ST. LOUIS — Left Banks Bookstore in the Central West End became the breeding ground for kindness on Monday, Aug. 26. The moment captured on camera has turned into viral inspiration for thousands on social media.
Just a few minutes into a book signing for Nashville author, podcaster and public speaker Carlos Whittaker's latest book, "Reconnected," a man abruptly walked into the store and stood among the crowd facing the author.
"He literally said, 'All eyes on me' when he walked in, and you know, in that moment I could see a little bit of concern in a lot of people's eyes that were in front of me," Whittaker said.
He invited the man up to the podium, spoke to him, shook his hand, and hugged him. The entire moment was captured on the bookstore's YouTube livestream.
Whittaker believes the man was belligerent, but he said his reaction wasn't even a second thought.
"Oh, this guy, he needs to be seen by somebody," he said as the man approached him that evening. "I guess I'm the person that needed to see him."
Readers who came to support Whittaker told him afterwards that what he did was a life-changing moment for them to witness.
"I tell them all these moments are happening all the time. We just got to be looking for them and you can literally fill your days with moments like that," Whittaker said.
Whittaker credits Left Bank Books for their hospitality. He said the manager worked for about four minutes to protect the integrity of the book signing, while trying to guide the man away from the crowd. He also said that the man was loud.
"People often come into Left Bank Books seeking comfort. It can feel like a space of calm and belonging," Left Bank Books owner Kris Kleindienst said. "Carlos did a wonderful job of modelling nontoxic masculinity in a world where violence is so often the go to response."
Whittaker recalls listening to the man's questions, which he said did not make a lot of sense.
"I handed him a book," Whittaker said. Then the manager escorted him out of the store.
Ironically, the book that Whittaker was sharing that night was about reconnecting with humanity.
"I just think we live in one of the most disconnected times ever," he said. "This is an all-consuming multi-generational problem that we have."
His original goal for the book was to reveal what happens when you do not look at a screen for seven weeks. After spending two weeks living with monks, two weeks with an Amish community, and another three weeks with his family, he learned how beautiful and necessary connection is.
"The monks and me, don't have a lot in common. The Amish and me, don't have a lot in common, but I fell in love with them. They fell in love with me. I was the only Black man in Amish America. Trust me, riding around with my hat on like I did not look like them, believe like them, talk like them, and they welcomed me. We disagreed over very deep things, but we disagreed over shared meals," Whittaker said. "We disagreed over a table. It just was beautiful."
Whittaker believes that this viral Left Bank Books reel should not be so rare.
The groundwork for such an encounter began long before Whittaker's book tour. Whittaker's father taught him to see the people who are unseen.
He remembers being "6-years-old in the back of a Buick Regal in Atlanta, Georgia, and my dad stopped in the car. And you know, listen, 2024, maybe people wouldn't do this. But he picked up this homeless man like, put him in the car, drove him home to our house, you know. Gave him lunch, got to know him, prayed with them," Whittaker said about his childhood.
His dad's kindness was just considered a "my dad thing," because moments like that happened often.
Years later Whittaker said, "I think it was one of those things for me that wasn't taught. It was caught."
This is not the first time Whittaker's kindness was caught on camera. In 2012, his music video went viral for the same reason. Former President Barack Obama saw the video and invited him to the White House to speak at the Easter Prayer.
"The only thing that I think I did different than what normal people do is I didn't call the cops. I didn't call security. I turned the interruption into an invitation, and I think that's what most people are missing," he said. "We don't see interruptions as invitations. We see interruptions as something that is messing our life up."
Whittaker's actions have proven to be infectious. He hopes what he caught from his father will continue to inspire others and they will begin to do the same.
Just like every good book, this one had a beautiful ending.
