Connecting with Literature

There are just some people, places, things, and events that hold no interest for me. For example, I saw pictures of the Grand Canyon growing up, but I wasn't really interested in finding out more about it or going to see it. Then the summer before I moved to California there was a book of historical fiction on the popular book rack at our store. It was called Grand Canyon. Lacking anything better to do while working, I read it. I liked the book so much that suddenly the Grand Canyon was interesting. On my way to California, I made sure to stop at the Grand Canyon. Suddenly the places and thing that I had read about in the book had meaning and interest.

Inversely, a connection with a person, place, or thing that is the subject of a book can add meaning to the piece of literature. I frequently look to find connections to the literature that I read and also seek out literature based on a personal connection with the subject. This is also helpful when finding material for my daughter to read.

A sometimes overlooked piece of local literature, that everyone here should be able to connect with, is Little Mossback Amelia. We have 2 copies available in the library. Amelia came to the Petoskey area as a child around 1879. Her family homesteaded just outside of town. What is a short drive out of town today took the family 2 days of walking to reach.

This book can be found in the children’s section of the library, but is a book that Michiganders of any age can connect with. You can even take a drive by the family homestead and imagine what it would have been like. There is a map in the front of the book.

You can also connect with the author, Frances Margaret Fox. Frances is a local author who wrote over 50 books and was the author of the original Little Bear series. Anyone who has spent time in Mackinaw City should be familiar with her little stone house on the lake that is not too far from the bridge, Happy Landings.

Happy Landing Now and Then

External Links:
CMU Michigan in letters:Frances Margaret Fox