The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-The-Queen Monarchists of the Gr

I really enjoyed The Third Coast. I grew up in Michigan just south of Lansing and went to grad school in Chicago, falling in love with sound of Lake Michigan crashing against the shore while I was there. My friends and I would always joke that we had more in common with the Canadians than other parts of the US and now I know why. Third Coasters have a unique culture ground out by the waves of the Great Lakes. Anybody interested in learning more about our culture, whether you're from the area or curious from afar, should read this book.

Do not read this book if you are expecting glossy photos, printed on glossy paper, depicting glossy photo ops of landscape, featuring glossy people and all this bundled up into glossy words. Do read this book if you dare to take a fascinating journey into a familiar yet strangely unfamiliar parallel universe not of the rich or famous but nevertheless of lives well lived. The paper is thin, the photos are black and white and grainy but the people you will meet are beyond the boundaries of glossy tourism. Starting with Chicago, McLelland eschews its famous architecture and its famous celebrities. Instead, he writes about its East Side where you meet the Great Lakes freighter Neva Trader, its Russian captain Oleg Mitirevs and Latvian seaman Fjodorov Jurigis ( known as Yuri to his shipmates ). With wit and humour McLelland describes Yuri's shopping expedition where he buys gifts for those at home. In a few deft strokes and with lively dialogue, we learn about Yuri's family in Latvia, about life on a Great Lakes freighter and about the perks of life as a seaman. Growing up in Windsor where the freighters on the Detroit River feel close enough to touch, my speculations of where they came from or where they were going were never addressed as vividly as now. Yuri feels like an old friend thanks to McLelland. Moving to Milwaukee, we meet eighty year old Marcy Skoronski, owner of the Holler House tavern on Milwaukee's south side. This tavern houses two active 1908 bowling alleys in the basement. Now there's a slice of forgotten history. She too comes to life with her statement, "I gotta sit down, 'cause I got a hangover." And this is just the beginning of a journey around the Great Lakes from Lake Superior to Lake Ontario. The Third Coast is addictive. One reads it with the same ardour as the reading of a page-turner detective novel. Finishing it is like leaving behind an old friend. You will miss the gutsy characters who people it, McLelland's witty observations of different jobs, homes and lives, the culture of each area whether American or Canadian. The best part is that once you finish pg.338, you can start all over again because this book deserves more than one reading.

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.

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!

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.