Home Town, Tracy Kidder

I was asked to read Home Town and after the first couple of pages I realized I had read it before. It was good enough I decided to finish reading it the second time.
Kidder takes us to Northampton, MA, the kind of town that exerts a hold on long term residents as well as those who move there for some reason. There are probably quite a few such towns or cities which seem to pull people in and make it difficult for people to leave. Right now, I'm sitting in the my house, in a town where I never thought I would live after graduating from high school. After fifteen years on the east coast we moved back and now 21 years later here I am. And trust me, this little town has a fifth of the charm or culture of Northampton.
Kidder tells the story through several characters. Tommy, the hometown boy who grows up to be a cop and then decides to try and join the FBI. Judge Ryan, another hometown boy who becomes a DA, then a quirky judge. A successful businessman who struggles with mental illness, a non traditional college student, and an immigrant who makes a living dabbling in drugs and petty crimes. As he tells the story of Northampton through these people, Kidder weaves in the some of cities illustrious history. This includes references to Jonathon Edwards, Sojourner Truth, and Henry James. He also recounts the lynchings of two young Irish immigrants in 1805. Here he shows that the good old days weren't always so good. Bigotry, hatred, and prejudice have a long and cherished tradition in American history, and Kidder doesn't shy away from telling the story.
I enjoyed reading about Northampton and the cast of characters Kidder presents. They are the kinds of folks who populate many small cities and towns. Some will stay to carry on the traditions. Many will leave for the big city. Some of these will never look back, others will hope to return, but if and when they do, they will find their hometown has changed. If the town is to survive, new folks will arrive and they will bring new ideas and ways of doing things. A healthy city will incorporate the best of the new, creating a new place a new generation will refer to as their "hometown."