C&L Book Club: <i>Redemption</i> by Lee Jackson
You can purchase Redemption here through Amazon (they're offering a deal in conjunction with Naomi Wolf's The End of America).
I'm pleased to host the very first Crooks&Liars Book Club this afternoon for my good friend, Lee Jackson-- known around these parts as the inimitable NonnyMouse. Lee/Nonny will be here to answer your questions about Redemption, and who knows? Maybe this cyber-conversation will be the spark for another Lee Jackson novel, as it's very clear to me having read Redemption, that many of the stories that we've covered here at C&L have inspired that novel.
I asked C&Ler Gregory if he would write a short review of Redemption to whet your appetite and get the conversational ball rolling:
When asked to review a novel titled “Redemption”, I feel that I should preface my remarks with a confession. I haven’t read very much American fiction since the advent of the Gee Dubya era. The near daily idiocy and jaw dropping insanity of the past six years, as “reported” by the US press, has largely supplanted the need for fiction with an improbable story of a once great nation sliding into theocratic fascism. Author Lee Jackson, our very own Nonny Mouse, has collected the threads of her story from the events of today and has woven them into a cautionary tapestry for tomorrow.
Set in the near future, we follow the story of Ben Trinity’s unintentional arrival in Redemption, Montana. In the wake of this accident, Ben’s past collides with his future in a tale of a police state gone amok, with the town of Redemption providing an isolated and rural battleground. Ms Jackson has populated her small western town with believable characters, as well as the usual assortment of small town bigots with big hats, and this gives the book a ring of authenticity and depressing realism.
“Redemption” is genre fiction with a message or, more accurately, a warning. Can those ideals that were once considered to be “American” survive the gross negligence and criminal incompetence of the Bush administration intact? Will economic shock and another terrorist attack drive a frightened population into the comforting arms of fascism? Is it too late to reverse the degradation of our civil liberties or does the Fourth, Sixth, Eighth or Fourteenth Amendments really matter if you can still buy guns and cheap crap down at WalMart?
Maybe “redemption” is possible, but it won’t happen by accident.
So with that, I welcome Lee formally to our book club and I encourage all C&Lers to take part.
First
:)
Town's name is kinda churchy.
I cannot tell you how excited I am for Lee. Am I correct to assume that Lee is female? :)
I don't want to use the wrong pronoun here.
I sure will buy the book and from the review, it's probably going to scare me to death.
Of course the title Deliverance sounded kinda churchy too.
Hi, all - And, yup, I'm a girl. As for the name of the town, other than AS the name of the town, the book never uses the word 'redemption' in the story. (Except for one 'redeem', for one of the more unusual characters).
If this book had been written seven years ago I would have probably shunned it as science fiction. Today however, it's eerily close to non-fiction
Hi Nonny Mouse/Lee. I am an old woman. I remember this country when it was sfe to hitchhike across it and not get raped or worse. What the hell went wrong? Media? Hormones from all the junk food? Apathy?
No one, andI repeat No one my age gives a flying fuck about what's going on. I want to go back in time, not forward into the jaws of death. Will I like your book?
Hey-up, PO'd Pat. Actually, when I started the book about three years ago, a whole lot of it was still speculative. But anyone with any sense could read the handwriting on the wall - I'm only surprised by how quickly what I 'predicted' became fact.
Nonny (You'll always be Nonny to me) are you still in New Zealand? I would ask if life is treating you well, but with a hot new book on the market, I imagine it is. I hope you get a movie offer because this sure sounds like a movie that would draw crowds these days.
Hi Jo. I don't know what you qualify as an 'old woman' - I'm early 50's and remember growing up in a house where we never locked the doors. Ever. Where I could bike down to the creek for the day with my friends and hunt for tadpoles, and my parents didn't freak out if I was gone for hours.
