Let Us Build Us a City: Eleven Lost Towns

by Donald Harington

This work brilliantly fuses travel narrative with history and cultural studies—yet reads like a novel. It’s also a love story that is in no way fictional. A fan letter to the author from a woman named Kim starts a correspondence which details research she’s conducting in one-horse towns throughout Arkansas.In the years of rural decline many of these towns dwindled to church, post office, general store, gas station, and a few rundown houses—but every house has a porch, every porch a rocker, and every rocker an old man or woman with a story.Kim and Don agree to collaborate on a book—this one—creating a unique and enchanting work about towns that will never again be their old selves and towns that never fulfilled the brave dreams of their founders. And at the end of the adventure the author and Kim meet, having learned something of expectation and hope—and love. With photos and maps.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, American, American History

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Donald Douglas Harington was an American author. All but the first of his novels either take place in or have an important connection to "Stay More," a fictional Ozark Mountains town based somewhat on Drakes Creek, Arkansas, where Harington spent summers as a child.

Harington was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He lost nearly all of his hearing at age 12 due to meningitis. This did not prevent him from picking up and remembering the vocabulary and modes of expression among the Ozark denizens, nor in conducting his teaching career as an adult.

Though he intended to be a novelist from a very early age, his course of study and his teaching career were in art and art history. He taught art history in New York, New England, and South Dakota before returning to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, his alma mater, where he taught for 22 years before his retirement on 1 May 2008.

Harington is acclaimed as one of America's greatest writers of fiction, if not one of its best known. Entertainment Weekly called him "America's greatest unknown writer." The novelist and critic Fred Chappell said of him "Donald Harington isn't an unknown writer. He's an undiscovered continent." Novelist James Sallis, writing in the Boston Globe: "Harington's books are of a piece -- the quirkiest, most original body of work in contemporary U.S. letters."

Harington died of pneumonia, after a long illness, in Springdale on 7 November 2009.

Harington's novels are available from The Toby Press in a uniform edition, with cover illustrations by Wendell Minor. Since his death, The Toby Press has made available the entire set of Harington novels as The Complete Novels of Donald Harington.

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dream sequence chapter about The Sultana will stay with me till the day I die.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In springtime yellow is the first to appear: jonquils and daffodils, crocuses and yellow tulips, forsythia and dandelion. Yellow is the easiest of all colors to detect from afar, and these early buds get the bee: the wakening worker bee herself, dressed in yellow pinafore, spots the yellow pollen and carries out the symbiotic flower-bee sex stroke, getting ad giving, and going home to the hive with yellow buskins to make nectar into honey (yellow) and wax (yellow) and to feed the yellow queen.
One of the only colors of late evening and darkening night is yellow: the lighting bug's light. The peep of dawn is yellow, and so are the peeping canary, the goldfinch, and the school bus. Yellow says 'It's coming!' Yellow warns that the red light is coming, the school bus is coming, spring is coming. Yellow in the rainbow says fair weather is coming. Yellow is the middle, central color band of the rainbow's colors. Yellow is a coming color.
(Parenthesis: yellow is not only the color of the first light of sunrise, but also the color of dusk. One of the loveliest words of English, from Old English, is 'gloaming,' which comes from the same root, ghel, as yellow, and means literally, 'yellowtime." 'Daybreak' is another lovely word, and a yellow one. As a word, 'corn' looks like corn, and is yellow, like corn on the cob, and produces an abundance of good yellow things: bourbon whiskey, cornbread, cereal, syrup, tamales and tacos, cob pipes and feed for hogs and chickens, waffles with yellow butter, salad oil and cornstarch. Many edibles are yellow: squash, lemons, grapefruit, bananas...
According to Jungian psychology, among the various functions of the mind, yellow represents the function of intuition, the function that grasps as in a flash of illumination the origins and tendencies of happenings, hence also the intellect and magnanimity - Apollonian qualities, not by coincidence. Yellow is bright but also dignified and serene. This book is the story of communities that aspired to dignity and achieves serenity; this this digression on the color yellow is necessary if prolix. It is leading up to something, or someone."

[Constantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the book...by happenstance..I read the last 75 pages or so at the Anaheim Disneyland... like adding gasoline to the slow fires of Nostalgia, especially, if like myself you are wandering the bypaths of City Disney built in a third manifestation of your being (I went as child with my folks, as a father with my sons, and this trip ...with my sons and grandsons....in a way...a ghostly experience as the magical kingdom re-ignites the unobtainable quest for a never ending never/never land experience of eternal bliss and dream realization that only a wide-eyed child can be excused for indulging in ....uh, sorry about this digression....D-land can wreck havoc on your psyche, especially if you are as susceptible and prone to the dead end lure of Nostalgia ...as I am).
With this rambling proviso, I admit that my 5 stars might be biased...but the book is,to my way of thinking, much more than a nostalgic trip through Arkansas ghost towns written for anyone from that neck of the good ol' Us of A (although it is, in part, exactly that), much more than a way into the psyche of wanderlust, greed, and future tense dreaming/scheming that drove Americans to open up,"civilize", railroad-ize, post-office-ize, and sanctify our country ...a "western" movement that was writ in part across Arkansas when it was truly "the west" (although it is, in part, exactly that), much more than a quirky, autobiographical love story (although it is, in part, exactly that), much more than an, at times, dazzlingly written prose poem and paean (Harrington can really write!!!!) to life and death, the human comedy, the human tragedy, all metaphorically expressed as though each of us is,in our own way,.......is a ghost town in the making...undergoing an inevitable passage from birth, growth, to an apex of fruition, then a descent to decay, slow death and a slower disappearance into the deep -as -time waters of oblivion (although it is, in part, exactly that),and much more than an exploration of the process of human aging (although it is, in part, exactly that)
I might ad that a lit scholar in need of a dissertation topic could probably make a case for the parallels and affinities of Harrington's prose/poem and photo journal with James Agee's masterwork "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men"...(although it is, mostly, NOT exactly that)!!!!!!
I will admit, this book was not a fast read....but I did truly savor it a page at a time,...especially the Eleventh city...wherein the Why of Y is addressed poetically, and lingers mysteriously.

[Taylor Olmstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long and meandering in the best possible way. Harrington’s unique prose babbles like a brook running through one of the lost cities he documents. Some diversions are less interesting than others, but the overall work is stunning.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this book, not because it wasn't interesting, but because I just needed time to process and get through it. It was originally published in 1987 and it took a little while to recognize that there is a lack of technology as Kim travels through lost cities in Arkansas that signaled this book was written before GPS and cell phones. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though there was something sad about these cities that aspired to be cities, but never quite got there, or some that were cities but declined over time. It was a reminder that things change and while we can look back at the way things used to be, time marches on, and some things don't survive the march of time.

[Sherry-Tucker Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago—maybe in the 80s? My “people” are from southern Arkansas so I grew up in the 60s and 70s traveling from Dallas to Crossett AR (near Star City BTW) on MANY road trips. I loved this book when I read it, and was reminded of it today as I am driving once again to visit family in Conway
AR. The book captures the uniqueness of this state in such an authentic way, unlike most books/movies, etc., can’t seem to do. Anyway—nostalgia brought me back to this book 35-40 years later. It speaks to the quality of the author’s writing.

[Tom Leland · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 out of 10. This is as close to the kind of book I would most enjoy writing as any book I'll ever read. I didn't care much about the "City" aspect of it -- the aspirations that led founders to use the word "City" in the name, and I had little interest in the deadness of the towns. But stories like these help us appreciate all that came before us, wherever we live. I would love to write about small American towns in general, in much the same way as the author did. However, I would say each town's story should've been about 1/3 shorter.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An odd book that I found surprisingly entertaining and full of peculiar stories. Harington is a novelist so I was confused at first whether this was also fiction. I found the Sultana explosion and the earthquake especially interesting. I would love to hear of these places being revisited now, over forty years later; have they all disappeared? I would also like to know what the weed referred to as "Wakefield crud" is.

[Oconnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This humble yet brilliant story about Arkansas predates Wal-Mart and Bill Clinton. It is a captivating glimpse of a slow life. I bought it at the library book sale and could not believe how much I enjoyed the read. Now I want to find Harrington's other books. The writing style turns ordinary things like a dirt road or a shed into something magical.

[Suzan Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at least once every five years. Love it.

[J.S. Bratton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovestory built upon entropy.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have been 6-8 lost towns.

