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Inspired by the Stories
The Bootlegger’s Mistress follows a young woman who heads north for better opportunities and finds them once she creates a new persona. What was the inspiration for the setup to this novel?
The inspiration came from the stories I heard from many people in my life—mother, aunts, uncles, family friends—who traveled from the southern United States to cities along the East Coast during the Great Migration. I was also inspired by the stories I heard from men and women who encountered the same kinds of agony faced by the protagonist in the The Bootlegger’s Mistress.
Carrie is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character development?
The development of Carrie Lacey/Dicie Caughman as an unaccommodating, street-wise young girl/woman was driven by a desire to debunk and diminish the image of Black women being impulsive with hair-trigger tempers and unyieldingly iron-willed attitudes.
What were some themes that were important for you to focus on in this book?
Racial animus, stealing of land in Southern states, and the underestimation of the intelligence of African Americans.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am developing a series in which the first book will be titled Stoops. The availability has not been determined at this point.
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While working for White businessman Tommy Joe Butler-a bootleg liquor dealer-Carrie becomes aware of the depth of her father’s campaign to change the lives of African Americans. He is using some of the strategies of the Underground Railroad, the nonviolent system of freeing slaves in pre-Civil War America. Her childhood friend, Nappy Eddie, attempts to keep the truth from Carrie, but to no avail. When Butler and Hallie continue to disagree over property ownership, she departs Anderson in frustration.
During her travels, Carrie encounters her alter ego, Dicie Caughman, commencing an odyssey that spans nearly eighty years and numerous locales. Carrie, in the form of Dicie, lives a good life, though marked with deep-rooted secrets.
The Bootlegger’s Mistress embodies the essence of The Great Migration-the decades-long movement of six million African Americans from the racially oppressive South to the economic opportunity-laden North during much of the twentieth century.
The Bootlegger’s Mistress
The Bootlegger’s Mistress follows Carrie Lacey, a young black woman living in the South in the 1940s. She works in the office of Mr. Butler, a white man who is a liquor bootlegger and owns a gambling club. Faced with unfair prejudice and discrimination, Carrie’s father clashes with Mr. Butler over the Laceys’ legal claim to the family land. Her father fears for Carrie’s safety and she is forced to flee South Carolina. She changes her name to Dicie Caughman and eventually moves to Newark, New Jersey. Nearly eighty years later, authorities in South Carolina want to question Dicie in connection to the murder of Tommy Joe Butler in 1943. What really happened the night Carrie Lacey left South Carolina?
I enjoyed reading Marc Curtis Little’s book riveting historical fiction novel. It was immensely interesting learning about Dicie’s troubled past and fascinating family history. I truly enjoyed the ending of this delightful novel as things get wrapped up well although it is a bit bittersweet. Although it was a fiction novel about a fictional character, it gives the reader a stark look at the history of Southern Blacks and the many injustices they faced prior to the Civil Rights Movement. The story spans more than eight decades and shows that, while significant change has been achieved during that time, there is still a lot more that needs to be done before the United States reaches true equality for all people. I enjoyed the extra insight about the story that was given in the question and answer section with the author at the end of the book.
While I enjoyed the novel, I felt that the chapters in the book were a bit choppy, and jumped around in time a lot, often without an immediate frame of reference for the reader as to what point in the past the events took place, and the first few chapters felt disjointed at the beginning when it was not immediately clear that Carrie and Dicie were the same person. But once this is cleared up, it’s like the clouds part on a dreary day and the sun shines on a truly compelling story. The Bootlegger’s Mistress is a striking historical fiction novel that explores deep societal issues along one woman’s enthralling journey through life.
Pages: 252| ISBN: 0578625059
LITERARY TITAN 