Tracy Kidder and small city America
On January fourth of this year I took out a book from Sarasota’s fabulous Selby Library . It was written by Tracy Kidder. It’s called “Strength in what remains” . I found it to be a powerful and moving story of DeoGracias, a young man from Burundi. DeoGracias (yes, that’s his name) survived the ghastly civil war/genocide in his homeland, and against all odds he made a new life in these United States. Tracy Kidder is a good writer. He tells the story of DeoGracias with clarity and objective sympathy. I enjoyed Kidder’s writing so much that I sought out another of his titles when I was back at the library. I chose “Home Town” (published by Washington Square Press in 2000). It’s a marvelous account of life in Northampton, MA - a town which I know well. To quote from the dust jacket: “ A host of real people are alive in these pages: a tycoon with a crippling ailment; a criminal whom the place has beguiled; a genial and merciful judge; a single...