I don't know if the world was safer then or not - I don't think so. I think paranoia has been refined to an art form by media looking for ratings, or government looking for control. Personally, I don't want to go backward in time - I also remember the South during the civil rights protests, and Kent State and the Manson murders - nostalgia is overrated.
If you like character driven novels with a lot of politics thrown in, then you'll like my book. Because it's about what politics do to people. Not just the politics.
Dang it nonny! About about a book on how to get to New Zealand instead of one on the nightmare those of us stuck here are living? ;-)
nonny mouse @ 9:
That's what I mean, seven years ago it seemed impossible. Three years ago it seemed probable. Now it is happening and no one knows how to deal with it because most of us have never had these experiences before.
Naomi Wolf discusses her book "The End of America" and the legacy of of the Clinton Administration in this short video clip..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61hXsf8Qu1M
Nonny Lee, we're all so very proud of you! I don't get to read all the comments here, but yours always leave a lasting impression and create good discussion. I can't wait for my copy to arrive and I'll encourage many more to buy. On another note to all, you can also leave comments at Amazon - link below.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R310RZ5U7JCHVK/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?%5Fencoding...
Yes, I'm still in New Zealand. Life and moving here has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated, but the Kiwis are a fantastic bunch of people, and I love it here. The book hasn't been out long enough to know quite how it's doing, but I'd love to see it made as a movie myself. (Although with the writer's strike, who would do the script??)
Since the Bush-era began, I've learned to accept that anything (negative) is possible.
I predict the next big book, to be published in '09, will be 'Repentence'.
nonny mouse @ 11:
Thanks, Nonny. I am going to get your book. I love politics and what it does to people. Sounds like a good read. And, BTW, you are just a baby. 50's is just getting started!
Terrible @ 12 - well, I've made plenty of mistakes along the way with moving to New Zealand myself, actually. Immigration to another country is never really easy. So while I'm not qualified to write about How To Move To New Zealand, I do plan on writing another novel, set in NZ, with a half-Maori main character. So I'm learning Teo Maori and enjoying doing my research...
...because paradises only look like paradise from a distance. As wonderful as NZ truly is, there are worms in the apple here too. The politics of America have infected far and wide, I'm afraid...
Awesome book. I have recommended it to everyone. Please read it.
Wow, thanks, Dee!
Okay, I just ordered my book. I'll give it to myself for Christmas. I sure do wish I could get it signed. Nonny should I come to your house for the signing or will you come here to mine? If you come here, I'll fix you tea if you like.
Seriously, will you be doing a book tour? Maybe come here to the states?
I am a bundle of questions today. Is this your first book? What inspired you to write this one now? Was it just the general deterioration you saw of our country or was there one particular incident?
Does it come in hardcover?
And Jo, is that you mom?
IgnoranceIsNotBliss @ 25:
I don't think so. But if I am your mum, you are lucky.
I can't wait to read this, it reminds me of It Can't Happen Here!, another great book with lessons for today. And I'd like mine signed, if possible! ;-)
Yes, it's in hardcover.
Lee, I haven't read the book yet, but look forward to it. Gregory calls your novel "genre fiction." Do you agree? If so, in which genre would you place it? Second, during or prior to putting the words down, did you feel daunted by the potential comparison to such novels such as Nineteen Eighty-Four? And, conversely, now that you're in the promotional phase, do you find such comparisons (if they are indeed popping up) helpful in spreading interest in the book?
kim @ 27:
Kim, I want mine signed too. We can fly to New Zealand together. :)
I would of thought that they have already gone and the pieces are in place so they can't return, a mute point, so of a work of fantasy surely ?
Is that the real world or just the US "world" ? i.e. the same as the "world series".
Then isn't that cause for the nationals of that country to stay there and clean up the mess opposed to leaving or not engaging in the process politically or even better directly ?
Nonny, if you're not qualified to write about How To Move To New Zealand, maybe you're qualified to write about How Not To Move To New Zealand. How are you with humour writing?
