There is literally nothing Stacey Abrams cannot do—write novels, own a business, become a lawyer, turn Georgia blue—and so, after reading this New York Times profile of Stacey Abrams, I am humbly begging her to write a memoir or sitcom or perhaps dramedy about her siblings, who sound fucking rad.
Abrams is set to publish a new political thriller called While Justice Sleeps, a gig she’s had long before the Clintons threw their little trench coats and fedoras into the espionage novel ring. But it is the Times’s detailing of her siblings’ involvement in her writing process that intrigued me most:
“Like so many things about Abrams, the book is partly a family affair, produced in consultation with her five siblings. Her sister Leslie, a federal judge, advised her on legal issues. Her sister Jeanine, an evolutionary biologist, helped her on the medical aspects of the plot. Her sister Andrea, an anthropologist, counseled her on matters of ethnicity and religion. Her two brothers, Richard and Walter, read early drafts and made suggestions about plotting and pacing.”
Imagine the Abrams Thanksgiving table, just a wealth of expert information about pretty much every subject on the planet. And in addition to being a social worker, her brother Richard gives sage editorial advice:
“Richard, a social worker, said in a phone interview that he got his sister to remove a car chase that clogged up the drama. “It was part of an action scene and it was coming to a climax — and I told her to get to the climax faster.” he said.
“I love a car chase,” Stacey Abrams said, wistfully.”
What I love is the largely forgotten ABC drama Brothers and Sisters about a family of whiny white adults who happened to be related and have Sally Field as a mother. Imagine the plot possibilities for a story of a similar ilk with actually interesting people. Since the Abrams already have a running family book club, I would, again humbly, as I know I am not Abrams-level smart or interesting, ask them to stop reading and start writing in the style of Sedaris, or Alcott, or even Burroughs, whatever strikes their collective fancy, as long as I can hear more. Let Stacey put a car chase in there if she wants, Richard, instigate one if you have to, just get me the smart people drama.