originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press
It’s wonderful that there are so many book clubs in Chattanooga! Folks gather together to discuss all kinds of books: history, novels, science fiction, mysteries, and poetry. They meet in homes, churches, synagogues, schools, libraries, book stores, coffee shops and more. This weekend I was invited to speak and share one of my books at the East Ridge Library Book Club. As a long time resident of East Ridge, it was truly a pleasure to talk about my book, Going Southern: The No-Mess Guide to Success in the South.
I wrote Going Southern more than a decade ago when I was training international executives coming into Chattanooga. Volkswagen was opening its manufacturing plant here and I got an email from an out-of-state consulting company wanting to hire me to assist newcomers in adapting to Chattanooga and the South. At first, I thought it was a joke and called them up to complain. A friend at the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce laughed so hard when I told him that I yelled about being sick and tired of scams, that I thought he’d fall face first on the floor.
Getting ready for the discussion, I re-read my book and discovered that it was even more relevant than ever. Yes, I went deeply into the history and geography of the South, but the main focus was cross-cultural communication. Having lived in Bermuda, New York, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and Tulsa before coming to Chattanooga, I’ve adapted to diverse cultures and their communication styles all my life. But the South has a very special element of humor that shapes the culture, the conversations, book clubs, and, of course, me. And I’m not alone.
Economics professor Eric Kruger who was originally from England, was sent from New York to do the coaching on national themes and I did the local piece. Eric fell in love with Chattanooga, eventually moved here and joined me at the East Ridge Library. The group loved his acquired Southern sense of humor and goofy approach to teaching economics. We all laughed, and I giggled myself to sleep that night.
Over the next couple of days, I asked the participants what stuck in their minds the most about our book club session. There were two themes in their responses. The first was about my stories and how engaging they were. I guess they liked how my childhood in British Bermuda echoed some Southernisms and had me deleting the “G” from words ending in “ing.” When I was a student at Harvard, a friend asked me what happened to my “G’s”. My answer? “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” Yes, we all laughed at that one, too.
The second theme of our discussion was about the changes in Chattanooga, especially East Ridge. I discussed in Going Southern how our area was becoming a global village, and more growth was likely in the future. My prediction was spot on and we talked about the expanded roads, new construction, and the replacement of rural areas with industries, housing, and shopping malls. The resulting mess of noise and traffic was central to our loss of the once quiet, attractive village of East Ridge. And we’re not alone. There is concern across Chattanooga, Hamilton County and beyond.
The concern of the book club went beyond the physical. There was a sense that the biggest loss in all of these changes is the culture that generations of Southerners have embedded in our community. The many newbies to our area should not only understand our culture, but have appreciation and respect. Yes, if you’re Going Southern, make sure it’s a No-Mess Success.
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