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V.J. Smith

A book by a Brookings author is helping teach others what's important in life.

V.J. Smith had aspired to write a book for years.

He'd always had grand visions of writing about a leader who changed the course of history. 

By Jen Wahle

What he ended up writing about makes him Someone You Should Know.

Author V.J. Smith knows all about changing lives.

His own has been changing since the day he went to this Brookings Wal-Mart, and met an elderly cashier named Aaron Martinson, better known as Marty.

Smith says, “He was what I wasn't. And I really felt all along that he was a far better person than most people I knew because he demonstrated those qualities, kindness and goodness, on a daily basis.”

As their friendship grew, V.J. realized that Marty knew the secrets to a happy life, and didn't mind sharing them.

Smith says, “Relationships matter most in life.  Sometimes you need to do a little bit more. If you're a friend you've got to do a little bit more and the last is people need to decide to be happy.”

V.J. began to use Marty's story in his motivational speeches.

So many people asked him to write it down that he finally decided to, just before Marty passed away of an infected gall bladder.

He called his book "The Richest Man in Town."

Smith says, “I don't know if I've ever done anything so good in my life.”

The Richest Man is quickly gaining popularity. Now businesses, prisons and schools like Lennox Elementary, here, are using it as a motivational and learning tool, and it appears to be working.

Lennox fifth grade teacher Erin Fosher read the book to her class, but first, she conducted an experiment.

Erin Fosher says, “I had the students write in their journals what it meant to be the richest person in town before I read the story to them. I had stuff like drive a nice car, flat screen TV, things like that.”

After they were finished with the book, she asked them to describe the richest person in town again.

McKenzie Kjose says, “You don’t have to have the most money to be the richest man in town.”

Katelyn Hinker says, “You just have to be really nice and stuff.”

Xavier Wright says, “Be really nice to people and people are nice to you. People appreciate you.”

Rachel West says, “Kindness is the key to living a happy life.”

Fosher says, “I was amazed by the difference in the journals.”

V.J. says he only wanted to write a story that honored his friend; instead, he wrote a story that's changing lives.

Smith says, “If you can dent them a little bit and remind them about kindness and what it means. Wow. Marty lives.”

V.J. expects to have sold 10,000 copies by the end of the year.

You can find "The Richest Man in Town" at Barnes and Noble, Cover to Cover, or you can find a link to V.J.'s website on the left side of this page under our navigation bar.