With The Fall of the House of Zeus, Curtis Wilkie has given us a portrait of Mississippi’s political and legal climate over the last 40 years. Zeus truly is a modern classic of Mississippi history. Zeus will endure, be taught in schools and considered by many as the primary study of these Mississippi times.
We all know the Scruggs story, but Wilkie weaves a path through the people with whom this powerful man came in contact. Political influences by those in charge are more intricate than the newspaper followers of the story, like myself, are aware of. Wilkie gives us first-hand insight into how this powerful game of charades seemed to be played. He exposes not just the flaws of legal character but the flaws of political gamesmanship as well. The quilt Curtis sews covers the gambit of a Mississippi Who’s Who of these two professions. It’s amazing how many characters are a part of the Scruggs web and how many willingly signed on or fell into the trap of Scruggs’s powerful ride to the top. It seemed there was no limit to how many Scruggs influenced with his personal display and hand-me-out payola.
Zeus drips with the sleaze of our system with its players constantly taking advantage of how it works for so much private gain. It appears Zeus hid behind the sharing of wealth for good causes, feeding his ego with the power his success bought. However, this is a confusing character front as Zeus slip-sided his way through the system’s maze to generate huge wealth. Wilkie exposes as much as he can figure out about Scruggs’s personal side, the public image he gave, and his ego.
Five months ago when I finished reading House of Zeus for the first time, I called Curtis to tell him how much I liked and appreciated his hard work. We both loved Willie Morris, and I told Curtis that Willie would have loved this book and would be very proud for him. I wished Willie were alive to experience the reactions to Zeus’s publication.
As I am now rereading House of Zeus, I believe Curtis Wilkie has given Mississippi a great enduring chronicle of our time. It’s impressive Mississippi journalism at its height. I’m very pleased to work on this fine book which I believe every Mississippian should read and talk about. The Fall of the House of Zeus could have long range positive effects on our system and how it should and should not work.
Click here to see other profiles in Mississippians. Editor Neil White will be signing Mississippians at Lemuria on Thursday, October 28th. Purchase a copy online or call the bookstore 601/800.366.7619.
We hope to see you at the signing/reading event for The Fall of the House of Zeus with Curtis Wilkie on Thursday, October 21st. If you cannot attend, you can reserve a signed copy online.
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