Worms in the apple indeed... too much to say about that, too little time to write it down.
See nit, must pick (or it's just a common or garden typo): that should be Te Reo Maori.
Way to go, Nonny! Great news, and best wishes. I hope you sell truckloads of books. I have really enjoyed your posts here and I'm tickled pink for you.
Hi Nony, may i be as bold as to suggest some research into "Kimble Bent" , "Titokowaru" , and the "Taranaki Land wars". There is a place called "Parihaka", and the story is amazing. The community of Parihaka started passive resistance to the British Empire, similar to Ghandi in India, in the middle of the 19th century.
There is an International Peace Festival in Parihaka every year and its great, http://www.parihaka.com/Festival/2007/Festival.aspx
Met many like this in New Zealand?
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/blobrana/downloads/xena.jpg
What part of "Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program" does Chimp not understand? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
Impeach the warmonger before he kills again!
Lee, I haven’t read the book yet, but look forward to it. Gregory calls your novel “genre fiction.” Do you agree? If so, in which genre would you place it? Second, during or prior to putting the words down, did you feel daunted by the potential comparison to such novels such as Nineteen Eighty-Four? And, conversely, now that you’re in the promotional phase, do you find such comparisons (if they are indeed popping up) helpful in spreading interest in the book?
My publisher is just calling it 'A Novel' (which is what it says on the cover). It might have been 'futuristic' three years ago, but just about everything in the book is possible or has happened now. So genre? Not really. It's a political book, yes. But it's a novel.
And when I was writing it, I wasn't daunted by the idea of 1984 (since I've used 1984 in my book as well). It's not the same. But if someone wants to compare it to 1984, hey! It's better than comparing it to Scooter Libby's fiction!!! :)
Nonny, if you’re not qualified to write about How To Move To New Zealand, maybe you’re qualified to write about How Not To Move To New Zealand. How are you with humour writing?
I'll admit that I'm probably more qualified at this stage on How NOT to move to New Zealand, fer sher. But I think I'll find it more humour in, oh, say a year or so? ;)
And you are correct, it is Te Reo Maori. My bad.
ysbaddaden @ 35
Sure. Loads of 'em here. That's me on the right...
Kiwi @ 34 - some of those I'm familiar with, some I'm not. Thanks. And I'll look into the festival.
nonny mouse @ 39:
Puts the zeal back into New Zealand.
nonny mouse @ 40:
Sweet As!
JerryM @ 31
Is that the real world or just the US “world” ? i.e. the same as the “world series”.
Bad things happen everywhere, not just the US. So when I say 'world', I do mean everywhere. But in the States, the art of scaring the crap out of people has been taken to a higher art form than maybe any other country I know of.
Then isn’t that cause for the nationals of that country to stay there and clean up the mess opposed to leaving or not engaging in the process politically or even better directly ?
Yes, I've heard this time and again. But being an ex-pat doesn't make me any less of an American. Or as concerned about my country. Or less engaged. I probably spent more time and effort researching every single vote I make on my absentee ballot than most people who even bother to vote at all. In some ways, being outside the country makes it easier to see what's wrong - forest for the trees, perhaps. And more aware of just how much damage has been done to our reputation internationally. So thank you, but it's not necessary for me to wade into the mozzie infested swamp up to my neck to want to help want to drain it of malaria.
For those who want signed copies...
... hm. Maybe I'll ask John and Co. about some kind of thing, where I can send out copies to winners or something. I give it a think...
Mojopo @ 33
Thanks. I hope I sell truckloads of books, too, frankly. I'm rather biased, of course, but I think it's a pretty good book meself, and on a topic that right now is getting a lot of attention - torture, renditioning, loss of civil rights, all of it. Not only what it does to someone who's been through it personally, but to those people who live in the American heartlands who still believe that it happens 'over there' to 'other people', and maybe it doesn't really affect them that much...
