Natalie Whatley

This will probably be a little preaching to the choir, but I’d like to remind all of you of a true treasure here in Baytown:  Sterling Municipal Library.

Last Tuesday I attended a discussion group hosted by Sterling Municipal Library’s Community Connections Librarian, Susan Chandler. The occasion was in honor of the One Book One Baytown program and was sponsored by the Friends of Sterling Municipal Library.

The program encourages community members to read and discuss the same book and come together through a shared reading experience. And that, we did. It’s always amazing to hear different perspectives and how people are touched by different things.  

If you’re looking for a good read, I would definitely recommend the selection discussed which was Same Kind of Different As Me by: Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent. An excerpt from the library’s website bills it as, “an inspirational, true story about a homeless man and a wealthy couple whose lives come together and are forever changed. Most readers will relate to the universal themes in the book: prejudice, homelessness, forgiveness, faith, sickness and suffering.” It’s all of that and more.

Going in, I knew the book was not typical of what I normally read. The opening: “Until Miss Debbie, I’d never spoke to no white woman before. Just answered a few questions, maybe—it wadn’t really speakin. And to me, even that was mighty risky since the last time I was fool enough to open my mouth to a white woman, I wound up half-dead and nearly blind.”

From that point forward, the more-than memoir took me and my emotions on a ride. As harrowing as it became, I couldn’t put it down. Nor could I shake the reality that some ugly truths I (born in 1970) thought were buried in the historical distant past weren’t so far away — in time or distance.  The story recounted by Denver Moore begins circa 1950s Louisiana and delivers the reader to near-present day Fort Worth, Texas.  

For me it was a stark reminder to look past first impressions. There are treasures behind human facades that can’t be purchased and are often missed as we “keep to our kind” in race or socioeconomic strata. Others were touched by the deep religious faith woven throughout and some were quite distressed over the treatment of a man who from the beginning and for a variety of reasons had the odds stacked against him. In the end many agreed people did what they knew and that they knew no different.  Give it a read and see what you think.

In upcoming library news, Sterling Municipals Library’s very entertaining Jamie Eustace will host the award-winning Starbooks at the Starbucks on the I-10 feeder at Garth Road on Tuesday, November 9 and Tuesday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. If you’ve never been, mark your calendar.

The presentation lasts about an hour and you don’t need to read anything prior to attending. Jamie does all the work —and reading—in advance and presents various titles usually held together by an overall theme. Books reviewed are available for check-out at the end.

For additional information on One Book One Baytown, visit www.baytownlibrary.org/onebook  or contact Susan Chandler at 281-422-1145 or via e-mail susan.chandler@baytown.org.  Starbooks coordinator Jamie Eustace may be contacted at 281-422-1133 or jamie.eustace@baytown.org.

© 2010 Natalie Whatley

The planets and stars were in proper alignment Tuesday evening at The Whatley Estate, and I took off the evening mom/chef/tutor hat for something I’ve always wanted to do. OK, I must confess. Nothing was aligned. I got dressed and announced I was leaving for an hour. Surprise, confusion, and even a glimmer of panic crossed some otherwise carefree faces. There was no meal cooked, homework had not been done, and showers not taken. Lo and behold, the earth did not stop spinning on its axis.

Sterling Municipal Library’s Starbooks at Starbucks, presented by librarian Jamie Eustace, boasts “Tired of the same old grind? Perk up your routine!” I met with Jamie in previous years in a book club and having now seen her in action reviewing books, I personally guarantee more than your routine will be perked. Her enthusiasm was evident as she reviewed numerous titles shelved at the library. “I just want people to know that the book is alive and well and the library is the perfect place to discover something new!”  She accomplishes that goal and so much more. How’s that for a review of the reviewer?

The program actually started in the summer of 2008. Now that I know what I was missing, I could kick myself for not getting there sooner.  I was notified well ahead of each meeting, but something always stood in the way of going. Since I’m now a bona-fide escape artist, this will be an area where I’ll use my newly-acquired skills.  

I intended on arriving early and learning a little about my co-attendees. Instead, I pulled in to the nearly-full Starbucks parking lot just minutes shy of the 6:30 p.m. start time. Thankfully there were a few vacant chairs awaiting occupation at the outer edge of the gathering, and I didn’t have to enter the dreaded center of the room whereby all eyes would notice the newbie.  Jamie says she usually has about two dozen people at each gathering, and while I didn’t take a head count, that looked about right.

I enjoyed it so much that I e-mailed Jamie the next morning in hopes that the old book club was still meeting. Sadly, it’s not.  If I get the chance to get in on another one, I will. Book clubs always pull me out of reading ruts, and I end up fascinated by something I would have never given a second look. And then, to hear what other people take away from what they read – that’s fun in my book.

The highlight and disappointment of the evening was one in the same for me: One of the 15 books reviewed was “The Slippery Year” by Melanie Gideon.  Just a few years my senior, she digs into being female and hitting mid-life. I’ve already placed a hold at the library and can’t wait to read it. My disappointment came from the fact that someone else beat me to writing about it. I thought I had the market cornered on that craziness.

All said, it was five-star entertainment in a nice cozy setting – perfect for a little weeknight pick-me-up with the added bonus of leaving with book titles you know won’t be a waste of time.

Jamie will hold another fun-filled hour of what’s hot off the publishing presses at the Starbucks on the I-10 feeder and Garth Rd. on Tuesday, November 17 at 6:30 p.m.  If you’d like more information, or would like to be on the e-mail list to receive reminders of upcoming events you can reach Jamie Eustace at 281-427-7331 ext. 230 or jamie.eustace@baytownlibrary.org

© 2009 Natalie Whatley