The Book Review Club Celebrate 79th Year

As quietly as reading a book, The Book Review Club has maintained 79-years of community service and excellence.

The Book Review Club members at the 79^th Anniversary Celebration were; seated (L-R) Thelma Carr, Asst. Treas. Sonja Armstrong, (guest Linda Upton Hill,) Pres. Alma Badgett, Asst. Secy. Brenda Wiggins, Sec. Sheryl Sallie, Chaplain Charlene Whittington, and Parliamentarian Jamesena Washington. Standing (L-R) Sandra Cannon, Sandra Mitchell, Dean Sheard, Gussie Cherry, Rochelle Carr, VP Evelyn Hallman, Treas. Mae Blanche Moore, Vrondelia Chandler, Rosanne Smith, Bessie Jowers. (Not pictured active members are Eddie Mae Robinson and Wanda Jones; and honorary members Goldie Carter, Margaret Houston, Eunice Marshall, and Naomi McGhee. Photo by PWilliams

Alma Badgett, President of The Book Review Club.

By Patricia Williams

Members of The Book Review Club celebrated 79 years of continuous service to the community on March 4, 2019. The meetings are monthly at the Burlington Branch library in East Knoxville.

Sonja Armstrong was the hosting member at this meeting. She distributed quotable quotes from esteemed literary authors. One was from Mark Twain, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”

The club was established on March 4, 1940, in the home of Mayme Dogan at 819 E. Main Ave., that is now the heart of downtown Knoxville. The meetings were a respite for the educated, accomplished black women of the community. It provided an uninhibited, intellectual exchange where they could embrace their heritage, their intellect, and respect for themselves and each other.

Linda Upton Hill, musician, and traveling storyteller was The Book Review Clubs featured guest.

Its purpose was to build cultural and educational values. At that time, members were teachers in segregated black schools where they shared their knowledge with their students. Other members disseminated knowledge with business owners and community members.

Members of The Book Review Club have succeeded on the principals that were set 79-years ago, passing the baton upwards.

Over the years the organization has continued to be progressive. Today’s members also include an executive director of students, retired school principals, and administrators. As well as retirees that include a NASA/ORNL rocket scientists; along with the solid foundation of retired educators who are still dedicated to sharing and promoting knowledge and education.

Retired club members Sandra Cannon, Roane State; and Sandra Mitchell a principal.

Monthly meetings feature a formal lunch, a gracious member hostess, a book review and discussion, and an occasional special guest.

Linda Upton Hill was the featured guest for the 79th Anniversary celebration on March 4th. As a musician, actress, and traveling storyteller, Hill is a one-woman show. Hill has been a member of the Knoxville-based Carpetbag Theatre’s Touring Ensemble for 43 years. She is also a member of the Celebration Orchestra of Sevier Heights Baptist Church on Alcoa Hwy. in Knoxville.

Club member Vrondelia ‘Ronni’ Chandler, Exec Dir. of Project GRAD-Knoxville, introduced Hill as a “Griot,” an oral historian of African history that preceded the printed word.

Book Review Club members Jamesena Washington, a retired English teacher, and former Austin-East student Ronni Chandler.

Chandler did her homework. She opened with a piece of black history. “As we sit in this public library full of books, it is important to remember we have not always had access to the gift of reading. We have not always had this privilege. We must tell the children that it was once illegal for us to read. They MUST read. In days of slavery, to be caught with a book led to a beating. In days of slavery, we secretly learned to read by holding a book upside down because it wouldn’t be taken away. We learned to read in those times using a redacted Slave Bible. And we passed along our history.”

Over the years, The Book Review Club has given financial and volunteer support to numerous programs in Knoxville. They include: books for Beck Cultural Exchange Center Black History Library, Reading is Fundamental program, Knoxville College Music Therapy program, United Negro College Fund, Child and Family Services, and the Love Kitchen among its recipients.