Post #106 May 20, 2025

 Quote for the day: "Mackinac Bridge paved a way into the rambunctious Northwoods, not into a polite little metropolitan park with a bowl of goldfish in the middle." William Ratigan. Straits of Mackinac. 1959.

Reviews

Dark Straits: Sudden Quiet: Book ll by Joshua Veith

It would be easy to label this second volume in the Sudden Quiet trilogy, and the trilogy itself, as dystopian. Yes, the world's population has nearly been wiped off the face of the earth by a virulent virous that destroyed civilization and left the few remaining survivors doing what humans do best, coming to blows. The survivors are divided into three main groups that were introduced in volume one. The Hidden have done just that. They have isolated themselves like the group on Michigan's Beaver Island and killed anyone trying to reach the island. The Spreaders are infected by the virous. It doesn't kill them it turns them into spreaders of the virous, and murderous killers set on conquering what's left of humanity. And then there's the Naturals who believe a strong bond with Mother Earth can save humanity and have developed exceptional abilities to prove it. 

In volume one a scouting party from Beaver Island explored the Charlevoix area and discovered a group of Naturals that are being hunted by Spreaders. The Beaver Islanders help the group escape their pursuers; then hijack the Beaver Island ferry and help the Naturals resettle on Beaver Island. In the second volume the Spreaders have regrouped and recruited fringe groups to join them in a campaign to subjugate the U.P. Various Natural groups including Indigenous Natives recruit the Beaver Islanders to join them in stopping the Spreaders at what will become the battle for the Mackinac Bridge. The above is only a broad outline of this unique novel that takes readers down odd, intriguing, and entertaining sub plots. A 60-page monologue by the ego crazed leader of the Spreaders was initially irritating but I slowly came to find the man's total repugnance and hugely overrated self-worth both somewhat amusing and all too real.

The author has a unique way with words. I was constantly wowed by sentence structure, choice of words, and pleasing turns of phrase like this comment on a Maple tree, "sweetening sunlight into sugar." If this is a dystopian novel it also leans heavily on mysticism, fantasy, science fiction, and a deep connection with nature in which trees communicate with each other and humans, and a few humans can mentally connect with animals. Whatever genre this book fits in just settle back and let the author take you into his world.

Dark Straits: Sudden Quiet Book ll by Joshua Veith. Mission Point Press, 2025, 450p., $18.95.

People of the Dune by Jim Olson

This novel impressed me as brilliantly conceived and executed. Simply put it is the story of either the destruction or saving of the fictional Voyager Point Dune that borders Lake Michigan just a few miles south of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The dune is owned by Mython World Mining Corp. who plan to mine the dune's sand which will virtually destroy it. Environmentalists, conservation groups, and various indigenous people try to halt the mining by protesting and camping on the dune claiming it is "historically and culturally unique." A hearing is held and Judge Odom Holmes rules in favor of Mython and allows mining to begin in three days. Then in the true heart of the book Judge Holmes questions his ruling. 

The above brief outline unfortunately fails to capture how all-consuming this book becomes within just a few pages. The novel opens with a history of the area handed down orally by the First Americans. There's a rhythm and cadence to their story with the words literally dancing off the paper. The following chapters contain minutes of a corporate board's meetings, the protesting groups notes on plans to counter mining, and the record of a well-argued court hearing and in which Judge Holmes' initial decision is to allow mining on the dune in three days. All of it makes for great reading and invariably raises serious questions in the reader's mind as well as more than a few grins sparked by the wry comments strewn throughout the pages. 

And then Judge Holmes awakens the night before mining is to begin haunted by whether or not his decision was legally sound and fair. The reader is party to the judge's anguished self-doubt as he goes over every aspect of his decision. I suspect readers will be drawn to read and reread this section of the book because of the shrewd and thoughtful questions raised about society and the quandaries inherent in laws and their effect on society. Prominent among the questions the judge wrestles with is whether nature is no longer nature but an economic resource with a price on it, and not only what is fair but has the word been redefined? The book is fun to read, strikingly original, drills deep into an important and timely issue, and it makes you think. What more could you ask of a book?

