If You Love Baltimore, It Will Love You Back: 171 Short, But True Stories

by Ron Cassie

Baltimore senior editor Ron Cassie has garnered national awards for his coverage of the death of Freddie Gray, sea-level rise on the Eastern Shore, and the opioid epidemic in Hagerstown. This collection of short stories, culled from a decade spent roaming around Charm City with a notebook in his back pocket, is different, however. They are of the kind of wide-ranging city writing and literary journalism that speaks directly to the fabric of a place. There are encounters with former Rep. Elijah Cummings, former Senator Barbara Mikulski, and Orioles Hall-of-Famer Jim Palmer. But more often, these stories revolve around people few Baltimoreans have heard of--a blind police detective, old Jewish boxers, a flower shop owner, the city native who created the statue of Billie Holiday in Upton. Each story makes the picture of Baltimore and its work-a-day inhabitants--gritty, resilient, quirky--clearer and more complex at the same time.

Genres: Short Stories

406 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2020

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting quirky book. It’s fun when you can relate to lots of the settings, and even know some of the people. Quite surprised to turn the page and find a story about my high school and the yearly highest attended girls’ basketball game. Even more surprised to find my high school mentioned a second time in the short story about Barbara Mikulski. Interesting read!

[Spencer Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. Wonderful collection of vignettes from all over town, and from people of all walks of life. Laughed, cried, and frequently shook my head throughout. If you've lived here for a while, you're sure to recognize at least a few of the characters, too.

[George Kasnic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A far reaching collection covering everyday people, and local luminaries in the Baltimore metro area. The writing is good, not gripping. The vignettes are articles from Baltimore Magazine over decades. Some have been shortened, and in a few - but enough to notice - the article references someone who you do not know, obviously the paragraph introducing them having been edited out.

A worthwhile historic read about the folks of Baltimore.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read!!!!!! Being from Baltimore Maryland I was familiar with most of the places and people that the book entails. Loved reading the stories of the people and places some people long ago and others during my growing up years. If you are from Baltimore truly a must read!!!!! Or people curious about Baltimore they will feel at home reading the stories from this book.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series of short tales about Baltimore and its traditions, customs, and some colorful people. there are some truly wonderful stories, and others are very interesting. I enjoyed paging through this and learning about some things and sites that I didn't know. The majority of the stories are only 2-3 pages long and you can pick this up and read it as you have time.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was like reading the first chapters of great books, but then the stories just end.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for book club.

A lot of stories that really give you a feel for the breadth of experiences in Baltimore. Many made me feel emotional.