Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod

This book surpassed my expectations. I was ready for a nice, casual read about Mod’s “walks” (more like days- or weeks-long backpacking trips through rural areas) and some interesting perspective about Japan. But beneath all the walking was a memoir about Mod’s younger years in a worn-down small town, about the ways a lack of social support can pull you under like it did his childhood best friend, about how it doesn’t have to be that way. Things Become Other Things was calming, relaxing, sometimes heavy, and ultimately quite thought-provoking.

How do we create the kind of social environment that Mod describes Japan as having, one where people can be poor or lonely without becoming angry and violent? (Is Japan really so free of the societal problems that plague the U.S.? It’s hard to believe that things are as rosy as Mod makes them out to be, but I trust him that they’re at least better.)

How do we do it locally, knowing that government-funded support, to which Mod gives lots of credit for Japan’s better standing, is unlikely to come any time soon? (And how much of a role does government aid really play? I’m sure it’s part of the puzzle, but I suspect that there’s a cultural aspect in the mix as well. Maybe the aid fosters the right culture?)

Mod seems to have been saved by having a few people – a mother and grandparents – who consistently cared and who made sure he had a path out of the town. How can we ensure everyone has someone in their corner, someone pulling for them like Mod’s family did for him?

Lots of interesting (and important) questions.

The book is interspersed with a bunch of nice photos as well; I wish I had the fine art edition so that I could see them in color. (I read the significantly cheaper Random House edition with its black-and-white photos.) Color or not, each photo made me pause. It was nice to slow down a bit every few pages.

(Aside: Referring to Craig by his last name feels funny since I first started reading his writing on his website. I typically think about web authors by first name, but I have a history of using last names for book authors on this site so I’m sticking to it!)