Review
In this anthology of personal essays and photographs Larry Smith catches what is most typically midwestern-diversity. No two writers or photographers see the midlands similarly. The only common element here is a sense of love or celebration; no one laments this as a place of hardship, even though it sometimes lurks in the background of a piece. The essays range from the academic of Mark Vinz's "Our Midwests" to the humorous in Craig Hergert's "But Baby It's Cold Outside: Memories of Minnesota Winters" to childhood memories in Susan Allen Toth's "Swimming Pools," and the universal questions that plague everyone-mt just midwestemers---as addressed in Wendell Berry's "Higher Education and Horne Defense." Interestingly, the photos are mainly rural. Smith, in his introduction, admits to giving up trying to find an order to the essays--after Vinz's opening essay, he says he fell "back upon alphabetical ordering ... each essay is an arrival, and the journey is a part of the place we carry inside us. Find your own route." What this gives the reader is a chance to wander the roadmap in a way otherwise impossible. Each essay stands out not melting into the one before or after, yet they don't jar against each other either.The only complaint is a slight one. In the introductions to the writers, which are well-written and helpful, Smith often tries to give a summary of the writer's essay. These summaries, while helpful if this is a textbook for freshmen, don't often do justice to the piece, and most readers who will read this fine collection may find these bothersome. However, they shouldn't stop anyone from reading and enjoying this celebration of the Midwest. -- From Independent Publisher
