Award-winning author and journalist David Giffels explores the meaning of identity and place, hamburgers, hard work, and basketball in this collection of wry, irreverent essays reflecting on the many aspects of Midwestern culture and life from an insiders perspective.In The Hard Way on Purpose, David Giffels takes us on an insiders journey through the wreckage and resurgence of Americas Rust Belt. A native who never knew the good times, yet never abandoned his hometown of Akron, Giffels plumbs the touchstones and idiosyncrasies of a region where industry has fallen, bowling is a legitimate profession, bizarre weather is the norm, rock n roll is desperate, thrift store culture thrives, and sports is heartbreak. Intelligent, humorous, and warm, Giffelss linked essays are about coming of age in the Midwest and about the stubborn, optimistic, and resourceful people who prevail there.