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In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, by Neil White
Neil White captivated us at the Communications Workshop in Tupelo in August, relating the story of his incarceration in Carville, Louisiana, with the last lepers in America. Through his interactions with these "secret people," his life was changed. His story helps us know that conversion, that transformation, is indeed possible. The line was long at the after-lunch book-signing.
I began reading my copy the next day and could not put it down. Reading this book renews spirits and energizes hope. These words, in the afterward, give a glimpse of the amazing story, well told.Fifteen years ago, as a prisoner, I was welcomed by the secret people. It was an honor I cherish. I left with the hope that I would never forget. But a lesson is never as clear as the moment it is learned. I have forgotten and remembered. Veered off and corrected.But I am always drawn back. To the place where the river flows backward, where outcasts find a home, where the disfigured are beautiful...
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Beyond Katrina, by Natasha Trethewey
Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, grew up in Gulfport and reflects in this remarkable, slim volume on both the public and private impact of the tragedy of Katrina. Through reflections, pictures and poems, Trethewey offers a moving meditation for all who know and love the Mississippi Gulf Coast.This is no distant view. Trethewey speaks with the voice of one who loves the Gulf Coast, of one who calls Gulfport home. She shares the complexity of the tragedy through courageous sharing of the life journey of her brother, Joe. As she tells of Joe's efforts to rebuild his life after Katrina, we sense the depth and width of this immeasurable tragedy and the ramifications that go on and on in the lives of those impacted.In Mississippi, our lives are intertwined with this tragedy. This book speaks the truth in love to us and helps us in our journey onward.In the poem "Believer," she writes of a woman in her house, still in need of repair. Seeing mold and rust and piles of things, Trethewey writes...What stops meis the stack of tithing envelopes. Reading my face,she must know I can't see why -- even now --she tithes, why she keeps giving to the church."First seek the kingdom of God," she tells me,"and the rest will follow" -- says it twiceas if to make a talisman of her words.
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