Rewriting history is a dangerous undertaking, besides being wrong. But that’s precisely what my former publisher asked me to do with my latest novel.
Set in the Civil War South,
Colors of Truth is a story of racial reconciliation and the cost of telling the truth. When we attempt to cover up or revise what was blatantly wrong in our nation's past and what we (rightly) find offensive about parts of real history, we rob ourselves of the truth, of the chance to learn from others’ past sins, and we greatly dishonor the men, women, and children who lived through the horror of the institution of slavery.
Likewise, when we try to go back and "give agency" to people who, at that time, had no agency, it diminishes the pain, humiliation, and suffering they endured, trading it for a cheap imposter of history that current culture finds more palatable and easier to live with.
When my publisher asked me to make major changes in Colors of Truth (a book that had already been accepted, printed, was boxed and ready to ship), I told them I couldn’t do it and also remain true to my convictions. They said the book would not sell "in this current culture" and threatened to cancel the novel (and burn the already-printed copies), which, I admit, was unexpected. #MajorUnderstatement
But the previous year, through a series of personal events, God had driven home to me the sin of "coloring the truth" (aka: lying), so I told them I simply could not make the requested changes and remain true to real history.
They cancelled Colors of Truth as well as the third book in the series.
But God—don't you love those two words!—had a different plan. I self-published Colors of Truth and you, dear reader friends, made it a #1 Amazon Bestseller right out of the gate.
