Newtown Woman’s Club hosted its annual Author/Book Signing Luncheon at Newtown Country Club Saturday, March 18, welcoming longtime Newtown resident and author LaVerne Blackwell as their special guest. Blackwell arrived primed to share anecdotes from her debut memoir My Truths, My Triumphs, My God.

She started by saying it was an honor to be there before a packed room that included members of the club, as well as friends and family members. Then, in her words, she described how in her younger years her life “went from riches to rags.”

Blackwell was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, but soon went to live in France. It was there that she felt she was in a time of riches: her family was together, they had a car, she did well in school, and she learned about prayer and God from going to church.

This stage of her life holds many happy memories, but they were soon dashed when her family went back to the United States. They stayed in New York temporarily then settled in with her grandmother in Richmond. Then her father left for Texas without them.

It was then she remembers the pain of going to school hungry and the responsibility of helping care for her sister.

“My life started to get ugly,” Blackwell said.

From that point on she endured countless moves, including one that left her with her aunt and uncle while her mom went to Atlantic City alone. She remembers the family not having money and the struggle she faced trying to make new friends with every move.

Blackwell's life, she said, took an unfortunate turn for the worst when she was in seventh grade, tested at a high school level, and attended school with much older students. She recalled falling into a crowd of peers who pressured her into making poor decisions that resulted in physical altercations, as well as jail.

Yet, her “friends” were what she clung to during her adolescence, she said.

“I didn’t want to go to school. I wanted to hang out with my friends. And my sister was just as bad … there was no controlling us at all,” Blackwell said.

At the age of 16, she was expelled and had to take on a job at a nursing home doing janitorial work.

She felt the anger growing inside, but she took that energy and harnessed it for her ultimate good. She pleaded with board of education members to get back into school and was let back in with the caveat that she could not slip up even once.

“From there I never missed a day and was a straight A student,” Blackwell said.

A Happier Life

She set her sights on a better, happier life. She eventually went on to marry Calvin Blackwell, Sr, raised their family in Sandy Hook, and became an active member of her church and Friends of Newtown Seniors.

She also had a fulfilling career as a social worker, where she was determined to make sure other children did not go through what she went through.

Blackwell believes, she said, that if she had a social worker in her life at a young age, she could have received the help she needed.

As for the many captivating stories in between, Blackwell said people will have to read My Truths, My Triumphs, My God to learn them.

“Thank you to everybody for listening to my story,” she said.

At the end of Blackwell’s presentation, there was a roar of applause and she answered audience questions from the gathered guests.

Among the people in the crowd was her friend and coworker Claudia Williams-Riley, who voiced how proud she is of Blackwell.

“I’m grateful for your experience,” she said, adding her friend's memoir made her the nonjudgmental person she is today.

With a smile on her face, Blackwell said, “I thank God every day to be alive and tell my story.”

Newtown Woman’s Club member Marie Sturdevant praised Blackwell for her compelling presentation and memoir.

“I bought it and it’s wonderful!” Sturdevant said.

Blackwell stayed to talk with individuals and sign copies of her book. In that one afternoon, she reportedly sold more than 20 copies of her book.

My Truths, My Triumphs, My God is also available as an audiobook through Amazon.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.