Loved New Zealand. It was one of the most beautiful places that I have seen and I didn't even get to the north island other than a stop over in Auckland. I would love to live there except for one major thing--it has the worst food I've ever had. It's the only time in my life where I couldn't even eat the spaghetti. I looked forward to McDonalds and KFC. That ain't good.
Hey Nonny
My copy is on the way. Too bad you're in NZ or I'd be lookin' to get an autographed copy.
Peace
I am a bundle of questions today. Is this your first book? What inspired you to write this one now? Was it just the general deterioration you saw of our country or was there one particular incident?
It's not my first novel, no, but it is under this name. As for inspiration, my late father and I had had a number of heated... um... discussions about Guantanamo and locking up 'terrorists' without lawyers, etc. Abu Graib hadn't come out then, I don't think.
As for a particularly instance... oddly enough, this is the first and only time I've ever had a story come to me in a dream - vivid, clear, lucid dream. And when I woke up, I wrote down as much as I could remember frantically, then tried to call my dad, who was terminally ill in a hospice. He had died that night.
I'm not superstitious, or religious, or even particularly spiritual, but the book is, in so many ways, as much as his as it is mine.
Hiya, nonny!
I gotta tip a few months back that you were a writer, but I didn't know the name ya were published under. Now I know what I'm pickin' up with the inevitable Christmas gift certificates to Schuler Books! I've been re-readin' my library the last few months, so some new paper should brighten up my place!
Hey, if ya ever do a book tour- fer this or any future publication- please let us know, huh?
And, btw, ya boomers have skewed things enough so that 50 is the new 30. So ya don't get to feel anything like old fer another 15 years or so.
AbbieHoffmansGhost - I would love to live there except for one major thing–it has the worst food I’ve ever had...
Depends on where you eat, I'd suggest. And I don't know when you were last here, but Auckland has some pretty good restaurants. Just down in Tauranga and the fish and chips were fantastic (although they don't quite get the English thing with vinegar, which I like). Lots of ethnic foods as well, and I had a great breakfast on the waterfront, quite cheap as well. I'll admit somewhere like France still has better food, but then... it's France.
nonny mouse @ 50:
Malted or douche?
Hi, Andy K. Thanks, and I've always thought books made the best Xmas prezzies, myself. Even better when they're MINE! :)
And if I convince my publisher that a book tour is a good idea, I'll definitely let everyone at C&L know, wherever it is. As it is, I'm a little busy just trying to get all my Kiwi ducks in a row here, so to speak.
At 50+, some days you feel 30. Some days you feel 80. It's an odd age to be, really. I dance, and I'm quite fit (dropped a little over 2 stone these past 5 months, same weight I was at 35 now!). But sometimes the body does remind me that I've clocked up some pretty interesting mileage, and need to take care of it a little more carefully than I did at 17.
nonny mouse @ 48:
Oh my, that is an interesting sequence of events, your father's death and the dream in the same night. I like to speculate about things like that but I keep my speculations to myself. I think you are right, it is his book too.
ysbaddaden - tsk, tsk. Balsamic for us snobs, thank you.
nonny mouse @ 52:
You were gelded or lost 28 pounds?
ysbaddaden - you're being a very bad boy today. Go to my room.
I can't help thinking in English terms, I lived in the UK too long. Let's see, a stone is 14 pounds, so yup, that's about 28, plus a bit. And I don't think you can geld fillies...
Just ordered Redemption and It Can't Happen Here, which was mentioned above. Honestly, Redemption's not a book I'd normally have bought, especially in hardcover, if it was recommended just anywhere by just anyone. But it does sound interesting, and something about seeing the author comment about it makes a difference, especially here on C&L.
nonny mouse, I don't follow the comment threads religiously, but I do recognize your nick. Best of luck with the book and with life in paradise. I spent a year in Honolulu (and only returned to NYC because of 9/11), so I know paradise is *mostly* paradise, but not always.
