After other signings, talks and interviews in Jackson, Curtis Wilkie made it over to Lemuria and spoke to a packed house at our events building. Although I had finished reading the book several weeks ago, listening to Curtis talk and hearing the questions from the audience only made me want to read this intricate tragedy of Mississippi law and politics again.
Of all the things that impress me about the book, here are three:
1. Curtis conducted over 200 interviews with nearly all of the key players. I have heard people remark that Curtis Wilkie is probably one of the only people who could cover this case, having easy and open cooperation with the Scruggs family and so many others involved in the fall. Furthermore, he places the injustices on the broad canvas of Mississippi political culture of the past 40 years.
2. The FBI files had never before been made available to the public. This equals 6 months of audio and video that Curtis explored to write his book. If you have some time to spare, some video and audio are available online here.
3. The introduction of P. L. Blake to the citizens of Mississippi: So many questions still abound about Blake and it seems to be the consensus that he will never be successfully prosecuted. I wish we could get some buses together, gather crowds of curious Mississippi citizens and ride out to his house. I would like to say, “Mississippians are tired of you putting your sleazy money in our leaders pockets. It’s our state, not yours.” He doesn’t even live here anymore. He hides out in Birmingham, Alabama.
While Curtis signed books, we were lucky enough to spend a little time with him. On writing another book, Curtis talked about how much he enjoys writing and how he could have never predicted he would be writing Zeus. Regarding another book, he says, “Never say never.” Maybe we’ll hear more from Curtis.
Somehow, all of us book lovers managed to talk about our favorite books and what we’re reading. Curtis said he was reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and enjoying it very much despite a busy tour for Zeus. A Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was a recent favorite read. One of the first books that made an impression on him was Lie Down in Darkness by William Styron.
Mississippians are reading Zeus now, and I have noticed that they’re recommending Zeus to their friends. Zeus is an important book for our state, and Curtis Wilkie has given us a window to a world most of us will never encounter. At the very minimum we are all a little wiser for knowing some of what really goes on in the realms of politics and law. Change will only come from the bottom up.
Many have asked if this story could happen outside of Mississippi. Curtis has said yes. It seems that anywhere greed and poor judgment are the driving force it can happen. Watch for reviews of Zeus on the national scene.
Let us hear your thoughts and reactions as you read Zeus. Post a comment on our blog or on our Facebook page.
Comments are closed.