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Cotton
Mississippi, 1950. Lee is born a black baby with milky white skin, the result of a dalliance between his black mother and an Icelandic seaman. The local reverend surmises that Lee is God's way of showing "that He's got himself an Almighty sense of humor," but Lee's strange appearance is just one of the ways in which he fails to conform to the world around him. For Lee has a gift of hearing other people's thoughts that also sets him apart -- and gets him into plenty of trouble when he repeats those thoughts aloud. Lee's confounding presence causes ripples of tension everywhere he goes: Where should he go to school? Where should he sit on the bus? And whom is he supposed to date? It even leads to a run-in with Klan members that will set Lee on a course that leads to undreamed-of challenges.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
15 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Wilson
7 books4 followersFor 20 years a leading Fleet Street journalist with columns in The Times, Sunday Telegraph, Daily Express and Today, he is now a best-selling author whose seminal biography of Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is the acknowledged source material for all other books and TV films on the subject. The book, A Greater Love - Charles and Camilla, was turned into a top-rated TV documentary screened in the USA, UK, and 26 other countries around the world.
He is a regular contributor to TV debates and documentaries on the British royals, and he lectures widely on the subject. Currently writing a biography of the Queen’s uncle – Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-42) – his other books include:-
The Windsor Knot (2003/4/5) – the most comprehensive and authoritative account yet of the Diana/Charles/Camilla triangle. Published in North and South America, Spain, Germany, France and Japan.
Dancing With The Devil (2001) – the unknown story of the Duchess of Windsor’s love affair with gay Woolworth heir Jimmy Donahue. Currently in development as a stage musical.
A Greater Love - Charles and Camilla (1999) - the first fully-detailed account of the love affair between the royal lovers, and an authoritative biography of the hitherto-unknown Camilla Parker Bowles.
Fergie - Her Secret Life (1996) – the inside story of Sarah, Duchess of York’s love affair with Texan businessman John Bryan, and how she reinvented herself as an American icon after her divorce from the Queen’s second son (co-author Dr Allan Starkie).
Diana v Charles (1994) – the extraordinary account of how the royal couple were bugged by security services during the breakdown of their marriage (co-author James Whitaker).
In addition his other books include the highly acclaimed Absolutely Goldie (2000) which remains, despite the Oscar-winning actress’s own autobiography, the only full account of her extraordinary life; Around The World in 80 Years (2003), a biography of the Swedish shipping mogul Arne Larsson; and By Invitation Only, a satire on London society life in the Eighties.
Christopher Wilson is the co-founder of Oxford University’s journalism awards, and for his work in support of student journalism he was elected a member of the Senior Common Room at St Edmund Hall, Oxford’s oldest college. He lives near London.
(source: http://www.christopherwilson.info)
He is a regular contributor to TV debates and documentaries on the British royals, and he lectures widely on the subject. Currently writing a biography of the Queen’s uncle – Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-42) – his other books include:-
The Windsor Knot (2003/4/5) – the most comprehensive and authoritative account yet of the Diana/Charles/Camilla triangle. Published in North and South America, Spain, Germany, France and Japan.
Dancing With The Devil (2001) – the unknown story of the Duchess of Windsor’s love affair with gay Woolworth heir Jimmy Donahue. Currently in development as a stage musical.
A Greater Love - Charles and Camilla (1999) - the first fully-detailed account of the love affair between the royal lovers, and an authoritative biography of the hitherto-unknown Camilla Parker Bowles.
Fergie - Her Secret Life (1996) – the inside story of Sarah, Duchess of York’s love affair with Texan businessman John Bryan, and how she reinvented herself as an American icon after her divorce from the Queen’s second son (co-author Dr Allan Starkie).
Diana v Charles (1994) – the extraordinary account of how the royal couple were bugged by security services during the breakdown of their marriage (co-author James Whitaker).
In addition his other books include the highly acclaimed Absolutely Goldie (2000) which remains, despite the Oscar-winning actress’s own autobiography, the only full account of her extraordinary life; Around The World in 80 Years (2003), a biography of the Swedish shipping mogul Arne Larsson; and By Invitation Only, a satire on London society life in the Eighties.
