Book Review: The Ballad of Lee Cotton

Posted by Joe on: 05.21.2008 /

The Ballad of Lee Cotton is a book by Christopher Wilson and was nominated for the Whitbread Novel Award in 1993.

Lee Cotton is an unusual character. A kid with a serious identity problem, Lee has a skin color which causes him some pretty big problem: he is white in a black family. In addition, he has a spooky ability to read other people’s thoughts.

Covering a period of 25 years, this book deals with themes of identity, racism, humanity, love and betrayal through Lee’s life. Couched in terms which are a bit tricky for a churchy person like me to read (which is perhaps a deliberate device of Christopher Wilson) the writing is raw, unflinching and uncomfortable. The words he uses are things you are more likely to hear condemned in church than praised. As an Amazon reviewer put it,

We were all pleased with our choice, but found the novel quite strange. We couldn’t agree on what actually had happened in the book. It’s a great choice for a book club discussion.

But more than this, I think it touches the divine. Take this excerpt:

“I try not to pick on folks when they’re down in the gutter.”

“Down?” I say. “These people bomb our churches; they shoot our leaders.”

“There is that…,” he concedes “the murder, arson and mayhem. Even so, it isn’t a fair fight, is it kid?”

“No,” I say “they got the police. They got guns. They got the politicians. They got the jobs.”

“And what’ve we got, son?

“We got right, sir. We got truth. We got justice. We got the future. Maybe we got the administration, too, if they make their minds up.”

“Exactly.” He nods. “It’s not a fair fight. You’ve got to put yourself in the white folk’s shoes. You’ve got to see their point of view and consider their disadvantages.”

I think that is a message that is transforming and important.

Y’see, I don’t believe this crock that says that implies there are certain spiritual movies which every Christian should attend faithfully and be inspired (especially when a honest reviewer says that the moral message isn’t so great).

I don’t believe there is a separation between sacred and secular. God speaks wherever we let him - and sometimes it appears to be a bit easier in places where he isn’t expected. Just because church and/or Christians say something has a ‘transcendent message’ doesn’t actually mean it is anything more than a turkey of a movie.