A part of Belt's City Anthology Series. "These pieces . . . stand as
proof of the determination and optimism of a city that just won't
quit."
A collection of essays and personal narratives, Happy Anyway: A Flint
Anthology captures a confounding, contradictory city, proving that
Flint is far more than just an industrial town picking itself up after a
big company has moved out or the site of a devastating public health
crisis. The stories collected here delve into the actual lives taking
place within the city―the crime, joblessness, homelessness, and
hopelessness, but also the happiness and resilience. They are about who
is able to truly lay claim to being "from Flint" and what it means to
finally leave―or to stay, even when bikes, jewelry, or love continually
disappear. From both established and new writers, you'll find stories
here that include:
- Home ownership in Mott Park during the 2008 housing crisis
- The history and mysteries of Glenwood Cemetery
- What the Flint water crisis means for parents trying to raise young
children.
Edited by Scott Atkinson, a former reporter for The Flint Journal, the
24 essays collected here shed new light on a city that has perpetually
been defined by outsiders. As Atkinson notes, "These are stories from
the middle. They are stories of triumph not because anything has been
won, but because they are stories of Flint's continued fight."
A candid, unflinching look inside a city whose history tells a truly
American story.