Christopher Wilson is the co-founder of Oxford University’s journalism awards, and for his work in support of student journalism he was elected a member of the Senior Common Room at St Edmund Hall, Oxford’s oldest college. He lives near London.
(source: http://www.christopherwilson.info)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
January 18, 2018
1.5*
Originally published in the United Kingdom as The Ballad Of Lee Cotton
Leifur Nils Kristjansson Saint Marie du Cotton (called Lee) is born to a mixed-race mother and an Icelandic fisherman father. From his father he gets his white complexion, blond-white hair and startling blue eyes. From his mother he gets his identity as black. Born in segregated Mississippi in 1950, it’s the “black” that counts, not his white skin. Lee also inherits a gift for “seeing” from his Grandmother Celeste. He can hear other people’s thoughts and while this sometimes helps him it mostly confuses him.
I was intrigued by this idea of a “white-skinned black boy” in the segregated South of the mid-20th century. I wanted to see how his special gifts would help him as he moved through life. But the novel took a decided turn for the weird.
After he is nearly beaten to death, Lee awakens in a Missouri hospital. He’s without identification and his head injury makes him rather incoherent. Going along with the assumptions of the hospital staff, Lee begins life as a white man. Until another accident …. Let’s just say that Lee changes skin color and/or gender like some women change hair color. Oh, wait ... he does that, too.
Wilson is a British man, living in London. I’m not sure how – or why – he chose to write about America’s segregated South. While the premise was intriguing, for me, the execution failed to deliver. I will say this about the writing. Wilson gives Lee a unique voice – with an odd mixture of local dialect and educated English. Lee’s a great reader and student of literature, sprinkling his observations of life with references to a variety of works from Huckleberry Finn to Madame Bovary.
On the whole, however, I found this just too fantastically absurd to be believed. I never warmed up to Lee or any of the other characters, and I found it a chore to finish.
Originally published in the United Kingdom as The Ballad Of Lee Cotton
Leifur Nils Kristjansson Saint Marie du Cotton (called Lee) is born to a mixed-race mother and an Icelandic fisherman father. From his father he gets his white complexion, blond-white hair and startling blue eyes. From his mother he gets his identity as black. Born in segregated Mississippi in 1950, it’s the “black” that counts, not his white skin. Lee also inherits a gift for “seeing” from his Grandmother Celeste. He can hear other people’s thoughts and while this sometimes helps him it mostly confuses him.
I was intrigued by this idea of a “white-skinned black boy” in the segregated South of the mid-20th century. I wanted to see how his special gifts would help him as he moved through life. But the novel took a decided turn for the weird.
After he is nearly beaten to death, Lee awakens in a Missouri hospital. He’s without identification and his head injury makes him rather incoherent. Going along with the assumptions of the hospital staff, Lee begins life as a white man. Until another accident …. Let’s just say that Lee changes skin color and/or gender like some women change hair color. Oh, wait ... he does that, too.
Wilson is a British man, living in London. I’m not sure how – or why – he chose to write about America’s segregated South. While the premise was intriguing, for me, the execution failed to deliver. I will say this about the writing. Wilson gives Lee a unique voice – with an odd mixture of local dialect and educated English. Lee’s a great reader and student of literature, sprinkling his observations of life with references to a variety of works from Huckleberry Finn to Madame Bovary.
On the whole, however, I found this just too fantastically absurd to be believed. I never warmed up to Lee or any of the other characters, and I found it a chore to finish.
January 7, 2016
What a surprising(ly great) book this was - a book club choice that nobody had heard of before, and all of us agreed it was a gripping and highly entertaining read.
Five stars from me: one star for research, one star for use of language, one star for sheer originality, one star for making me laugh out loud, often in disbelief, and finally one star for making me care deeply for such an oddball protagonist.
