Camden, Maine: Down East Books, 2005
336 pp, paperback, $16.95
Legitimate!
This book, although written by a woman from away, is legitimate!
A lot of folks have written about these islands. Some of them flew through for a taste then took their romantic notions to some mainland hideaway and cranked out a book full of naïve generalities. Others developed a relationship with an island character, assimilated his or her shortsighted generalizations and churned out an equally shallow account. An occasional islander, having assimilated a comfortable generality or two, has written a book describing life in the archipelago, often a narrow view.
The common current among these is the overuse and reliance upon generalization, which is the death knell for legitimacy, particularly if describing these islands, and us who live here. Of course, that’s a generalization in itself but that’s OK. Authors can be generalized about. Islands and islanders cannot.
I’ve lived on this island nearly sixty years and yet I learned a great deal about my own circumstances and those of my fellow islanders from this book, an interesting, informative and entertaining read.
Phil Crossman lives and writes on Vinalhaven.