A MESS O' MIDWEST READING - 1 of 6

Midwest Reading

 

I’ve been trying to develop my knowledge of the Midwest and trying to capture the different categories of my reading on the topic. 

1. Midwest in general 

2. a. Ohio history (my home state)

    b. Ohio memoir 

3. Michigan (my paternal state)

4. Great Lakes

5. Leelenau County, Michigan 

6. Native Americans 

 

I've written blogs on several of these topics before but adding to them here with more books read.

 

Here's the first of six posts on the different areas. 

Midwest Generally

How to Speak Midwestern (Edward McClelland, 2016)

A light-hearted linguistic study of Midwestern speech patterns, accents, and vocabulary. McClelland explains how regional dialects—from Chicago to the Great Lakes to the Plains—developed, while also examining the cultural identity reflected in Midwestern speech.

Land of Promise (Walter Havighurst, 1946)

A sweeping narrative history of the Midwest, started from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, focusing on its settlement, agricultural development, and cultural growth. Havighurst highlights how immigrants, pioneers, and industrialization shaped the Midwest into America’s “heartland of promise.”

Out of the Midwest: A Collection of Present-Day Writing (John T. Frederick, ed., 1944)

An anthology showcasing essays, stories, and reflections from the Midland, a magazine that introduced Midwestern writers of the early 20th century. The collection emphasizes regional identity, everyday life, and the interplay between tradition and modern change in the Midwest.

 Main-Travelled Roads (Hamlin Garland , 1891) A short story collection showing the hardships of Midwestern farm life. Garland portrays both the physical challenges and emotional toll of rural poverty, pioneering realism in American literature.

Midwest Futures (Phil Christman, 2020)

A reflective essay collection on the 21st century idea of the Midwest—its myths, stereotypes, and realities. Christman takes a critical eye of the region’s future against its past, weaving history, memoir, and cultural criticism into a meditation on Midwestern identity.

From Warm Center to Ragged Edge: The Erosion of Midwestern Literary and Historical Regionalism, 1920–1965 (Jon K. Lauck, 2017)

Lauck analyzes how Midwestern regional literature and historical writing flourished in the early 20th century but declined by the mid-century. He explores how more recent intellectual, cultural, and political shifts led to the weakening of a distinct Midwestern identity.

The Good Country: A History of the American Midwest, 1800–1900 (Jon K. Lauck, 2022)

A scholarly but accessible history of the Midwest in the 19th century. Lauck challenges dismissals of the region as dull, showing it as a vibrant, innovative place central to debates on democracy, religion, reform, and cultural development.

The Heartland (Walter Havighurst, 1962)

A cultural and historical portrait of the Midwest that highlights its landscapes, people, and traditions. Havighurst presents the region as both ordinary and extraordinary, emphasizing its role in shaping the national character.