I'm intrigued that (why) the US edition was, once again, released under a different title, and why it is not merged with its UK counterpart on Goodreads, and most intriguing that the US readership clearly didn't rate this book as highly as the European one. (At the point of writing this review, the UK edition's average rating is 4.13 whereas the US edition averages 3.33 - quite a difference.) Interesting!
Five stars from me: one star for research, one star for use of language, one star for sheer originality, one star for making me laugh out loud, often in disbelief, and finally one star for making me care deeply for such an oddball protagonist.
I'm intrigued that (why) the US edition was, once again, released under a different title, and why it is not merged with its UK counterpart on Goodreads, and most intriguing that the US readership clearly didn't rate this book as highly as the European one. (At the point of writing this review, the UK edition's average rating is 4.13 whereas the US edition averages 3.33 - quite a difference.) Interesting!
August 7, 2023
i totally forgot about this book until i looked back at my snap memories from 2 years ago today. one of the weirdest books i ever read but honestly i recommend lowkey bc it’s such a mindfuck
February 2, 2016
In "Cotton" Christopher Wilson introduces us to the remarkable Leifur Nils Kristjansson Saint Marie du Cotton...he goes by Lee Cotton for short. Born to a mixed race mother and Icelandic fisherman father, he arrives in rural Mississippi as racial tensions reach the critical level of change in the 1950's. His mother doesn't quite know what to do with him. Walking around in a small Southern town spanking a "white" kid isn't exactly accepted behavior for black women during that time period. So in public he is her "master's" son, while in private she does her best to raise this strange son who hears voices and has an unusual outlook on the world. Encouraged by his eccentric grandmother, shadowed by the KKK who have tabs on this "black infiltrator" who might compromise their white women like Elvis Presley did, and head over heels in love with his high school sweetheart Lee is on the brink of life changing events. At times borderline unbelievable, quite often laugh-out-loud funny, and thought-provoking, "Cotton" is an extremely well written tale of the struggles Americans have gone through during the 20th century whether black/white or male/female.
Pros: Wilson writes prose and dialogue that is a pleasure to read. The storyline flows very well.
~~Lee almost seemed to come to life, and by the mid-point of the novel I truly cared what happened to him.
~~The interweave of magic and religion was reminiscent of the deep South and added an interesting level to the novel.
Cons: As other readers have mentioned, the last 1/3 of the novel took some strange turns and made suspending disbelief difficult.
Quote: "You must try not to disrespect people, Phoenix."
"Yeah?" He blinks surprised. "Why's that?"
"Because everyone's got dignity. We're all the same under the skin."
"Even poor or ugly people?"
"It makes no difference."
"What if they're stupid or smelly?" He frowns, trying to untangle the puzzle. "Black or yellow?"
"They're equal, all the same."
"Yeah?"--he blinks busy--"No one's ever told me *that* before."
Highly recommended!!
Pros: Wilson writes prose and dialogue that is a pleasure to read. The storyline flows very well.
~~Lee almost seemed to come to life, and by the mid-point of the novel I truly cared what happened to him.
~~The interweave of magic and religion was reminiscent of the deep South and added an interesting level to the novel.
Cons: As other readers have mentioned, the last 1/3 of the novel took some strange turns and made suspending disbelief difficult.
Quote: "You must try not to disrespect people, Phoenix."
"Yeah?" He blinks surprised. "Why's that?"
"Because everyone's got dignity. We're all the same under the skin."
"Even poor or ugly people?"
"It makes no difference."
"What if they're stupid or smelly?" He frowns, trying to untangle the puzzle. "Black or yellow?"
"They're equal, all the same."
"Yeah?"--he blinks busy--"No one's ever told me *that* before."
Highly recommended!!
April 30, 2016
Kevin Free provides the perfect voice for Cotton in the audio version of this fable about an American who experiences almost every form of discrimination and prejudice in American society. The story is sometimes hilarious, and at other times it is heartbreaking. It is a story that I will long remember. The audio version is highly recommended. Thank you, Karin!
