Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Attica Locke's first novel, Black Water Rising, was shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize. It took on murky municipal politics, union disputes and the slow death of the 1970s activist dream in Texas.
Her new book, The Cutting Season, examines the fall-out after a body is discovered on a former plantation turned wedding venue in present-day Louisiana. What sets both novels apart is their willingness to comment on wider issues such as the plight of migrant workers or the nature of race in a post-Obama America.
The idea for her new book came after Locke (left) and her husband, Karl, attended a wedding at the Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana. “I couldn't decide whether holding a wedding in that place was a sign of healing or sense that we've become so disconnected from history that we've turned a slave plantation into a party place,” says Locke, 38. “I felt there was no way that I could sit sipping champagne and not acknowledge that people had died in this space.”
'The Cutting Season' is out now
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments