The Devil in the Junior League

Lois, my best Baytown girlfriend, is always asking me, "What have you been reading?" I had told her "Nothing" too many times in a row, so I gathered up the girls on Friday and took them to the Benton library. We like this one better than the Bryant library -- it's a lot bigger and reminds us more of the Baytown library, which, other than church, was the center of our social lives when we lived there.

I checked out this book and finished it yesterday. (Yes, I read at lightning speed -- something that continues to baffle my husband.) It's "The Devil in the Junior League" by Linda Francis Lee. It's about a woman who excels in snobbery (but in an endearing way, which makes her likeable) who is forced out of her position of privilege and prestige through a series of "unfortunate incidents." The way she fights back and ultimately finds herself makes for an entertaining read. And if you've ever lived in a town where the Junior League dominates the social culture and probably has a whole lot more power than it should (Hello out there, Junior League of Beaumont, Texas!) you'll enjoy her descriptions of the inner workings of the chapter in her fictional hometown. The author is a real-life Junior Leaguer and former Texas debutante.

Next I'm onto something completely different: "Turn Away Thy Son," which is about the 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock's Central High School. Incidentally, several of our youth group members attend Central.

So that's what I'm reading, Lois!