I see in it a modern day parable or allegory. Cotton experienced almost every form of prejudice first hand. The weird "angel"ending made me fully realize the writer's intent and the overall message of the story. An extended fable or satire and comment on society. The author had a great idea and was clever in creating the transformations, and that he also gave Cotton a humorous and authentic voice. A sort of Gulliver in America. It all came together in a very satisfying way for me.
I see in it a modern day parable or allegory. Cotton experienced almost every form of prejudice first hand. The weird "angel"ending made me fully realize the writer's intent and the overall message of the story. An extended fable or satire and comment on society. The author had a great idea and was clever in creating the transformations, and that he also gave Cotton a humorous and authentic voice. A sort of Gulliver in America. It all came together in a very satisfying way for me.
April 3, 2013
This is an interesting, almost outlandish book that explores the idea of identity - racial and gender identity, specifically - in some pretty unique ways, from the point of view of someone named Lee Cotton as they grow up and make their way through life. It was compelling because of the dramatic life-changing events that occur in the pages, but I found it wanting in the identity analysis department. It certainly explored these issues, but the way it did it was somewhat superficial and never really challenged or confronted the issues of discrimination in anything but superficial ways. It had more of a wacky road trip feel to it, and I was hoping for a louder civic justice thread in the narrative.
August 19, 2018
This is the second time I have read this book, which I think says a lot for the book, just as enjoyable, if not more so the second time around. Lee Cotton gives his mother a shock when he is born, and again due to a life changing incident with the baseball bat wielding father of his girlfriend, written of the place and time, 1950s deep south America. Lee Cotton is then subject to a series of medically possible, but a-typical events. His various transformation becomes a believable, beautifully written, slightly satirical observation of humankind and how race, sexuality, gender and intellect have been viewed, judged and shamed. Lee Cotton is a beautiful soul, having seen all sides, he seeks no revenge, he's an angel. Read this book immediately everyone!
August 10, 2011
This is a very entertaining read. From the outset you think this will be a story that's been told before - incredibly its not. The author has actually created a very unique (in more ways than one) character with an authentic & charismatic personality. You really care about Lee. Lee's attitude to life & how he / she deals with it all are very inspirational. A very enjoyable & original book that rings true on so many levels - read it for a different perspective on life & hope in the face of adversity! Overall: A fascinating & heart-warming read with insights from a multitude of perspectives.
January 18, 2013
This book is fabulously inventive, charming, very funny and absolutely extraordinary. The title I read this book under is "The ballad of Lee Cotton" and the story certainly has the richness and lyrical charm of a ballad. I loved the way the author repeatedly takes events to the brink of disbelief only to come up with a plausible explanation just in time. All the way through I was thinking "this is my new favorite book of all time". The ending didn't hold up to the lushness of the rest of the book, but it's an outstanding novel and it's in my top five favorites.
June 27, 2014
Quirky and very fun. Loved this book!
Brilliant writing. I 'm not sure if it's meant to be comedic because bad things certainly happen to our Lee, but I found myself laughing and delighting in his story nonetheless.
Here's a tiny taste from the first chapter, describing his hometown of Eureka, Mississippi:
"They didn't mind progress as long as things stayed the same."
Although this was from my postal book groupie Kats in Zurich, it is set in the south and is out of print in the USA. Why?!
Brilliant writing. I 'm not sure if it's meant to be comedic because bad things certainly happen to our Lee, but I found myself laughing and delighting in his story nonetheless.
Here's a tiny taste from the first chapter, describing his hometown of Eureka, Mississippi:
"They didn't mind progress as long as things stayed the same."
Although this was from my postal book groupie Kats in Zurich, it is set in the south and is out of print in the USA. Why?!
May 24, 2016
Easily one of the most bizarre things I've ever read and the quickest I've realized I had a new favorite book (chapter 15/27). The simplicity and naïveté of Lee, the main character, coupled with the complex life he's unable to get under control, makes for a strange and truly unique story. The author has quite a way with words, which often reveal unanticipated perspectives. Honestly, I've never read anything like this; would highly recommend.
