Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "A Place Called Maine"

Twenty-four authors have their stories about Maine related in this book, "A Place Called Maine." I hesitate to offer this work only because, being from Maine, many of these stories strike at the heart of my growing up.

How others view the stories may not be so captivating. Then again, don't all stories reflect an author's life in part and it is the quality of the presentation that creates the interest in the work?

Hopefully, you will find that quality here.

The small-town aspect of many of these remembrances touches on life in Maine then and now. "Small town" has its beauty and its disconcerting tough quirks. Those matters are touched on in these works.

Maine is also about water. The lakes, streams and ocean are an integral part of Maine life and that has changed little over the decades. The connection of life and H2O in Maine struck a chord with several the authors here.

Carolyn Chute is one of the authors presented in this book. She was born in Portland, Maine, and her books have concentrated on the rural poor in the state, particularly western Maine.

Her work, "The Beans of Egypt, Maine," was a best seller and captured a hardscrabble and often ugly side of life in rural Maine.

Monica Wood is another author featured and her presentation on her home page so summed up what so many of us from Maine relate to.

"I was born in Mexico, Maine, to a family of devout Irish Catholics, a family of paper mill workers. My father and my mother's parents came from Prince Edward Island in Canada, and brought with them the island tradition of storytelling." - MonicaWood.com

The book is 24 views of Maine from some who never left the state and others who came for a brief, but evolving time. For me, it is about home and I hope the work offers a peek inside.

"My attachment to the state is that of a barnacle to a ledge, the pull of the moon to the earth. Maine, because of its singular and profound beauty, is a place of worship without walls. I love it so." ― May Davidson, "Whatever It Takes"

Gary Thorne is the play-by-play voice of the Orioles on MASN, and the 2019 season is his 13th with the club and 34th covering Major League Baseball. His blog will appear regularly throughout the season. The Orioles and Sarasota County, for the 8th consecutive year, have partnered on the Big League Reader Program, which rewarded kids who read three books in February with tickets to a Grapefruit League game at Ed Smith Stadium in March.

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