Book Review: The Table Where Rich People Sit

The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor is the story of a family and their conversation that takes place over their very worn out family table. The story begins, “If you could see us sitting here at our old, scratched-up, homemade kitchen table, you’d know that we aren’t rich. But my father is trying to tell us we are.” This family meeting is perhaps one of the best! Our young heroine is upset by her worn out shoes, the car her family drives, and she’s convinced that this is not the kind of table where rich people would sit. That is, until the meeting is well under way. While listing out the family’s “wealth”, she comes to understand what her parents are talking about when her mother says, “We don’t just take our pay in cash, you know. We have a special plan so we get paid in sunsets, too, and in having time to hike around the canyons and look for eagle nests.” This is a story about wealth – the wealth of a family; it is one of our family staples. Don’t miss it!