Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums6/1/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The difficulty of his childhood is painful and poignant, and Sessum reacts by shutting down his emotions, in an attempt not to embarrass his father further. Imagine being everything your father despises, yet wanting so badly to be a good son and make him proud. Mississippi isn’t exactly a state noted for being liberal, nor especially tolerant of anyone the slightest bit “different.” It was a rough ride made worse by Sessum’s uber-macho father, whose disappointment with his son played a major role in his growing up. It may take a moment for the immensity of that to hit home, but considering this is KKK territory you may rest assured this was one rough ride. Sessum’s book tells the story of growing up gay in 1960s Mississippi. In this case the style engaged me immediately, and the authentic Mississippi voice was one I could identify with, coming from that state myself. Just a catchy title isn’t enough, of course, if the book itself doesn’t engage. Not only was it the only work of nonfiction in the box, but it’s not everyday you see a title with Mississippi in the title, much less one with as engaging a word as “sissy” to go with it. In that pile of general and genre fiction, this one leapt out at me immediately. Kevin Sessums’s memoir Mississippi Sissy was one of an armload of review books the Holtzbrinck group sent me recently. Publisher: Picador Reprint edition (March 4, 2008). ![]()
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