People of the Dune by Jim Olson. Mission Point Press, 2024, 184p., $14.95.

Rescuing Crash: The Good Dog by Sue Harrison

Eleven-year-old Britta is burdened by a back breaking load of sadness. Her mother, with no reason given, has simply walked away from her husband and daughter in Sault Ste Marie and headed for Detroit. Everyone in Britta's school knows it adding to her embarrassment and emotional distress. Her dad loves her but he's a bit of an absent-minded father who leaves most of the housework to his fifth-grade daughter and doesn't seem to be totally aware of Britta's shredded emotions. And he has forgotten Britta's birthday. When he becomes painfully aware of his mistake, he suggests Britta should get a dog for her birthday. Something she's always wanted.

They visit the county dog shelter where Britta picks out a puppy but then an Australian Shepherd catches her eye. The dog looks terribly sad. She's told the breed is extraordinarily loyal and his family had to give him up. Britta immediately feels a bond with this beautiful blue-eyed dog who was also abandoned and takes her home. Her name is Crash and it is appropriate. Crash and Britta slowly bond but the dog is always in trouble, upsetting neighbors, and likes to wander. Dad begins to consider returning Crash to the shelter.

Britta is a very likeable well-drawn character. The author does a fine job of capturing the ambience of the fifth-grade classroom and the word of kids on the brink of teendom. The novel is also very good at creating a believable feel of a father and daughter relationship finding its way through a stressful experience. The narrative is effortlessly readable and when Crash becomes seriously injured the pages fly by. The novel is meant for Middle School Grade readers, but anyone will be touched by the author's depiction of the power of a dog to bring people together, heal broken hearts, and the importance of unquestioning companionship.

Rescuing Crash: The Good Dog by Sue Harrison. Modern History Press, 2025, 146p., $18.95.

 

APRIL 22, 2025 POST #105

 Quote for the day: "I love the old State from a thousand human viewpoints...." Carl Sandburg. The famous poet moved to Berrien County in the 1920s.

Reviews

Forever in the Path: The Black Experience at Michigan State University by Pero G. Dagbovie

I wanted to make sure of the precise definition of the word, so I looked in it up in my American Heritage Dictionary and I quote, "2. Impressively large, sturdy, and enduring. 3. Of outstanding significance:" There's no doubt about "Forever in the Path" is monumental. And in size doesn't fall far short of being a monument. The book contains over 650 slightly oversized glossy pages and is printed in a somewhat smaller font. 

The author does a masterful job of covering both the historical and contemporary Black MSU student experience and the slow but constant institutional change to either meet their needs or meet their demands. Black enrollment at MSU markedly increased early in the 20th Century and the book leaves no doubt how important those early Black students benefited from their MSU education. But it wasn't until 1940 that freshman Franklyn Duff was told that there were no more rooms available in the campus' segregated rooms and he would have to live off campus. Duff was having none of it and eventually forced the college to end segregated housing. The book follows the careers of the first Black male cheerleader and Black football player plus many other Black firsts. The book also covers the addition of Black instructors, researchers and the first Black MSU President. 

This is a completely thorough coverage of all aspects of MSU's Black history, students, and its institutional change over the years. It is also very readable, and you can't open a chapter without being drawn into the history of MSU and the stories and accomplishments of their Black students and scholars. 

Forever in the Path: The Black Experience at Michigan State University by Pero G. Dagbovie. Michigan State University Press, 2025, 649p., $49.95.

Forging Identity: The Story of Carlos Neilbock's Detroit by Paul J. Draus and Carlos A. Neilbock

I must admit that until I picked up this book, I may have heard of Carlos Neilbock but I couldn't tell you anything about him. To quote the back cover he is an "architectural ornamental metal artist" and Detroit is his adopted home. He is quite a character, has lead Detroit in a new direction, and is committed to improving it.  It is a surprisingly interesting story.  

