“SEEMS TO ME, EVERYONE GOT THE CHANCE TO BE A JUMBO SHRIMP.  WE’RE ALL SMALL IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS.  BUT EACH OF US GOT THE CAPACITY TO BE BIG.  WE JUST GOT TO FIND THE GRACE.”  – LEE COTTON

Our discussion:

Cotton by Christopher Wilson

Award-winning novelist, (B) Bernice L. McFadden, sat down and spoke to Producer (A) Amy J. Moore about Christopher Wilson’s novel, Cotton.  Here’s what they talked about.

Please weigh in and tell us what you think.

(In the future we hope to get this to be an audio feature, and eventually a live feed.)

A:  Bernice!! …. Why did you choose this book?  I saw your video on our website, where you said you loved the cover of the book – I do too, it’s great – but well, this book seems so much more than its cover.

In fact, this cover looks like this could be a children’s story, when in fact, Cotton is a pretty sophisticated morality story.  I suppose it would be difficult to do a cover that could sum up all of its parts !  I can’t figure out what I would put on the cover if I had the chance to change it.  What would our fans suggest?  What connotations does “Cotton” have to this story?

B:  The cover jumped out at from the shelf of airline terminal bookstore. There was a only one copy left.  It was faced out amongst the other books that were spine out. After I read the book (which took me all of three days) I decided that the book was placed there specifically for me!

I was so floored by the story. I had not read anything like it before or since. I guess that’s why it’s remained with me for so many years. I thought it quite clever for the author to name the central character Cotton, because Cotton the plant is so tightly woven into our history as a country. Cotton represents blacks and whites, slave master and slave, rich and poor.

A:  Can we just pause for a moment and say – this guy, this novelist, Christopher Wilson is British.  How does he do it?  How does he know America so well ??  Did you catch any mistakes or missteps? I didn’t.  He seemed to capture many different kinds of American voices. They often give advice to new writer to “write about what you know”  How did he channel this?  Do you think it matters what nationality, race, creed, gender (etc) you are as a writer?  Do we box writers into categories unfairly?

B:  I was very amazed to find out that Christopher Wilson was a born and bred Brit! Wilson handled the southern vernacular with great mastery.  It was as if he had been born and raised in America.  As a writer, I never followed the “Write what you know” rule. Some of my most popular books were written about people and places that had no intimate knowledge of. Depending on the author it could be a number of different things, some writers are great mimics, others are (like myself) experience-writing as one would experience religion.  I say this to mean that we believe there is something greater than ourselves at work during the creative process, something greater than us, guiding our hand. I believe that the publishing industry supports books written by white writers that deal with a wide and varied spectrum of people who are not white.  But the industry rarely supports books written by writers of color who have done the same. That’s where the box comes in and I’m sorry to say that box is more often than not, black.

A:  Okay, I didn’t love all of this book.  At times I felt like I was being bombarded by words – that Wilson was sorta a Hemingway on LSD and speed.  Though the language was breath-taking (and I’m admittedly jealous).  But my biggest problem with it was that I felt Lee was passive.  There’s this great quote about how we are not our skin tones or gender (love this) but rather what we do.  My problem was – everything seemed to happen to Lee, rather than him making choices for himself about his life.  He went with whatever life gave him, but I felt like “fate” was more dominate than action.  If we are what we do, did he make enough choices that define him as a character?  Did you find any of that to be true?

B:  I think his passivity is exactly why the story worked so well. Wilson used Cotton as vehicle to shuttle the reader through so many different worlds of thought, belief and disbelief.  Perhaps then, if Cotton had played a more active role in his life, this story would have been less engaging, less fantastical in scope.  Another thought is maybe “Fate” was the real protagonist in this tale …

A:  Along those lines … when they first meet, James Jones tells Lee, “You can’t buck your purpose. You’ve got yourself a chronic bad case of Fate” (page 43). But in talking about white Southerners, he says that “everyone [is] born to a time, place and parents without their choosing” (page 42). Is there a difference between these types of destiny? How much do the circumstances of our birth determine our destiny? Do you believe individuals have preordained destinies?

