Being in the center of the Midwest, Fargo isn’t always the center of attention, besides of course, from the movie and television show. And while most Fargo residents probably don’t mind being under the radar, we all know that this specific representation, while very fun and ironic, isn’t the most accurate. What you may not know however, is that Fargo has some literary representation too! From Marc de Celle, author of How Fargo of You, is the book: Close Encounters of the Fargo Kind, a collection of funny and lighthearted true tales of Mid-Western kindness and behavior. Today we are going to preview this light and fun read, and share an excerpt right from the source!

Find Close Encounters of the Fargo Kind here!

How Fargo of You, his previous book, follows de Celle, who recalls experiences and interactions after moving to Fargo. This however, is a collection of stories from a variety of Fargo natives, visitors, as well as a few more from de Celle, that illustrate Fargo’s impact and nature. The book is broken into four sections: Anonymous Kindness, The Fargo Way, Zero Degrees of Separation, and True Fargo Crime.­, each filled with loads of stories pertaining to a certain theme or idea. Hear a multitude of different perspectives, all displaying the same love for this place, and all tied together by de Celle’s stories and narration. Here is an excerpt from the book that gives a good idea of how he feels:

“You want to do well? Do good. You want something? Give the other guy something better. You want people to trust you with their money? Trust them with your life. Soon, winter will come, and then the floods, and you’ll be trusting total strangers with your life and property and the survival of the entire community anyway. Besides, helping others often helps you more. That’s The Fargo Way…”

Whether you’re a Fargo native or new to the community, Close Encounters of the Fargo Kind reminds us of everything we love about this city and how we often work past the things that we could go without (winter, floods, etc.). With different perspectives, this book allows us to see Fargo through new eyes, and remember how lucky we are to live in such a magical place.