AbbieHoffmansGhost @ 46:
The food is the sad result of being an English Colony im afraid, although we have more and more French moving here so the food is getting better.
snoozer - Thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy my book. I've never been to Hawaii, but Our Kid was there last year and loved it. But yes, paradise is always an illusive and usually impossible place to find. My paradise would be somewhere in the countryside, maybe in a small village or on a couple acres of my own, where I could just be on my own, write my books, watch the sunsets, enjoy the company of a couple cats, drive into town to dance with friends on the weekends, and live a quiet life in peace. New Zealand seemed like a place where that goal would be more doable. I don't know if it is yet or not, but everyone has to have a dream - dreams being at least being free...
nonny mouse @ 52:
Convince yer publisher?!? Isn't that supposed to work the other way around? I've always heard that book tours are a repetetive grind. Or have ya had good experiences in the past? (and please let me know, if ya don't wanna do so publicly, what name ya've published under in the past- I think we can find a way to swap e-mail addresses)
Funny, I've been stoned about 5 times in the past 2 months. Go figure!
Hi Nonny, I probably missed the live blogging. I had to go do some work and make some money. You know how that is. This is so exciting for you. Congratulations. I placed your book on my Christmas "wish list" and my list is very small so there is a good chance that your new novel will be my present.
If things don't change in the 2008 election, my husband said he would consider moving to New Zealand. The only problem is, we would have to convince our grown children to move with us.
Miss seeing your postings here at C & L.
Good luck - Cats r Flyfishn, aka Coffins Draped with Flags aka Carol
Jo @ 19:
Andy K @ 49:
As a mid-40's dude, I found these comments hugely comforting. Maybe my life won't be a total waste! :)
snoozer @ 62:
I'm mid fortyish, and much of my life has been spent wasted.
If you come back to the states on a book tour, your gonna haveta take yer shoes off again... ;)
Why is it horses have stallions and mares (in some cases nags), and bovines have bulls and cows but mices are just mices?
They're more egalitarian?
hi nonny dec 7th i reached my 73d birthday, im going to buy your book, before computers i read a lot ,not so much anymore because of the eye strain, but id like to add my two cents worth on americas decline , besides the politics of course, my thoughts are that the decline of america started with school bussing, and scattering neiborhood children to all parts different schools in citys, im not being a raceist , but when i was a child on the west side of evansville all us kids went to schools in our on district ,north south east and west sides of town, back then we left our doors unlocked with just a very few exceptions we felt safe, every kid knew every kid in his neiborhood , we knew them from school or played games with them, we knew thier parents and we knew where they lived and knew them by site, you knew who was friendly and who the bullys were , thoes days are gone , hell you dont even know your next door neibor these days, few people speak to each other , if you try to be friendly and say hello they useualy dont answer back i guess they think your a gay person , not that thiers anything wrong with that, but children for a long time now have been torn from thier neiborhood schools and shiped across town and thiers no close knit communitys anymore ,everything seems so inpersonel these days, anyway just my input!
ysbaddaden @ 65:
Maybe it's a size thing. Shrews, AFAIK, are shrews, no matter what the gender. And snails are snails. Or are snails, like worms, anot differentiated sexually. I'm a long ways removed from biology class.
So how do you find the New Zealander filly mignon?
Coffins @ 61 - Nope, still the live blog for a bit longer. I've got to go meet someone for a croissant and a flat white around noon my time, but I'll be checking back over the rest of the day and saying hello, answering any questions, etc.
New Zealand is indeed a great place to move to, but while their Immigration policy is a bit more sane and navigatible than the UK's, it's not easy. Believe me, I'm going through it now, and it's doing my head in. But in the long run, I think it'll be worth it. It's a culturally progressive country, and one that hasn't quite realized just how good they are yet. Believe me, there's a lot more on offer here than Xena and Middle Earth.
