Into the Woods, Into the Past

I actually am enjoying Thoreau's Maine Woods the second time around. I keep trying to picture Maine more than 170 years ago.  His is a more philosophical account of travels than the average person would write, I think. He seems respectful of people and nature as well.  He makes interesting observations about the logging business and the fading trapping business.  He seems interested in the indigenous people he encounters; he asks about their words and their customs. At the end of the book there is a glossary of place names that are translated from the native language into English.  Many native place names are gone now, so it's interesting to see what they were when still being used.

He talks about tiny towns like Greenville that are now not really much bigger than they were then. I keep reflecting on my ancestors and other cousins and trying to imagine what they were doing when Thoreau was in their midst. When Thoreau sails down the Penobscot toward Bangor, for instance, he goes by my cousin's house as it is now and was then, since it was built in the 18th century. He talks about Sugar Island, where my grandfather was born about 50 years after that. In fact, my great grandparents weren't even born yet when he was passing through Greenville.  My great-great grandparents were just getting started on their lives in the United States, having migrated from Canada a few years before.

Thoreau details the plants and animals he finds as he travels; the lists are a little boring to me, but his impulse is interesting. It's as if he wants to document these phenomena before they are gone forever.  I get the sense that he knows much of the wilderness will soon be gone and he is mourning its passing.  I wonder if he would have been surprised by just how much wilderness remains in Maine, though most of it is probably regrowth from logging.

It's been a worthwhile read, I think. I recommend it to all who want a close up history of a particular region of our country, and a window into a time when the wilderness was vanishing before our eyes.

Next I'll launch into one of the "M" books, I think. I've started a Walter Mosley novel so I'll probably continue with that.

From History to Short Fiction: Continuing on the T-Train

The past week I finished the Troy, Maine history and started on a collection of short stories edited by Amy Tan (another "T" author): Best American Short Stories of 1999.  I've read a couple of the stories so far and have been enjoying them.

I'll have more to say next week on this.

Stories of Ordinary People Continued

Well, I finally finished Studs Terkel and found it to be a very interesting collection of interviews from a great variety of people, mostly from the Chicago area.

Meanwhile, I also read the latest Michael Connelly mystery, The Black Box, featuring his continuing detective character, Harry Bosch. It was quite good--had a nice twist at the end.

Now I'm reading another "T" book, the history of Troy, Maine, titled Troy, Past and Present: 1793, 1827-1977.  The book was written back in the 70s by two of the townspeople, Leola and Edith Mitchell, both school teachers. I have the fifth edition, printed in October 2001.  It's not great writing, but it's not bad writing, either, considering it was published by the town and has not been edited by a commercial publisher.  And because it concerns my ancestors and their neighbors, it's interesting to me.  There are numerous pictures, maps, and even some recipes from the old days. I'm enjoying it so far.

Next I may go to fiction, perhaps Jean Toomer or Ann Tyler.  I'll keep you informed.