The Luna Light Gang

The Great Depression is usually depicted in literature as a period of bitter struggle. George Nilsen's novel, The Luna Light Gang, presents the effects of the Depression on a small town on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a serious, clear-eyed approach that nonetheless speaks more to the virtues of community than the ravages of poverty. The novel s central character, Aslak Bergland, a non-drinker himself, and his friends become moonshiners, providing corn liquor to the community and ready cash to the members of The Luna Light Gang. The novel documents the evils, not of alcohol, but of alcohol abuse. The Luna Light Gang does not oppose drinking, it opposes irresponsible drinking. Nilsen s portrayal of the largely Scandinavian population of Bergland is sympathetic, frequently humorous, and always informative. Themes of tragedy, love, redemption, vengeance, and brotherhood are woven through the novel. On a smaller scale, the reader learns details of life in the small northern town, from the fine points of sheep farming to the intricacies of making moonshine, and gains an understanding that the community s true fuels were coffee and gossip. The true hero of The Luna Light Gang is the spirit of community. Nothing in the story, from the moonshining operation to the eventual downfall of the corrupt federal agent, to the successes of local farmers and businessmen, happens without the involvement of friends and neighbors.