April 29, 2024
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LocalLit book preview: ‘Barns of Will County’ by Kevin McNulty Sr.

Will County barns ‘have deep character and tell a story’

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Kevin McNulty St. spent the pandemic year driving every road in Will County, photographing every barn he saw. Then he selected 235 images, arranged them into seasons and published this book.

Kevin McNulty St. spent the pandemic year driving every road in Will County, photographing every barn he saw. Then he selected 235 images, arranged them into seasons and published this book. (photo provided)

Like many people in 2020, Kevin McNulty Sr. of Mattseson stayed home most of the time.

So to pass the time, he decided to drive every road in Will County and photograph its barns. Then McNulty took 235 of those 5,000 exposures, organized them by seaons and then published them in a photo book called “Barns of Will County.”

I’ll be reviewing this book on Tuesday in the LocalLit newsletter. If you’re not already receiving this free newsletter, sign up at shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/newsletter/#//.

Here is its Amazon description: “The year 2020 will always be remembered for the COVID-19 virus. It changed the activities of the entire planet. In the United States, millions were kept from jobs, schools, stores, festivals, places of worship, and family gatherings. When it hit, many people worked from home or stayed home to avoid any possibility of catching the air-born disease.

“Kevin McNulty, Sr. began driving the roads of Will County, Illinois, taking pictures of farms and the rural landscape. Much of this southern region of Chicago, has given way to suburban sprawl. Land developers and the rise of corporate farming have changed Will County from its origins.

“While Its northern townships are filled in with suburban living and the western edge of Joliet still teams with industrial and logistics activity, the southern region, which begins a few miles south of Interstate 80, still looks like Will County once did. But there are signs.

“Aside the many fields of corn, wheat, and beans one observes signs put there by land developers, eager to sell acres of land. But family farms can be found. And the pride of the earth-bound inhabitants of rural Will County can be easily found. Take a one-year journey through rural Will County and discover the beauty that still exists just beyond Chicago’s suburban sprawl.”

I’ll let you know Tuesday what I think.

Know more about LocalLit

Each week LocalLit will deliver an original short and family-friendly story (or a book review) by a local author to the newsletter’s subscribers.

Authors with a connection to our readership area may submit. Submission does not guarantee acceptance.

Contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.