By Ellyn Wexler, Staff Writer
photos by Ellen R.B. Smith
Ellen R.B. Smith hasn’t always gotten in good trouble. The neophyte author is living proof that growing up in an affluent D.C. suburb like Reston does not ensure a perfect childhood. Fortunately, in her case, Smith maintains, her hometown’s founding principles shaped her values and influenced her development into responsible adulthood.
Smith’s book, “Memoirs of a Suburban Troublemaker,” documents how – mostly because of her parents’ divorce – “my childhood went from idyllic to completely chaotic, seemingly overnight,’ she wrote. “I went from being a child who respected authority and followed the rules to someone who was in constant trouble – for misbehaving, for poor grades, for drinking, for using drugs, and for fighting.” It also describes how she turned her life around, and became a mature woman “on a lifelong quest to end racism and antisemitism.”
Writing the book, Smith said, “has served as both a cathartic outlet and a tool for self-discovery during a year of deep reflection on my purpose.”
Helping others with similar challenges was another goal. ”I wanted to help kids and parents who might be going through something, or who didn’t always fit in, to feel less alone in the world,” she said. “My dream has been to write a book that takes people on a journey, to learn, laugh, cry, and reflect on their own life.”
In addition, she said, “I want to make the world a better place for my children. “
Smith’s “penchant for journaling and preserving memories through photos and videos stems from a belief that nostalgia offers insights into life's meaning,” she explained.
After leaving her job as a principal recruiting strategist at Amazon, she set out to write her book, devoting eight to 16 hours a day to the task. “I poured as much effort into this book as I did to my work at Amazon. I feel like if you are going to do or make something, that’s a reflection of who you are. To truly make it great, you must dedicate the attention it deserves,” she said.
Most of the writing took place in Smith’s home office, “Yet I consistently took notes irrespective of my location -- whether I was driving, watching TV or movies, listening to audiobooks, attending my children's sports practices, during my art lessons, and notably, even in the stillness of the night, a practice that became especially prevalent.”
Smith thought big. She aspired to combine her story of growing up in South Reston with a history of “Virginia’s first open, integrated, and planned community,” she said. “I didn’t have confidence that my life story (alone) would be good enough, so I included Robert E. Simon and Reston’s history,” she said. Her pre-readers disagreed. “After 175,000 words of this textbook-style writing, my pre-readers picked up on the fact that I’m not a historian, and they were skipping the parts about Reston and individual interview summaries, to get to my story.” An editor helped her streamline. While Smith deleted the Reston history, she maintains the area’s values helped her become the person she is today. “I was fortunate to grow up in Reston, a town that was literally created as a place of inclusion for all,” she said. “I truly believed in the peaceful, egalitarian lessons taught at Terraset Elementary School.”
Smith remembers her kindergarten teacher playing the Marlo Thomas’ ‘Free to Be You and Me’ album for her class. “It fell directly in line with my view of Reston: where the ‘shining seas’ were manmade lakes, the ‘river running free was the creek behind our house, and the ‘green country’ was the 1,350 acres of open space that Reston’s founder and namesake Robert E. “Bob” Simon had set aside for its residents.”
At the start of the book, the author noted, “This is a love letter to my family, friends, and hometown.”
Pre-order a signed copy of Ellen R.B. Smith’s “Memoirs of a Suburban Troublemaker” at ellenrbsmith.com.
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