Matthew T. Galik

Full disclosure: I'm dating the author of this book, so my review will likely be slightly biased. Deal with it.

It's actually quite odd reading a book by someone you know in real life. My uncle wrote a book, and though I have a copy, I've never read it. So this is my first time.

This book is part of Arcadia Press's Images of America series, which showcases pictorial histories of various towns and institutions. This being the case, the book is mainly comprised of photos with two- to three-sentence captions and chapter introductions.

First off, I liked the book, and genuinely so, not just because I know the writer. The pictures are great. True, I'm no native to the town of Mokena, but I've spent enough time there to be able to attach the photos to my own mental map of the area. Not to mention, some of the pictures are just plain fun. There was one that made me spring from the kitchen table where I was reading and show my dad the expression on some woman's face (which differed greatly from the smiles on the faces of the others in the photo).

The author's writing style is quite different from his speaking style. This is probably true of most writers, but as stated, I don't know them. Though there are some traces of the Matt I'm more familiar with. For instance, rather than state that Person A was standing next to his horse, as many authors would, Galik calls it Person A's equine companion, injecting a bit of his fanciful humor into the caption. Another trace of Matt-I-Know is in the sense that people today 'just don't know' about the past, which subtly pervades much of the book, not to mention many of our conversations.

This book engaged me enough that it sent me to the internet to do a little extra research on my own on more than one occasion. I'd never heard of Whippet autos before I read this--turns out they're pretty nifty-looking. I also admit to spending nearly fifteen minutes online trying to learn if Richard Hatch of Battlestar Galactica fame was in any way related to Wilbur Hatch of Mokena, who conducted the Desi Arnaz Orchestra on I Love Lucy. Answer: No.

I confess to merely skimming the names listed in group photographs--it's not as though any of them are familiar anyway. :) I love the fact that in one such group photo where the names were known, but not the faces to which they belonged, Galik chose to list them, not alphabetically, but more whimsically "in no particular order."

Look, if you dig old photos you'll probably enjoy this book even if you aren't at all familiar with the town. (My father is a case in point.) If you are from Mokena or have become familiar with it later in life as I have, you will enjoy reading this. Good times.

I can't help but think I may be quizzed on the book sometime. I wouldn't put it past him.… (altro)