New York.

The 2007 novel, which was published in some countries under the titleSomeone Knows My Name, earned widespread praise.

It sold nearly a million copies worldwide and also won a host of honours, including the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, theCommonwealth Writers' Prizefor best overall book and the2009 edition of CBC'sCanada Reads. It was alsoset to music by the NathanielDettChoralein 2012.