Politically...? hm. I'm still learning, but it's interesting here as well.
Happy birthday, tyree, and many more to come. I just moved from a quiet English village where no one locked their doors and kids were safe to play. So it's not everywhere, or every time. Where there is sanity, fear has a hard time latching on...
Hi Nonny! Hope I haven't missed your live blog. I read the online excerpt awhile back - and was immediately struck by the cinematic quality of the narrative. Have you any thoughts of turning this novel into a film?
Hi, Annoyed Canuck. I'm here for a few minutes more, then back later on in the day...
I hadn't given any thought to turning this into a movie myself. But - if anyone is out there and interested - the film rights are definitely available!!!
Hello Nonny,
Coming in late, hope you are still here. Congrats on the novel, hope things are "progressing" in New Zed.
Hi, Gregory! Thank you so much for the lovely review - it's one of the best I've had. You've just caught me at the last minute - I'm out the door to see a man about a croissant, but I'll be back later on today, check the comments, answer any questions I can.
Thanks to all, as well - my first blog book salon, too! I've enjoyed it, and hope to 'see' you all here again.
tyree, all this time I thought you were just a kid. Hey kid, you may be over seventy, but in your heart I think you are about 29. :)
Nonny, my direct experience of the writing side of the business is minimal, but I do have almost 20 years of experience in the business of show. To me, the excerpt read like the opening scenes of movie - a much better story than 98% of what I've seen in the form of finished scripts.
You really ought to take a stab at writing a film treatment of the novel - and perhaps find a screenwriter who can do a draft. Great stories are always in demand, and there are lots of agents out there who would be interested in a timely political tale like Redemption.
See ya later, Nonny. Have fun and thanks for sharing your time with us today. :)
BTW, do you have NZ health care? How does it compare with the NHS?
pissed off patricia @ 75:
heh he pop just a kid was a long time ago, guess its my lousy spelling and leaveing off commas excllamation marks and such that might make one think i was, while i used to be a good speller and such i guess i just got lazy with age, your right ive allways tried to think younger then i am but you come to a point when your body lets you know your only fooling yourself and lately its let me know it with a vengence, im guessing either you havent read much of my stuff or your a bit rusty on history , as ive mentioned a few times im a vet of the korean war and that should have dated me, i guess we all picture posters on here in different ways ,anyway i enjoy your posts and like every body that knows nonny from way back miss nonnys posts on here, thanks for the 29, hope they bring out something that can make an old person feel like that again!!!!!!!!
Hi Nonny, I've been out of town and saw this too late, I'm afraid, but just wanted to say congratulations yet again, and rock on with your badass self! ;-)
(I'll look forward to reading the book. Then we can discuss film rights... ;-) )
Just checking back in to see if there are any fresh questions. I'll be on and off for as long as this post is up. And thanks to all for all the nice comments.
(Hey-up, Batocchio. :) )
the book sounds good. Great review
Yay Nonny! :) I'm going to order two. One for me and one for my lil' sister for Christmas.
Good luck with getting everything settled and getting well on your way to enjoying your new adventure in beautiful New Zealand.
Anywhere but here, indeed. I'm almost afraid to start Redemption because I'm sure it will get my blood boiling about the way things seem more and more likely to turn out in these here parts. I mean, what are we call going to finally do when the excrement finally hits the fan so hard that people start waking up when it all may be to late? Hello Halliburton herd camps.
Is there a happy ending? ;)
Your other books I've read were so eerily prescient of some things that have come our way that this one is bound to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. I always love a good read.
Can't wait to get started. Cheers. :)
Redemption
Only for stocks, bonds and souls
God is the moneylender in his own temple.
Yes, I think kthis book could be made into a good movie. It could even be filmed on location in Northern Montana because it is quite beautiful there. Based on Lee's descriptions of the location of the town of Redemption, it is surrounded by the Bears Paw Mountains.
nonny mouse @ 16:
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