BUFFALO SOUL LIFTERS: A HOMESPUN COLLECTION OF INSPIRATIONAL STORIES, by Frank Thomas Croisdale. Western New York Wares Inc., Buffalo. 144 pages, paper. $12.95.
Let's get the full disclosure stuff out of the way right off the bat.
Frank Croisdale's a pal of mine. Although he doesn't drink, we've frittered away numerous afternoons at the Press Box or Cocktail Bob's, talking about politics, writing, the newspaper business and the many misfortunes that have befallen Western New York in general and, particularly, our beloved Niagara Falls.
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In this, his first book, Frank writes some kind things about me in the introduction.
That being said, I don't think any of it disqualifies me from reviewing "Buffalo Soul Lifters." Because, as it happens, I became a fan of Frank's writing prior to meeting him.
Back in October 2000, just a few months after we launched the Reporter, I received a fax. We were still trying to figure out what direction the paper should take, and were getting quite a number of unsolicited submissions from people aspiring to write. Some of them were bloody awful.
In fact, the volume of submissions and their general awfulness led me pretty much to stop reading them altogether. I can't recall why I picked up that fax and read it, but I'm glad I did. It was the story of a young man running into an elderly acquaintance feeding the squirrels in the park at Prospect Point. About 1,000 words long, the piece was fully formed, a picture in words with dialogue that rang true. The guy could write. I'd never heard of Croisdale before, but I called the number on the fax and set up a meeting.
I was somewhat taken aback when he told me that, while he'd always enjoyed writing, he hadn't been published before. But the piece was so good, and Frank himself seemed so focused on what he wanted to accomplish with his writing, I asked him to join our merry band.
I haven't regretted it one day since.
"Buffalo Soul Lifters" is a heartwarming collection of 33 inspirational stories dealing with Western New Yorkers who have risen above adversity or gone beyond any reasonable call of duty to help their fellow man.
Some of the stories -- such as that of young Roger Woodward's plunge over the falls -- are familiar, but many are less so. There's the story of former Niagara Falls Fire Chief Rick Shiah, who, while vacationing in Ontario, risked his own life to save a family trapped in a burning automobile. And that of Marcus Brown, the Jewish merchant who braved an 1882 blizzard to save a Catholic institution, Niagara University, from foreclosure.
The research is meticulous, and many of the stories provide the reader with a great perspective on what does and does not constitute a "problem."
As regular readers of Croisdale's column might guess, the writing is superb throughout. His choice of subject matter, the often humorous and sometimes miraculous occurrences that transform the everyday world into something far more special, is uniquely suited to the author's temperament and style.
"Maybe it's the bad economy or the long, cold winters, or possibly even the Super Bowl losses and Johnny Carson's decades-old shots at us during his nightly monologue," Croisdale writes. "Whatever the reasons, we have become a community of caring folks that take care of one another."
With four years of newspaper columns and a book to his credit, Croisdale has quickly emerged as an important voice in the small but vibrant Western New York literary scene. And the odds are that the best is yet to come for this young talent.
Congratulations, Frank.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Sept. 28 2004 |