B:  I think that we have a number destinies.  Some I believe are pre-ordained, others I believe develop as we travel through life. You travel down a road and come upon multiple forks. Taking one instead of the other does not necessarily mean that you will not reach your destination, but maybe it’ll take you the long way around, making you available to people, places and opportunities that you might have missed out had you taken the other fork. I don’t think the circumstances of our birth determine our destiny.  President Obama is a black man who was raised by his mother and grandparents. This is the same story you hear time and time again coming out of the Black community.  The statics say that most young black men raised without a father in the home will drop out school, commit crimes and go to jail.  And many do, but so many more go on to prove the statics wrong.  Just like our current president did!

A:  Who do you think Lee is?  I noticed that the language swifted considerably as his outside character did.  Is race a matter of color, culture, environment?  What constitutes race, and is it important?  Is it a bigger deal to change your race or your gender?  I hear the “One Drop Rule” was a real law – any comment on it?

B:  I’m not quite sure who Lee is.  Sometimes I think he is representative of our evolution as a species – told in reverse. Similar to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s: the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. Race is nothing more than a social construct created by white men in order to secure superiority. There is only one race here on earth and that his the human race. I think we as a society have a long way to go to before we understand and accept why some people are compelled to change gender. We may never get there, but I hope we do.  Yes, the One Drop rule was a real law.  It was a ridiculous one for sure!

A: Humor !! That’s probably my lead question … Wilson is hilarious, and when reading about him, his bio says that he has a Ph.D in the Psychology of Humor – what is that? And where can I get one? Why is the humor necessary to this particular story, and is it possible for us to laugh about others or have we gotten too serious as a society when it comes to race, gender, culture nationality? Wilson takes on the feminists and the lesbians pretty strongly – should the Sisters be upset? He writes, “The trouble is, some people won’t meet you halfway, heart to heart, skin to skin, without you first buying wholesale from the warehouse of their opinions” (page 230). How does this reflect the problems Lee has faced in his other identities, and the broader themes of the novel? Why pick the Sisters to make this observation and should this group feel outraged? Did you feel the novel was funny? What was the funniest thing about it (if you thought it was funny)?

B:  I did think the novel carried plenty of humor and maybe it was that very humor that overshadowed (for me) Wilson’s harsh take on feminism and lesbianism. I think sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves. We have become a very uptight society. But I do understand when the ribbing comes from outside ones clan it is a little bit harder to swallow. With regards to the statement made on page 230 – I think Wilson purposely made the statement to entice the reader to examine his or her own prejudices.

A: Why is Lee “heart-hunted?” (page 310-11) Why is he an Interventionist and I’m not or you’re not (may be we are) – shouldn’t we all act as interventionists with each other? Could you say that’s the “Golden Rule?” But why is he especially qualified. Along those lines, there’s been a lot of criticism for the ending. While reading, I did think things tied up a little too neatly, but then the accused “hokiness” seemed to be that Lee was sprouting wings. Was that necessary? Did Wilson achieve anything with it? Also … in choosing NAME – the young man who’s going to school – does Wilson suggest that the biggest segment of our soceity who need help now, young men in their 20s? Why?

B:  Honestly, I don’t recall the phrase “heart-hunted” and cannot find it in my hardcover copy.

A:  Oh … maybe I made that up.  I can be slippery like that.

B:  Okay, LOL.  Regarding him being an Interventionist – I think he would probably be more qualified than most, based on his experiences (no matter how outlandish they may have been.) Oh my goodness, I LOVED THE ENDING! I interpreted it as him becoming an angel!  Returning to heaven from which we all come. An ashes to ashes, dust to dust sort of thing – but with wings! Maybe it’s the magical realist in me – but I didn’t think it was hokey at all.  Being a man Christopher Wilson certainly has access to things that I do not. He may believe that young men are in a crisis. But is he saying young white men or young black men — all just all young men? I know that young black men are certainly in the high percentile on the crisis meter.