Neilbock was born in Germany a child of a German mother and an African American Airforce father. Catholic monks trained him to be a master metalworker and as a young man he came to America to find his father. From a worn envelope with an address on it he found his dad in Detroit. Nielbock has a knack for meeting people, finding odd metalwork jobs, and absorbing America's Black Culture. He became a dedicated Detroiter and by 1992 was restoring the Fox Theatre and soon became an artist with a plan and a passion dedicated to remaking his adopted hometown.

The book has only simple drawings of some of  Neilbock's work. The further you read in the book the more you're going to itch to Google his name and see his art. Neilbock is a fascinating character, and his story and future have become inseparable from that of Detroit's.

Forging Identity: The Story of Carios Neilbock's Detroit by Paul J. Draus with Carlos A. Neilbock. Michigan State University Press, 2025, 172p., $29.95.

Amorous Spotted Slug: and Other Short Stories by Larry Buege

This fine book of short stories ranges from the wonderful lunacy of the U. P's. Amorous Spotted Slugs, a night on a recon patrol in Vietnam, to a story with pictures entitled "Amateur Skunk Removal 101." The author has an easy-going writing style that leaves the reader with the impression that words simply flow from his pen, and whether the story is short or long it casts a spell. His humor leaves you with a grin and brightens your day while his serious stories strike you deep in the heart and stay with you for a while.

In " Song of Minnehaha" a man recalls his childhood and how a librarian served as a catalyst for a turning point in his life. It is simply written and beautifully told.  Several stories recount the arrival of the Amorous Spotted Slugs in the U.P. via a coconut shell because Noah somehow overlooked them when loading the ark. The slugs love pasties and Mackinac fudge and Yoopers are campaigning to have them recognized as the State Slug. Then there's the story of dull Bear Creek. It has never had a bank robbery or an alien abduction. Then again it doesn't have a bank, and an alien wouldn't be caught dead there. Several of the stories have the feel of being at least partially autobiographical. His poem recounting his searching the Vietnam Memorial for a man whose name he did not know and had only known for the briefest of encounters is immensely    powerful. 

On the back cover the author invites hesitant would-be readers who aren't sure the book is worth their "time or money" to email him, and he'll send you a free copy. He provides his email address. Buy the book. You won't be sorry.

Amorous Spotted Slug For State Slug: And Other Short Stores by Larry Buege. Gastropod Publishing, 2025,147p., $15.95.

Roy Reuther and the UAW: Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights by Alan Reuther

Unless you are fairly familiar with UAW history, I'm guessing you are unaware of the fact that Walter Reuther had two younger brothers who also played important roles in the founding of the UAW. The author of this illuminating biography of Walter's younger brother is the son of Roy Reuther and leaves no doubt as to his father's contribution to both the formation of the UAW and dedication to the Civil Rights Movement.

The Reuther brother's father presented his sons with an impressive example of community service and social consciousness. He worked tirelessly to ban children from working in West Virginia coal mines and always treated African Americans with fairness and respect. All three brothers were involved with the formation of the UAW and Roy was a leader of the Flint Sit-Down Strike. He later represented the UAW in Washington. Roy was also deeply involved in national politics and the Civil Rights Movement. 

The book captured my attention because while telling the life of his father the author also reaffirms an American hallmark. How a person and his or her fellow citizens who are unselfishly driven to improve and impower the lives of fellow Americans become important instruments of societal change. I expected a book written to honor his father with a heavy emphasis on the history of the UAW. Instead, this account of an individual's small or large part in bettering America made me feel good, and it gave me hope for the future. The latter is greatly appreciated.

Roy Reuther and the UAW:  Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights by Alan Reuther. Michigan State University Press, 2025,332p., $39.95.  

March 17. 2025 Post # 104

 Quote for the Day: "On the first day, according to a northern Michigan nightclub entertainer, the Lord created fudge. On the second day, He created northern Michigan so people could get to the fudge." Kay Severinsen. Michigan Living. August 1979.

