Chicago magazine has an excerpt from author Edward McClelland's new book, Nothin' but Blue Skies, about the lives and deaths of Rust Belt cities. In 2006, Gapers Block published a series of 10 excerpts from McClellands book The Third Coast, which chronicled his travels around the Great Lakes.

Read them in order:
1. Sheboygan & Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
2. Marquette, Michigan
3. Mackinac Island, Michigan
4. Grand Marais, Minnesota
5. Pays Plat First Nations Reserve, Ontario, Canada
6. Isle Royale, Michigan
7. Rogers City, Michigan
8. Toronto, Canada
9. Hamilton, Ontario
10. Hamburg, New York