Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen

Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I was immediately drawn in by the title, my biggest concern about moving to a new state when I retired 3 years ago was leaving my community. Building a new one has been the single biggest challenge, exacerbated by the societal disruption of COVID. The author talks about the three layers of people we have - acquaintances, people you may know through social groups, social media or even work; a smaller, closer group she calls your village, and within that your 2-5 best friends, who you can be completely honest with, and share even uncomfortable things. So many things rang true to me, such as how difficult it is to open up and be vulnerable, I am more a listener than a sharer, people rarely know when I am hurting. Also, how we aren't look for our friends (or spouse) to solve our problems, but to help us come up with a solution ourselves, by asking questions or sharing resources. She suggests ways to develop this community by identifying people in different areas of your life, neighborhood, church, work, children's activities, who you would like to get to know better, and then taking that small step (inviting them out for coffee, running errands together, etc. Lots of practical suggestions as many of us try to find a new normal in this post-COVID world.

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The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4 stars - Interesting tale of Belle da Costa Greene aka Belle Marion Greener who helped build and curate the collections of JP Morgan's private library from 1905-1948. She traveled the world acquiring treasures, and after JP's death in 1913, convinced his son and heir, Jack, to open the library to the public, to honor his father. She did this while hiding her heritage as a black woman, knowing that none of the doors would be open to her, otherwise.


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The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy

The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1973, this memoir recounts Pat Conroy's year of teaching poor, isolated children on Yamacraw Island. Out of a class of 18 5th-8th graders, none knew the name of their country, only a handful knew the alphabet or could count to ten. Conroy throws the textbook away, and listens and talks to the children, bringing in speakers, films, and records to introduce them to the larger world. He fights racism and ignorance as he tries to make a difference in this segregated school of the late 1960s. In many ways this reminds me of To Sir, With Love.

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