Reviews

Bear County, Michigan: Stories by John Counts

Fictional Bear County, Michigan lies in the northern Lower Peninsula. In years past the young either grew up and moved away or found work in the area's only factory, where they made a living wage, and suffered a slow death working in a plant awash in toxins. When the plant closed it left a poisoned land, hard times, and little hope for a better life. This collection of stories dips into the lives of some of Bear County's extraordinary citizens, their desperate efforts to deal with the present or future, and their strange, surprising and often confounding results. 

In the "Bonecutters" Todd came from a family of Bonecutter troublemakers and losers that go back further than just his parents who got drunk in their ice shanty and drowned when it fell through the ice.  At the age of 19 he decides to follow his dreams and do something nice all of which in a convoluted way leads to a box of Kleenex. In "The Nudists" a daughter running for election visits her mother in a nudist camp hoping to convince her to leave before it sinks her campaign with totally unexpected results. Other stories involve a brotherhood of women, an oxy addict who goes to unusual extremes for a new prescription, and a group of young Native Americans who want their tribal land returned.

All of the short stories in this collection are striking unique and travel a narrative path that leaves the reader thinking it could only happen in Bear County. The stories are laced with absurdities, dark comedy, and a host of memorable characters.

Bear County, Michigan: Stories by John Counts. TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press, 2025, 220P., $24.00.

Five Seasons on Steel Decks (My Time Sailing on the Great Lakes Ore Freighters) by Andre Pichette

In 1989 the author, a native of Menominee, quit his low paying job with no future and with some luck and a lot of determination landed a job as a deckhand on a Great Lakes freighter. He sailed the Great Lakes for five years and rose from deckhand to watchman and ultimately wheelman. The author kept a diary filled with detailed notes on each of the three boats on which he sailed and recorded both the unusual and daily experiences of a working sailor. Inspired by the classic "Two Years Before the Mast" and urged by an author he dug out all his diary, notes, and photographs to write this detailed and informative account the life of a Great Lakes sailor.

The workday for a deckhand is supposedly from 8 am to 4:30 pm. The author quickly learned a deckhand's work hours was really dictated by their boat reaching or departed a port and the time spent loading and unloading cargo. He was told by an experienced crewman to "sleep fast." In his diary the author jotted down the date of departure and arrival at every port of call on every freighter he served. There was seldom more than a day or two between leaving one port with a load of stone, coal, sand, or ore pellets, delivering the cargo and departing that port with a new cargo. This meant there was seldom any regular working hours. Additionally, deckhands were responsible for regular maintenance duties including washing decks, repainting, and cleaning cargo holds. The author explains the job of the deckhand, watchman, and wheelman. He also describes the differing crew accommodations and food on the three boats he sailed. The first boat was steam driven and the second was diesel-powered by two 20-cylinder locomotive engines each boasting 36,000 hp. He sailed on one freighter so late in the season the crew had to chip ice off the boat because the ice bound boat drew too much water to pass through the Soo Locks. The book is also filled with Great Lake Sea stories he heard or experienced. But warns the reader "the difference between a 'Fairy Tale' and a 'Sea Story" is the former "begins with 'Once Upon a time and a Sea Story begins with 'Honest this is no s....."

The book is filled with photographs the author took during his five years of sailing and even more impressive are the links to a multitude of videos he took on board boats he crewed. After five years he quit sailing because it took him away much too long from family, friends, and any lasting relationship with a woman. This is a fine addition to the few books by Great Lakes sailors who shared their experiences working on the lakes. Looking back on his sailing career he writes, "I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I don't do it anymore."

Five Seasons on Steel Decks (My Time on the Great Lakes Ore Freighters) by Andre Pichette. Independently Published, 2024, 415p., $24.83.

 Post #103 February 26, 2025

Quote for the day; "Harper Woods is strictly for local residents who don't want a Detroit address. ... It has no history and no business section to speak of, just rows and rows of houses and a school or two and some trees to justify its name and more churches than you can shake a prayer book at." Loren Estleman. Every Brilliant Eye. 1986.