A:  Lee doesn’t have sex as a female until s/he meets meets Fay (check name – am always bad with names). What does that say about female sexuality? Was she a prude as a woman? Why that choice? Lee gives a description of the difference between what men and women look for in a romantic partner (page 247). Should his view of love and sex shift after he becomes a woman? Does this limit female passion? (Would like to explore this a little more)

B:  Hmm, maybe Wilson was cautious in approaching female on female sex? Or maybe Lee himself was being cautious/ Being the societal acceptable “good girl.” I believe that we are raised with ideologies and beliefs that may not be easy to shake even once you change genders. I certainly don’t believe that it limits female passion – but perhaps the author has a different idea where that is concerned.

A:  I would have loved to know more about Angelina’s story.  She seems like she could have been a book all to herself.  Did you like her character?  Is she a racist?  Or a product of her upbrining?  Or has this been “beaten out of her.”  Is her loveless marriage to a Hollywood producer (eek!) really sad, or will she manage to divorce him when she’s – say – 50?  And … Lee always says that he’s going to end up with her, but he doesn’t.  She seems as dishonest as he is honest.  What purpose does she serve in his life?  The book makes a big point about our purpose, and knowing that we have a purpose.  How did she lead Lee to his purpose?  Do you know what your purpose is?  Wanna share?

B:  I agree, Angelina could have a story all her own. I did like her, I think that she is as racist because she is a product of a racist, ignorant society. Perhaps Wilson will write a book about Angelina which will out to rest all of wonderings. I believe that Angelina is to Cotton what Jenny was to Forrest Gump. Objects of desires that propelled and ignited them during different points of their lives. If Angelina and Cotton had come together, maybe he would not have been able to fulfill his final transformation? I’m not sure.

I believe that my purpose is to breathe life back into memory — and I hope that I am fulfilling that purpose through my stories.

A:  What was the purpose of being a mind-reader.  I love the bits that Lee picked up, but in terms of the story, why do you think it was necessary?  Is this also what made her brilliant at photography?

B  I think Christopher Wilson was eager to inform people about this military fact. I for one had never heard of such a thing but upon further investigation found it to be true. I was reminded of this again in the George Clooney movie: Men Who Stare at Goats and then in Gloria Naylor’s 2005 novel, 1996.

Yes, I think having the ability to read someone’s mind would enhance one’s visual ability. The gifted person is no longer just viewing life through the naked eye, but from the depths of the soul.

A:  Why did they keep calling Lee a simpleton?  I found him to be anything but — he’s really the opposite.  Also could this book have started with a white woman or man, and gone backwards in transformations to a Black Child?

B:  I agree with you, I think the characters confused his mild mannerisms with stupidity.  I believe the book could have unfolded in the way you suggested and still maintained the fantastical element.  And as a writer, let me thank you for that idea! LOL

A:  How do people rise above prejudices and disadvantages of their upbringing?

B:   I think faith has a lot to do with that. Speaking from my own experiences, If I had allowed my being black, being a woman, raised in the often chaotic and violent environment that I was raised in, this coupled with my scar and finally becoming a single parent – If I had allowed all of these things to out weigh my belief in myself and my talent – you and I would never have met…..

A:  And then, my life would be significantly less rich because of that.  Thank you, my dear friend, for believing in yourself and for believing in the rest of us too.

Summary:

The protagonist of Cotton, Lee Cotton, has a voice, which is equal parts Delta Blues and Motown (a home dear to our Cinechicks’ heart).  He takes the reader on an exhilarating ride through America’s preoccupation with identity politics.  When is enough enough, and when is it too much?  He’s funny, charming, and engaging.  But his character embodies a serious message: The freaks and oddities of this world may well be divine.

Our first book is for everyone who has ever felt like a freak or an outcast.  Full of twists and turns that explore the nature of identity, it is a celebration of the human spirit, and of the sacred drive for authenticity.

Bonus Teases

Wilson says that as a novelist, he gets to “act as a callous creator, devising flawed and vulnerable characters, and then afflicting them with troubles.”  Even more intriguing, is fiction that anticipates the writer’s future.  In an interview Wilson talks about writing a near-death experience for his protagonist, Lee Cotton, and then describes how shortly after publication, a similar thing happened to him … Read his interview here.

To watch a video of Bernice talking about why she chose The Ballad of Lee Cotton as our Last Tuesday’s Book Club selection click here: Cotton