UNION — For Annette Whitson, of Union, everything in life happens for a reason. Good or bad, there is a purpose to her life and she does not let her past hold her back.
Whitson will be sharing her message, and her book, at the annual Local Authors Fair at the Main Branch of the Union Public Library, 1980 Morris Ave., Union, on Saturday, Sept. 26. There will be two sets of authors; one group of eight, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a second group of seven, from 2 to 4 p.m. Wilson will be in the second group. Books will be available for purchase.
Whitson’s book, “From Hand Me downs to Reality,” was originally self-published in 2008, although she said she has changed the cover and edited out a little of the copy, to make it smoother.
Whitson’s life has had more than its share of woes, which she shares in her book. In that regard, she holds nothing back.
“I was born in Florida, but moved here (New Jersey) because my dad was a contractor. He came here first,” said Whitson in a recent interview with LocalSource. “He used to buy houses and flip them over. He worked with my uncle first. We came after my daddy got an apartment. I’m in my 70s.”
Although Whitson’s life was very difficult in her adolescence and teenage years, particularly when she suffered physical and sexual abuse, she made it a point to build from her sufferings.
“I’m a Christian,” she said. “The Lord was there with me all of the way.”
In her book, she writes that God allowed her to finish high school, to attend Essex County College for two-and-a-half years and to earn a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Bible Institute in Irvington and a certificate in urban development from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, where she once lived.
“I worked in the nursing service, practical nursing,” said Whitson. “I worked at the VA in East Orange, then transferred to California. I worked at a mission. I worked with the children.”
While in California, she earned a master’s degree in guidance counseling from Bold School of Religious Education in Lancaster, as well as credentials for early childhood education from Compton Community College.
“I retired from the VA after 29 years. I moved back here from California in 2000.”
This wasn’t her last trip to the west coast, however.
“I went back to California. I came back in 2004,” said Whitson. “The second time I was there maybe 4½ years. I got my teaching credentials in California. I worked and used to go to the youth detention facility. I taught the first Head Start program ever in California. Then I taught second, third and fourth grade, special needs, they called it special services. We would take them on trips. I liked working with them.”
Her trips to California have continued, even after her book was published. In California, she sold 4,000 copies of her book, although she gave some of them away.
Whitson has been living in Union for many years now, always looking to help others. While she went to UCLA for workshop classes in California, in New Jersey, “I worked for the Salvation Army, SeniorCorps. We would help the teachers with assistant practical care. I would sometimes help teach, but they would send an aide. I like seniors, too.’
She said she also has tutored students at the library, dating back to the 1990s.
Whitson said this book is an autobiography about her life and the problems her family faced and how she dealt with them. She thought that people who read the book would learn from it and be able to approach their own problems.
“I wrote this book because I wanted people to know that the things we went through we should share so we could help somebody else.”
As for her future, even at her age, Whitson still has ambitious goals.
‘“I want to make my own family magazine about sharing. A lot of families went through issues, but they came out of it.”
