|
 Alone in one of LA's most dangerous areas and stripped of his
phone, Gattis took a chance and shared his personal experiences
of physical pain (from a football accident), hoping that would
create a bond between them. It did.
Gattis, a former literature teacher and writer of two earlier
novels, spent 2-1/2 years talking to gang members, firefighters,
nurses and other LA residents who lived through the 1992 riots
before writing. The riots, sparked by the acquittal of police
accused of beating black motorist Rodney King, left more than 60
dead and caused property damage of more than $1 billion.
Gattis's widely acclaimed book has been acquired by HBO.
The 37-year-old writer talked to Reuters in Stockholm about his
experiences while on tour to promote his book.
Q: You met with a former criminal and gang leader, whose trust
and consent you needed to talk to people. What happened?
A: We finally got to the point where I could see that he had a
scar on his face and had been through physical violence in a
similar way that I've been. So I decided that I will tell him --
when I was 17 my nose was torn out of my face and I had to go
through two big face operations. And it was incredible to look
at this guy, who had been solid as a rock, now opening up.
Q: Your book contains a lot of very explicit violence, was that
necessary for the story?
A: Absolutely, because I think if we sugar-coat violence we miss
the truth of it, we miss the consequentiality of it. I think the
beauty of fiction is that it allows us to not risk ourselves
bodily, but to be able to feel these emotions, physically.
[to top of second column] |
Q: What's your next project?
A: Oh, it's definitely going to be about LA, I'm writing it now. I
think the work I've done and the people I've been able to build
bridges with, make them to trust me and bless what I write, gives me
a really great opportunity.
Q: So, we can expect more about the LA gang world?
A: There will be elements of that... I'm still playing with it. But
it will be elements of repercussion, we might even find out what
happened to some of the characters down the road.
Q: You seem to be in love with LA.
A: I love the fact that it's a whole world in a city. The most
Chinese spoken outside China is in LA, the most Korean - LA, the
most Vietnamese - just south of LA. It really is this weird pilot
program for the world. It's the most diverse city in America...It's
a world, it's global. But you can drive anywhere you want.
(Reporting by Johan Sennero; Editing by Michael Roddy and Raissa
Kasolowsky)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