[Jo Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I ALWAYS finish books, even if I don't love 'em...but, although I really liked this book, I only read 1/2 of it because I was only interested in 5 of the 11 cities Harington wrote about because I only knew the locales of 5, mostly in the Northwest or Northern parts of Arkansas....Sulphur City, Cherokee City, Marble City, Buffalo City, Cane City. Harington writes about "cities" founded in Arkansas in more prosperous times, about the residents, stories about why the cities once held such allure but didn't live up to the high expectations of their histories. In some ways, it's a sad tale, but I really loved Harington's humor, and I appreciate all the research he and his wife Kim, did for the book.
Special note to Lisa W: One of these cities, Marble City, became Dogpatch, where you went as a child.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book (and author) by accident while at a Twilight party with my fourteen year-old daughter at Barnes and Nobles. I sat down with it and was immediately drawn into the style and lyricism of the book. It didn't hurt that I live in the Ozarks, and possibly very near where Donald Harington spent his summers growing up.

I don't remember a book that left me feeling so good after finishing than this one. I was completely satisfied with the book, yet wanting to read more.

So I discovered the "undiscovered continent" that Donald Harington has been called. I've since read several of his "Stay More" books, and also Some Other Place ... all thoroughly enjoyable, but I must say that this book - Let Us Build Us A City ... - is a true gem.

[Koit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most exquisite books I have read in a long time; the style of the writing makes this a novel as much as it is a travelogue or biography ["This book is the story of communities that aspired to dignity and achived serenity."] - and it is true that the people who do not read prologues, epilogue and acknowledgments will have missed out in this book.

Beyond the numerous quote-worthy descriptions of dreams and hope (crumbled into the Ozark dust, and left behind as progress went by), this book also excels as a promotion for Arkansas.

I would most definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a journey - in time, in space, and in the lives of people. "Be sure to ask each person, 'Did you have any hopes or dreams that never came true?'"

[Luke Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an explorer of America's blasted small towns and forgotten hamlets, this book spoke directly to my soul. And it's not just an exploration of the towns - it's also a semi-fictionalized account of how Harington met his wife, which is a tale worth reading unto itself.

When I finished the book I set out to meet the author, since we're both Arkansans. What I was dismayed to find was that he had died during the time I spent reading it. I wrote a letter to his wife expressing my thoughts about the book, her, and her husband.

A year later I got a letter in the mail from her, expressing her thanks. Perhaps one of the best experiences in my life as a reader.

[Jason Nadal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book, though for some reason this one took forever to read. The language is a bit over-flowery at times (used the kindle dictionary more than usual with this one, and encountered lots of "archaic" words). The concept itself was interesting... the exploration of abandoned / almost-dead towns in a remote place (Arkansas)... the interesting parts were in the character (real) studies of historical people -- characters -- who shaped the place to become what it was at it's peak, and then in what caused the downfall.

[David Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A uniquely prosaic historic account of "cities" that were never cities or were barely really cities throughout Arkansas. Rambling and almost random-seeming but full of interesting local history and stories. This book is really unlike anything you're ever likely to read. It is probably my second favorite Harington book after the Architecture of the Ozarks (a Novel). This is not a novel but reads like one.

[Jason Reeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, odd book about small towns in Arkansas that once had illusions of becoming great cities. This is full of small town histories that will warm your heart, make you smile, and surprise you. Don't complain that there is nothing but the usual cookie-cutter books out there to read. Pick this up and read it. It might just make you look around your own town and make you want to start getting to know the older people living in it.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

a neat concept for both a love story and history of small (very very small to zero pop.) towns in ark. you can tell where this superlative novelist gets or got his ideas for his "Stay More" saga(s). a mostly oral history project of the movers and shakers of 1886 (there abouts) arkansawyers.

[John Senner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange book - part fact, part fiction. Eleven real places in Arkansas that are "Cities" in name but not in population. History, stories, diversions, as a researcher for the author travels in a giant circle around Arkansas. Quite similar to Kerrigan's Copenhagen, which I read last year.

[Steve Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving, lyrical, historical, entertaining, and engaging. An authentic literary voice telling untold stories. Enjoyed it more than I expected to.

[Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned (just didn't find it that interesting). Perhaps if I knew the area Harington was writing about, things would be different.

[Scott Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone and everyone from Arkansas or the South can and should read this book ... If you liked "Blue Highways," consider this book a Southern-fried soul brother of that tome ...