About 3 weeks ago, we alerted you to author Sharon Ewell Foster’s new fact-based novel, The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One: The Witnesses, and her ongoing book tour; she was heading to Los Angeles at the time of that October post, with plans to hopefully interest some Hollywood folks into adapting the book into a movie – all done in the wake of other slave revolt/revenge projects in the works like Danny Glover’s Toussaint Louverture film, and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Foster’s book discredits the primary historical document on Turner, The Confessions of Nat Turner, written in 1831 by Thomas Gray, purported to be Turner’s attorney. Her five years of research included interviewing descendants of those killed, as well as Turner’s family, review of Governor John Floyd’s original diary, and analysis of trial transcripts and related documents.
“The image of Turner we have been bequeathed is one of a religious fanatic, a lunatic who attacked without cause. Perhaps, he was like Nathan Hale, a man seeking liberty, a man protecting his family and community. I think we are mature enough to look at our complete history knowing that the beauty of it is also in the terror of it,” Foster has said.
Your reactions to that post – specifically the part about the potential of a film being made based on Foster’s book – was mostly enthusiastic though cautious. And so I thought, since I’ll be interviewing Ms Foster, instead of all the questions coming from me, why not get you folks involved and give you the floor; meaning, if you have any questions for Ms Foster related to herself or her book, leave them all in the comment section below, and I’ll be sure to pose them to her (within reason of course). And once the interview is done, I’ll post her responses here.
You have until tomorrow at noon.
Have at it…!