Books: Coming of Age Between Worlds

The young man was raised to be a true believer in a faith community, one that did not accept the sciences of astronomy and physics, nor look kindly on secular arts. In Sally McMillan’s debut novel, “My Name Is Allen White,” readers follow that young man as he faces conflicts between his two worlds. 

Allen White was born into a strict Seventh Day Adventist family. His father William White, a respected Adventist leader, was a direct descendent of church founder Ellen White. His mother Elizabeth, although also a staunch believer, awakened Allen’s interests. When he was celebrating his third birthday, Elizabeth took Allen outside and helped him trace lights from Sputnik through the night sky. Later she taught him to read music and took him to the public library where he met Miss Beverley. The helpful librarian directed Allen to books about science and music.

Allen spent after-school hours in the library and also at the Book and Bible House. He became friendly there with Brother Kovaks, the Hungarian shopkeeper, helping him stock shelves with Adventist approved foods: Cans of meat substitutes, boxes of Special K and jars of Postum, a cereal-based non-caffeinated hot drink that Adventists substitute for coffee.  It was Brother Kovaks who encouraged Allen’s interest in photography and in taking pictures of the stars.

During his growing-up years, Allen followed a strict regime. His mother directed him to put pennies (later nickels) into the word jar for using inappropriate words or slang. His Adventist religion dictated dietary restrictions, observation of the Sabbath on Saturdays, nightly family worship and prayers, often ending with the words “Be Always Kind and True.” 

Allen spent the summer before entering Adventist high school with his Aunt Janice and Uncle Matthew in Denver. Prior to his parents’ departure to Kenya on a missionary mission, William had cautioned Allen not to be led astray by his relatives’ more liberal Adventist ways. In the evenings, Allen and his relatives watched television, something new to him. Television introduced him to science fiction, fueled his desire to pursue science and enabled him to watch as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon.

As Allen’s world widened in science and art, he graduated high school and gained coveted entry into M.I.T. While working on a physics degree and serving classes as a teaching assistant, Allen was able to study and work with respected scientists. 

Growing up, Allen had been raised to have faith in religious revelation; in college and graduate school, he grew to trust only what can be verified. His education as a nuclear physicist, astrophotographer and musician took him to places that his father and the church could not accept. How to resolve the stark contradictions in his life is the challenging narrative that unfolds within the pages of Sally McMillan’s novel.

McMillan, an educator, journalist and writer, spent 22 years at the University of Tennessee serving as a professor of communications, department head and associate dean. She marked the launch of her book Sept. 22 at Folio, the Seattle Athenaeum. She appeared there in conversation with Lynn Olson, former program director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Characters in Sally McMillan’s book are all fictional, a richly-imagined cast. But the author gained inspiration for the story from her brother, the late Charles McMillan, a physicist who held senior positions at Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories and was a frequent visitor to the Manhattan Project site at Hanford.