In The Thick of Thin, Larry Smith writes of a life full of personal challenges, a life full of consistent engagement with the larger world, and a life full of commitment to making it a better place�as a husband, father, writer, editor. Smith has worn a lot of hats, and he�s worn them well. His story here has the emotional resonance of all of his writing. Much of his life�s work has been focused on making the point that working-class lives like his in communities like his are important to our culture and history, and he makes that point more strongly than ever in telling of his own in this memoir. --Jim Daniels, author of Street Caligraphy