"The Book of Charlie: Wisdom From the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man" tells the story of when David Von Drehle moves to the suburbs of Kansas City in 2007 and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a charismatic 102-year-old neighbor who impacts his life in some real and immeasurable ways.
Von Drehle, a nationally known journalist looking for a story to tell his own four children, finds one when he meets Charlie White.
Charlie White was born Aug. 16, 1905, in Galesburg, Illinois, to a Disciples of Christ pastor and his wife. By the time Charlie was 4, his father answered a call to help a struggling church in Kansas City. As a spirited youngster, Kansas City becomes Charlie's new playground where catching trolleys become a favorite (and dangerous) pastime. Just a few years after this move, Charlie's father dies in a tragic elevator accident, changing the trajectory of the White family.
With little time for grieving, Laura White becomes the breadwinner for her family, working a job and taking in medical missionaries as boarders to make ends meet. Perhaps it is this resilience modeled by his mother during a difficult time that Charlie adopted for the rest of his life.
In 1908, Ford's Model-T was introduced. By 1922, Charlie and two of his buddies took one of these cars on a cross-country trek from Missouri to California. There were no maps at the time and many of the roads they traveled were mere dirt.
This adventure was one of my absolute favorite sections of the book, complete with ditching the car in California and hopping the train back to Missouri. While reading it, I couldn't help but think today's traveler can hardly fathom arriving at a destination without the aid of a smartphone.
The book is filled with great stories just like this one that are far less common in our more cautious, fearful society.
Charlie White lived through a century of incredible advances in our society: radio, television, automobiles, penicillin and computers. He became a well-known physician and a pioneer in the field of anesthesiology. Charlie had a long, full life filled with many twists and turns. His life was not always easy, nor painless, yet he thrived because of his willingness to adapt to both personal and professional circumstances beyond his control.
Von Drehle captures this man's indomitable spirit and life wisdom so well that we chose this book as our 2024 Capital READ selection. The author will visit the library at 6:30 p.m. on April 29 to talk about the book and his friendship with Charlie.
Reservations are not required. We encourage you to read the book and attend!
Claudia Young is the Director of Missouri River Regional Library.