Mississippi Sissy
Written by Kevin Sessums
St. Martin’s Press, 2007
Kevin Sessums knew he was gay before he could spell the word. In one scene of his haunting memoir of self-revelation, he is a young boy watching his mother sewing maternity clothes for herself and he begs her to make him a skirt out of the leftover fabric. She finally gives in to her son’s pleading against the advice of her mother and aunt. Happy with his new duds, Sessum twirls in front of his horrified father who is enraged by this display of femininity and later, snatches the skirt off and forces him to watch it burn.
That is only a minuscule moment of the tragic episodes that were to fill Kevin Sessums’ life in Mississippi Sissy. Although many of the instances take place when the author is around the age of eight, this does not make the story any softer. There is a constant loss of innocence during his childhood. When he seems to find happiness, it is snatched away literally and psychologically by his father or the murder of his gay college mentor.
Kevin Sessums’ story pulls you in because you’re hoping that he will find a place in a world that is sometimes unforgiving to homosexuality. Mississippi Sissy carries a universal theme of faith and endurance and you don’t have to be gay to relate. Anyone who has felt like the school freak or the family outcast for any reason can find a sympathetic ear.
I think it would be an understatement to say that I identified with him being a gay, Black man myself. Although I did not grow up in the ‘50s in Mississippi, I did grow up a freak just like him, constantly wondering why everyone was afraid of the real me. Whoever is looking for a sense of belonging or identity should consider reading Sessums’ novel because sometimes, just hearing someone else’s story can bring relevance to yours.
This is a story I will add to my collection during the summer months because I’m from the South and I would like to know more about someone that has endured traumatic experiences for reasons other than the color of his skin.
I’m glad you decided to add this book to your collection. Adding it because it tells the story of someone who was persecuted for other reasons than their skin color invalidates the struggle people of color went through and still go through in the south and all over this country. I understand you probably meant no malice but in this world of social responsibility we must watch how we formulate everything we say.