Reviews

Smoke in the Water by Loren Estleman

This is Estleman's 32nd mystery featuring Detroit's famous, fictional hard-boiled private eye Amos Walker. His first Amos Walker mystery, "Motor City Blue" was published 55 years ago. That's how long I and thousands more have been fans. In the past half century Estleman has won four Shamus Awards for Best Private Eye novel or story, and an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. And lastly, the Private Eye Writers of America has honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Frankly he is a Michigan literary treasure.

What first-time readers need to know is that Amos Walker mysteries may have been around since the 1980s but each new novel is fresh, timely, and thoroughly enjoyable. Amos's latest case is set in the summer when smoke from Canadian forest fires left a haze over Detroit and its citizens with a hacking cough.  As of this writing future Canadien smoke is free from import taxes. Walker has been hired by a lay firm to find and return a highly sensitive file taken home by an employee who has failed to return it. Probably because he is residing in the morgue after being caught in the path of a hit-and-run driver. The file is so sensitive the firm will not tell Walker what's in it, which of course makes it harder to track down. Walker quickly discovers more bodies are connected to the missing file.

Estleman writes as if he polishes each sentence with a shammy cloth and a dab of Minwax. Every Amos Walker novel delivers dialog sharp enough to shave with. And it wouldn't be an Amos Walker book without the author's satirical, humorous and, cutting observations of Detroit and its environs' contemporary social, political, and architectural world. In this novel he describes the terminals at Detroit Metro Airport as, "the least imaginative architecture this side of a Dollar General." Faithful readers over the course of 32 books have been treated to sharp, short, and funny digressions on an ever-changing Detroit from the Renaissance Towers to Casinos. All of this is wrapped around mystery novels that are as much a product of Detroit as Ford Motors.

Smoke on the Water by Loren D. Estleman. Tore Publishing Group, 2025,221p., $28.99.

The Caving Grounds by Kathleen M. Heideman

The history of Negaunee, Michigan, is a striking story of Michigan and the history of iron mining. Iron was discovered in the Negaunee area in 1844 and by the 1860s the town founded on iron ore was enjoying a mining boom. As many as 50 mines tunneled around and under the city. By 1927 when mining ceased the ground under the town was honeycombed by mines, some only 100 feet below the surface. The town even moved cemeteries to make room for additional shafts. As the mining came to an end the city began to literally sink into the earth. Homes, stores, neighborhoods and even cattle disappeared into ever expanding sinkholes. Cemeteries again were moved so the deceased didn't end up shafted and resting more than six feet deep. In the 1960s the earth had stopped swallowing the town of which half of it had been moved.

As a Michigan history buff, I had never run across this amazing story. It struck me as both strange and noteworthy that, to my knowledge and research, this is the first book devoted to the Negaunee story, and it is a book of poetry. But I'm quick to add this book is filled with poetry likes of which I've never read whether in form, format, gut reaction, or collective emotional impact.  I don't know if it's poetry but there it is on page 4 a work entitled "PREFACTORY QUIZ TO HELP READERS TO GAUGE THE DEPTHS OF THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING." What follows are 22 sentences about Negaunee with blank spaces that readers are asked to "Kindly fill each void with an answer:" The answers are upside down at the bottom of the page.

The book ends with two simply incredible pieces. I'm seriously tempted to quote the entire "CERTIFICATE OF CAVING GROUND & MINE RESCUE" but it's just too long. And then there's "AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM CONCERNING MINING." that describes how members of an audience are picked to represent and experience being a mine shaft. The piece ends with "The leader tells the children to join hands now, teaches them to sing, "There's a Treasure in the Ground, Dig it Out, Dig it Out! There's a Treasure in the Ground -- Dig it Out! They repeat it, jumping up and down in their seats, coughing and stomping their feet while we, a mining machine made of fathers and mothers and children --- Dig it Out, Dig it Out -- go on shoveling and grinding and sweating, shuddering and blasting and suffering. Dig it Out! -- not sure how we got into this or how we make it stop."

