A Must Read for any Akronite!

I have been reading David Giffels' book All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House over the last few weeks. I wanted to blog about it from the beginning because I found it to be marvelous. I waited because I wanted to be done with it and have some time to reflect. I still think it is marvelous.

This book is a must read for those of us who have grown up in the Akron area. It reminds us why we decided to stay here when opportunities for wealth and fame could have certainly came easier just about any other place.

Not to give too much away but this book chronicles the journey David and his family went on to make a run-down (I use this term but any number of words that go along with condemned would be appropriate) house into a home, while he is trying to make sense of this wild idea of growing up and becoming responsible for people other than himself.

David uses humor brilliantly and little Akronisms that made me wonder if every city has these little things that only those of us born here understand. Akron has wonderful surprises for those who look for them. Akron also has some of the greatest people and is a good place to raise a family.

From a personal perspective, I loved this book not only for its connection to Akron but for my own fascination with the old homes in the West Akron/Highland Square area. Each of these houses has a story from the time when Akron was booming. This town had money. Along this line, and from a writing perspective, David does a great job making his house not just the setting for the majority of the book but also a character. The house is alive with its own story. The bits and pieces that we find out about the house are enough for us to learn its story but not too much as to make us think we are intruding. The house still has secrets.

David is real in this book. He is honest. He touches on the thoughts and feelings that those of us trying to manage a career and be "good" parents (whatever that means) have everyday. Being a person who is also a bit OCD when it comes to project, I total got it and let me just say that no project I have ever entertained was the difference between my son having squirrels above his head or not.

All I can say is that if you love Akron, or if you are looking for a reason to love Akron, David's book is a must read. The pictures alone are amazing, but the writing is equally so.