A red hot poppa lies cold in his bed one morning. Much to the dismay of his former Miss Louisiana runner-up wife, a curious smear of bright red lipstick runs down his leg. She most certainly didn’t put it there. Who left the Revlon trail? Why is the poppa dead? What is a red hot poppa, anyway?
“A Southern politician whose personal life overtakes his public life and gets him into trouble,” New Orleans native and Georgetown alum Jason Berry explains. Author of the novel, “Last of the Red Hot Poppas”, Berry will be on campus Thursday to talk about the current situation in New Orleans after Katrina and reminisce about its past through his new book.
When Berry was 10 years old, his father showed him “History in the Make” on T.V. Berry remembers his words clearly: “That’s your governor; his name is Earl K. Long. Two state troopers are holding him down in a wheelchair, and the news is bleeping out the swear words.” Long later ran his government by telephone while in a mental hospital, had an affair with a stripper and still managed to get elected to the House of Representatives. He called himself a “red hot poppa.”
Trouble certainly plagues the life, or afterlife, of Rex LaSalle, the governor found dead in his bed at the beginning of “Poppas”. The unfolding story explores Rex’s history with his wife, girlfriends, cronies and enemies. Amelia, Rex’s wife, hires Henry Hubbell for the death investigation with a strict caveat: “Keep the wrong people away.”
Hubbell becomes one of the book’s most engaging characters as he finds himself tangled in the sort of drama and debauchery he swore he’d never be involved with. He discovers that Rex’s death isn’t nearly as intriguing as the way everyone tries to cover it up.
“Poppas” abounds with cover-ups, including an environmental scandal inspired by former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards’ habit of dumping toxic chemicals into innocent communities.
“You look at people like this and you ask yourself, why do I live here?” Berry says. After years of reporting on political outrages, he has concluded that it’s “inevitable that artists produce works that reverberate with what is going on the political sphere.”
Although “Poppas” is his first novel, Berry has written groundbreaking works of investigative journalism on many issues. “Lead Us Not Into Temptation” broke the story of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Berry said that, while researching many of his Jesuit friends encouraged him to report on the scandal.
“I had benevolent experience with priests and nuns growing up, and professors at Georgetown that I admired,” he explains. “The experience of a Jesuit education and having friends in the order gave me a balanced sense of what I was doing.”
More recently, Berry has reported extensively on the situation in New Orleans. He resents the fact that there is “no master plan, no sweeping blueprint to revive the city.” Living there, he finds a level of normalcy in everyday activities, but feels “we’re really living in a twilight zone,” referring to the effect of global warming on New Orleans’ future existence.
Barry’s intimate knowledge of the deeds of Louisiana’s governors makes “Poppas” a fascinating and, at times, hilarious read. Despite the misdemeanors and felonies committed by nearly everyone involved, he describes his story as a “religious comedy.” At one point in the book, all of the characters talk to God, but as Berry slyly points out, “he’s not answering, of course.”
The Lecture Fund hosts Jason Berry on Thursday, November 9th at 6:15 p.m. in Old North 205.
