Thinking about Ohio’s place in national elections, it’s easy to remember that in a normal year we would probably be deluged by campaign stops from candidates on both sides of the aisle. Ohio has a long history as a battleground state, an idea explored in Barnstorming Ohio: To Understand America, the new book by Akron Author David Giffels. Released in August of 2020, the book examines the cultural and political uniqueness of Ohio as a meeting point, a transitional place; “sublimely average,” he writes, “an intersection of lifestyles and economies, of geographical characteristics and political tendencies, of climates, of conscience, of concerns, a place with answers to the most important question: Who are we?”
Giffels explores the intersections, transitions, and contradictions as only a native son could, crisscrossing the state through empty shopping malls, corn and soybean farms, high school football games, and rock clubs, highlighting everyday people and local celebrities. He holds a special place for the iconoclastic – Ohio characters like the late Youngstown congressman Jim Traficant and rock legend Robert Pollard of Dayton’s Guided by Voices – and the metaphorical, local sweet corn and beer standing in for changes in the region’s agriculture and industry.
Ohio is a place that is both idealized and marginalized in popular culture, and Giffels does a brilliant job of capturing both ideas without condescending. If you’re looking for a detailed history, this is not it – nor, frankly, does it address the impact of black Ohioans, whose stories are essential to understanding the political tides in this state. But like much of the non-fiction on the market these days it’s sentimental in places, but the nostalgia functions at a personal level rather than romanticizing some long lost golden past. But it is the personal connection to the subject that lets Giffels illuminate an Ohio that is more than a bellwether.
If you are interested in purchasing the book, you can order your book at Mac’s Backs. Enter the coupon code TEACHCLE (all caps) and receive a 10% discount. Order here!
Giffels joined us for our Virtual Learning Lab on November 11, 2020. You can watch the recording of that event here and use code w7?q^2V. to access the video.
