Maple Ridge Memories: Short Stories About Growing Up on a Small Farm in a Michigan Upper Peninsula Finnish Community By: Alan Niemela This book portrays the coming of age of a young boy on a small farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Featuring colorful characters from the authors rural Finnish community, this book recounts the fascinating, moving, and humorous tales of his boyhood. Author Alan Niemela knows that a story not told will be lost. So, he was inspired to write this book as a legacy for his grandchildren, though Maple Ridge Memories has something to offer any reader.