ELLE.IN 81 JULY
messing me up to not see anyone
talking about what it was like to love
someone across this brutal divide.
There is a belief that love somehow
makes racism impossible. And that is
the biggest fantasy of all.AK: What did you expect the book to be
about when you first started writing it?
MJ: My son was six when I started
writing. This was before the 2016
election. I thought it was going to be a
hilarious collection of conversations.
And then, as things got harder and
harder, so many of the ones that were
funny dropped out.AK: What are some of your favourite
conversations from the book?
MJ: With my son, I love the range of
the Michael Jackson conversation,
because it sets the tone for the rest
of the book. And there is a great one
with my dad, from when he was sick
and I bought him pot. I love reading it
and remembering what it was like to
be in this territory with him that was
at once both wild and new.AK: What kind of America do you think
your son and my daughter will grow up
in? I am hoping you have an answer
because I have no idea what to tell my
child.
MJ: I currently live in Brooklyn,
which is incredibly divided socially,
economically and racially. There is
the illusion of the mix, and there is the
reality of it. This election has turned a
very bright light on to all the beautiful
lies we have told ourselves about how
America works. My hope is that we are
going to go through a big moment of
national shame. It is something that
Americans so loathe to do, and I think
it is crippling us that we can’t even look
back and hold ourselves accountable.
My fear is that he will grow up and
people will ask him what was it like
to grow up in the country that was the
United States of America.Good Talk, published by Bloomsbury
India, is now on stands“There is a belief
that love somehow
makes racism
impossible. And
that is the biggest
fantasy of all”