May 14, 2009
Great book. Its like a Forest Gump story, but instead of being full of clichés, its full of taboos and really unpredictable. Funny and emotional most of the way through. I think the only shortcoming is that the humour is only strong for the first half. The plot stays interesting right until the end, though, and the writing is very good.
January 18, 2015
Wow, what a strange and intriguing ride. the writing is excellent. I got book out of the library, curious about its measure Q status, which marked the book as being lbgtq. How this story winds its improbable way into the gender bending category and beyond is inventive, improbable and a great story.
May 19, 2008
Started out brilliant. Fell apart by the end ...
April 3, 2014
I would recommend this to everyone I know.
January 13, 2015
Loved this read. A little reminiscent of Mark Twain with a taste of Voltaire. It was a hoot!
Every chapter had a new twist. A must read on American cultural insight, but written by a Brit.
Every chapter had a new twist. A must read on American cultural insight, but written by a Brit.
September 8, 2016
This book has a lot of surprises. I didn't like it as much as my sister but I'm glad I read it. Remarkable story with social commentary. Lots to talk about from this.
February 28, 2018
There are serendipitous moments in life, finding a brand new copy of this book in an op-shop was one such moment. This book has everything, fabulous writing, great wit, a storyline that just picks you up and whisks you away to places and situations that are so off-beat you wouldn't believe them but you do find yourself believing and willingly going along with the magic of the story telling. Lee Cotton McCoy is a character I did not want to say goodbye to. This is a brilliant book on so many levels. I loved it!
June 24, 2020
Unusual and evocative writing style but I did not particularly like the story, so those average out to 3 stars. There were couple of major events which were quite brutal in their description, making those sections hard to read. Overall I found the characters and the setting very interesting, but the plot felt contrived - as if the author had come up with the central idea in isolation and then had to twist the story around it. So it did not quite work as a whole but I would like to try another of his books.
December 3, 2024
I really was enjoying this book up until the forced gender parts. It felt like that theme came out of no where and was incredibly fetishy. I do not know if that was the intention but it was not what I expected. I truly was going into this thinking I was going to read a book about a boy living life and experiencing racism in Mississippi. I was just shocked that they would be so graphicly fetishy for shock value. Before that I thought it was an interesting take but the author being white was not surprising or lost on me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2020
This is one odd book, but it is written in a lovely style and holds a beautiful message. It felt like southern magical realism, written by a Brit! The book's two weaknesses were its improbability mixed with realism (I know, that's what magical realism is, but I don't have to like it), and the fact that the main character has to have a brain injury in order to be the innocent character that he is. I would like to see him be a good person without that limitation.
March 4, 2025
This book was too much for me to wrap my head around. A black boy born white turned black. The poor to rich to poor. The male changed into a female. The senseless beating. The ability to hear what people are thinking. The heartbreak. My brain hurt after reading it. I wish I could have enjoyed it more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2020
“Cotton” is like a roller coaster ride in an amusement park with an abundance of highs and lows, twists and turns.
Lee’s passage through life is a series of morbid, shocking, humorous, pleasant, and otherworldly surprises ... just brilliant!
Lee’s passage through life is a series of morbid, shocking, humorous, pleasant, and otherworldly surprises ... just brilliant!
October 10, 2017
This was a fantastic read! It was really interesting and entertaining from the word go and then had so many twists and turns in it. Totally loved it.
April 23, 2018
Loved it, a little boy born to an Icelandic sailor and a black woman from New Orleans. History made in so many different ways....
Yumtsers
Yumtsers
August 6, 2018
This book was a lame excuse for “hilarious”. I bought it at a book sale for $.25. I paid too much.
November 9, 2019
Good writing, strange story
April 10, 2020
Thought-provoking, quirky novel with unexpected twists and ending. Quite a few chuckles.
Went on just bit too long.
Went on just bit too long.
August 28, 2020
It was good, think Black Forrest Gump. Strange twisted Forrest Gump.
January 1, 2021
What an unusual story. Never read anything like it. What a tale of fiction. Always wondering what will happen next for Lee with ever turn of the page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews