Jim Amidon — It was late last spring when a handful of Wabash folks learned that Joy Castro would read from her then-forthcoming memoir, The Truth Book. Quietly, Steve Charles and I got excited about what it would mean to have Joy read the astonishing stories of her childhood.
The reading was initially booked for the Korb Classroom; we knew it wouldn’t be large enough so the event was moved to the Salter Concert Hall. Good move. The place was packed Thursday night when Joy stepped to the microphone, smiled, and began reading her powerful words.
She read a half-dozen "strands" from the book for the 275 or so people in attendance, all of whom were mesmerized and completely silent.
It was great to see Joy smile, even laugh several times as she read a segment of the memoir where she argues with her mother about her faith. That Joy can laugh and smile when reflecting on her tragic childhood reaffirms for me that the book really is about hope and deliverance.
She told me she wrote the book for "all the quiet people" about whose lives we know nothing because of their silence. Long a quiet person with hidden scars, Joy Castro is silent no more. Her words ring loud and clear and her message is powerful, graceful, and moving.
When the reading was over, Joy confidently left the stage, smiling with every step. She then spent the next hour or more talking with friends and strangers, signing books, and accepting congratulations.
Indeed, it was "joy" to spend the evening with Joy Castro.
