The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes [Hardcover]

Ted McClelland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Chronicling the author’s 10,000-mile “Great Lakes Circle Tour,” this travel memoir seeks to answer a burning question: Is there a Great Lakes culture, and if so, what is it? Largely associated with the Midwest, the Great Lakes region actually has a culture that transcends the border between the United States and Canada. United by a love of encased meats, hockey, beer, snowmobiling, deer hunting, and classic-rock power ballads, the folks in Detroit have more in common with citizens in Windsor, Ontario, than those in Wichita, Kansas—while Toronto residents have more in common with Chicagoans than Montreal's population. Much more than a typical armchair travel book, this humorous cultural exploration is filled with quirky people and unusual places that prove the obscure is far more interesting than the well known.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Southern pride is everywhere, from the radio to the presidency, but not much time or media coverage is devoted to northern pride, the essence of McClelland’s book oriented on the Great Lakes and the lands that surround them—the Freshwater Nation. Crossing borders and circumnavigating the lakes, McClelland made an almost 10,000-mile journey from Chicago to Wisconsin to upper Michigan to (via Isle Royale) Minnesota to Ontario to New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and through lower Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana. His conversations with such characters met en route as Yuri the sailor and Oil Can Eddie constitute one of the book’s definite pleasures. Visits to the drunkest city in America (Milwaukee), the world’s largest barber pole, and natural wonders and their environs (Downtown Niagara Falls . . . looks like a carnival that has put down roots and incorporated itself); chats with Canadians who remain staunch Loyalists (to the crown, that is); and an REO Speedwagon–Styx concert at a county fair near Lake Erie are others this hearty, good-natured homage affords. --June Sawyers

Review

"[A] hearty, good-natured homage."   —Booklist

"The author struts an extensive knowledge of the area that makes this a must for fans of travel literature."  —Kirkus Reviews

Captures a slice of North Americana with the precision of a Walker Evans photograph, and sentences worthy of John McPhee."  —Neal Pollack, author, Alternadad

"To [Ted McClelland], the North is a state of mind, and it is the Great Lakes region that fuels his imagination."  —Chicago Tribune

"Is there a Great Lakes culture? Damned straight, and Ted McClelland nails it."  —Jerry Dennis, author, The Living Great Lakes and A Place on the Water

"The Third Coast is much like the place it chronicles: interesting, not at all ostentatious, and a great amount of fun."  —Tom Bissell, author, The Father of All Things

"[A] quirky travelogue."  —Kenosha News

"A very good read. I learned more about the Great Lakes region from it than I had in a half century of living in Michigan."  —The Bay City Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556527217
• ISBN-13: 978-1556527210
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,055,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT READ!, October 20, 2008

By 

R. Ellenstein (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes (Hardcover)

The author takes you on a fascinating tour of the Great Lakes, discovering people and places that make this part of the Midwest so unique. As a lifelong Michigan resident and frequent visitor to Canada, Mr. McClelland's portrayal of the residents of the Great Lakes was spot on, and I often found myself laughing out loud at the quirkiness of their behavior. This book is essential for anyone looking to travel this section of the world, or at least learn about the culture and its origin. I couldn't put it down!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great adventure, February 18, 2008

By 

Andrew Kleine (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book immensely. McClelland circles all of the Great Lakes, finding interesting people and places and putting them into cultural and historical context. The book is beautifully written, funny, and insightful. I am a native of the Great Lakes region, but I don't think you have to be to appreciate the book. I actually found it to be a page-turner, wondering what the author was going to discover next.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Splendid Tour of Lakes, Villages, and Loonies, November 21, 2008

By 

Lorilee J Craker "Lover of great storytelling" (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my husband, and swiped it from him one night when I had nothing to read. To my surprise, I couldn't put it down. Chapter by chapter, the author paints a colorful and enchanting portrait of grand, sometimes deadly lakes, fascinating places, and even more captivating people. As a 16-year resident of Michigan, I found I had been to many of the places McClelland describes, yet with his keenly observed eye for detail and story, he uncovered these places in wonderful ways and made me want to go back!
I loved the quirky people along the way; indeed, this is a book of travel essays that reads like a novel.
McClelland is a writer's writer, a droll and witty wordsmith whose writing isn't pretentious but is very good. I would call this book a true find, and would recommend this to anyone who likes to curl up in a chair and get lost in a story (or 20 stories!). Especially, "The Third Coast" will stir pride in anyone who lives on or near the great, Great Lakes.