An excerpt from my interview with Deanne Gist...I discovered that the Virginia colonists refused to stay in America unless the Crown sent them some women. The Crown’s solution was to empty the female felons out of their prisons and sell them for their weight in tobacco leafage as brides. From there, my research revealed an instance where a woman was actually kidnapped, transported and sold against her will. I decided to fictionalize what happened to her.
Can you imagine--irregardless of whether you're a man or woman--being sold for a tobacco bushel? Do you think we sell ourselves for cheaper than that today?
When I read A Bride Most Begrudging I thought of the main character, Constance's frustration. Here she is this women of royal heritage being treated like a prostitute, a criminal or worse in a world where people don't share her beliefs. Yet, she knew who she was and would not allow that situation to change who she was inside her heart. I believe Constance mirrors what God sees in the church. What our Lord sees in us.
We are precious. We are queens. And here we sit in this world where none of that matters. How do we live in it and stay precious and stay queens of Heaven? How we do remind ourselves that we are Daughters of the King?
Last week I watched a 48 Hours Series on Sex Slavery in Latvia. And it reminded me of the situation in Haiti, whereby Haitian girls are raped as a form of political oppression. Biafran Women were raped in front of their husbands or forced to be raped by their sons. And think about thirteen-year-old girls in Atlanta, who are being pimped and prostituted. And no one fights for their honor. No one fights for the princesses. And I think about our Lord, who died on the cross for all of this , and I wonder what do we fight for now? Why is life this hard for so many?
Tayari Jones discusses a controversial memoir, Confessions of a Video Vixen. She doesn't condone the woman's actions, but she thinks this book sheds a realistic, but horrible light on why we, women are selling ourselves for less than a tobacco leafage:
Read this book and let's think about what it means that there are circles where it is considered appropriate for a woman to be sent over like a gift basket...Forget whether or not you want to blame her, or blame the man, just think about what it means that there is so much traficking in women's bodies. Think about it when you watch a [music]video. Read this book and think about it all.My daugter is in Kindergarten this year and we had a time finding suitable school clothes, because many of the clothes at the mall were too seductive for a five-year-old to wear. To top that off, this summer our media told us news about two young girls a little older than my Selah who were murdered by one of the girl's father. Two other girls buried alive by strange men, who see them less than prostitutes, less than criminals. And I scream out to the Lord for my baby's safety. How will this new world treat my daughter? If she doesn't play the Jessica Rabbit Vamp? How will she be mistreated because I brought her as up a child of God?
A Bride Most Begrudging's ending gives me enough illumination to carry me through this year and appeases my fears until my change comes. I'm not going to give the ending away. You will have to witness God answering my prayers for yourself when you read the book. :)
Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee
