Edmund Love

A couple of years ago, the UM Alumni Association profiled UM alum and acclaimed author Edmund G. Love. Admittedly, I'd never heard of the man. But, the profile was interesting, as was the description of one of his books that they highlighted: Hanging On, Or How to Get Through a Depression and Enjoy Life. This book is a case-in-point for why one should "never judge a book by its cover." Despite all appearances, this book is nothing at all to do with psychology; it is, rather, a memoir of Love's time as a Wolverine during the Great Depression. I loved this book. I loved it to the point that I set out in search of other books Love had written and struck gold with The Situation in Flushing. This latter book is another memoir, this one focused on his childhood in the small town of Flushing, Michigan. In Situation, Love brings alive the little Flushing of his youth, telling tale after tale of adventure and occasionally. His prose is such that you feel you are not reading a book, but that he is speaking to you; I was reminded of the stories my great-grandfather used to tell of his own adventures in another small Michigan town during the same period (1910s and early 20s). Although Love was best known for Subways are for Sleeping, I prefer Hanging On... and Situation, both of which are humorous, nostalgic and, frankly, quite lovely.