The Michigan Roll (and other books)

It was 1988 and we were on vacation, probably still in Chicago. It was the year of the torrential rains and we got out of the city just before the flooding. I always thought it was cool that we just got out of Chicago in the "nick of time."

I've always liked books. We were at a bookstore in a mall and I bought a book called Michigan Roll by Michigan author Tom Kakonis. He wrote several books, a couple under a different name, Adam Barrow. I used to buy his books as they came out — and it was often hard to find them! Usually, I had to order them.

He was a professor at Ferris State University, and during my early days as an English major at Central Michigan University, I wrote him a letter, and he replied. We went back and forth a couple times, with him sharing writing tips and advice with me.

He faded away after writing his second "Barrow" book. You can read about it here. Apparently, the publishing industry is a tough one, especially when you're from the midwest. His writing is easy to read, and suspenseful. He does a nice job of getting the reader into the material, and aware of the characters.