The Radical Act of Community Storytelling is everything it claims in the title. It is the story of a radical step of faith taken by Penelope Starr to open her life by bringing community storytelling to her community. It is the story of voices that often go unheard having the opportunity to speak and be heard. And it is about community building from start to finish ... including everything any radical would need to start a community storytelling organization in any community.
—Adam Hostetter, Adult literacy educator, writer, and community storytelling producer

Written in the style of a man who knows James Michener (1907-1997) well, The Road to Mariontown is meticulously researched, engaging and entertaining. The book presents a richly detailed history of Osceola County and early Michigan. This long-view history of Osceola County, Michigan, focuses on geologic history, native cultures, exploration by European and American Whites, Entrepreneurial development, governmental formation, railroad-building, and a rich social history. Lithen’s history—twelve years in the research and writing—is a labor of love unparalleled in writing of the area; taking the reader on a journey through time that concludes with with the devastating village of Marion fire of 1904.