Cincinnati baker Paul Whiteside is a good man. He owns his own business, volunteers, tithes at church, and has just meet a nice girl. Still, he wonders if there is more to life, something meaningful, something to fill the empty place in his heart (soul? spirit?). When he picks up a brochure after church one Sunday, he is compelled to accept the challenge--The Experience of Becoming Poor. He embarks on a thirty-day pilgrimage to live and work with the people of Haiti to figure out if God is calling him for a bigger purpose. Paul is torn between his life of comfort and privilege and a driving need to contribute something more to the world. To make the right decision, he will have to embrace humility, discomfort, and the unknown. Fortunately, Paul will not have to rely solely on his own strength and faith. He is accompanied on his journey to self-discovery and destiny by a group of strangers who become friends, one of whom has the potential to change his life.
Mirlande Baptiste's cynical attitude and haughty pride have been shaped by her Haitian heritage, a legacy of turmoil and power struggles. Committed to the homeless children at the mission where she serves and fiercely proud of her native birthright, Mirlande is tortured by a secret desire to flee the brutal realities of life in Haiti. When Paul turns to Mirlande to gain an authentic understanding of Haiti's culture, a tenuous friendship develops. She is forced to confront her own truth and bias which ultimately forces her to choose between duty to a country that desperately needs her and a man whose love could save her.
Anyone But Me dives deep into the history and traditions of Haiti that have led to a country on the brink. And it's the love story of two people caught in one of Haiti's most tumultuous and devastating eras.
Book Club discussion questions and prompts included.