In between these two pieces are a hundred pages of unique, incredible, brilliant, harrowing, sad, funny, informative, and powerfully moving poems.

The Caving Grounds by Kathleen M. Heideman. Modern History Press, 2025, 109p., $19.95.

Lake Superior in the Moonlight: Yooper Tales by Sharon Brunner

This always entertaining book is an introduction to the everyday life of Native Yoopers whether it's gathering chock cherries, wild onions, and bear garlic to compliment a couple of fresh caught fish, or the local Christmas tradition "Da Shooting of the Tree." And just to be sure the reader knows exactly who she's writing about the author explains how Honorary Yoopers, Yooper wanna-bees, and Part-time Yoopers are distinctly different from Native Yoopers. 

These short stories are full of U.P charm like the time Gertrude walked up to a man, took his hand and as she led him on to the dance floor said," I've been pining for you since I saw you take first place during dat outhouse race last fall." The reader discovers that Old Milwaukee is the Yoopers' beer of choice and that a souped-up engine is not a guarantee for winning the rototiller race. The most startling news is there may be an FBI Post hidden in back of the Mystery Spot in St. Ignace tasked with stopping illegal pasties being smuggled into the U.P. from the lower peninsula.

This book is as much fun as the U.P. Spring Fling which the scheduled events one finds "Wood Chopping/ Hauling/ Stacking, Building your Dream Outhouse, and Sucker Fishorama." Each chapter begins with a wise, funny, quote and do not overlook the four appendices at the back of the book. They range from the "Yooper Creation Story" to the not to be missed "Bread is it Safe?" of which the first of a dozen hard cold facts is, "More than 98percent of convicted felons are bread eaters." Have a handkerchief handy when reading this book because you are likely going to laugh so hard you'll cry. 

Lake Superior in the Moonlight: Yooper Tales by Sharon Brunner. Freedom Eagles Press, 2024, 174p., $14.99.

February 4, 2025 Post # 102

 

Quote for the Day: (Seney, Michigan) "Into its brief fifteen years of existence it compressed a hundred years' sin and hellraising." John Martin describing the town as it was in the 1890s. Call it North Country. 1944.

News

Beginning with the next posting of Michigan in Books the blog will be published on an irregular basis. It is anticipated postings will vary from a couple of weeks to more than a month. The change is due to the singular fact that this reviewer, editor, and publisher is of an age to be done with self-imposed deadlines. It has been recommended that this blog have an email address so publishers and independent authors can inquire about sending unsolicited books for review or to make sure their book meets the requirements for reviewing in Michigan in Books. The email address can be found by going to the top left-hand corner of the blog and clicking on about me/contact me.

REVIEWS

Warriors for Liberty: William Dollarson & Michigan's Civil War African Americans by Jack Dempsey

This third book by the Michigan Civil War Association is a much-needed contribution to the history of Michigan African Americans' service and sacrifice in the Civil War. The book is a veritable treasure-trove of information, stories, and numerous first-person accounts by Michigan African Americans and their experiences from fleeing slavery to fighting to abolish it. 

The book covers a lot of ground from the state of African Americans in Michigan from when it became a state to the post-Civil War era and the slow recognition of their contribution in the war. The chapter on the Michigan Underground Railroad is a great introduction to its story and left this reader wanting to look for more on the subject. Of particular interest is the man named in the book's subtitle. Who was William Dollarson? He was an escaped slave who made it to Michigan, became a well-known Detroit chef, and was a major figure in Michigan's Underground Railroad. With the outbreak of the Civil War the 1st Michigan Regiment was formed and the Regiment's commander asked Dollarson to be the cook for his staff. 

The book also covers the1863 Detroit Riots that targeted Blacks. The chapter is particularly moving because it is filled with victims of the riot telling of being beaten, felled by thrown stones or bricks, and barely surviving being burned alive when rioters set their homes or businesses on fire. Readers will also find a brief history of the 1st Michigan Colored Regiment formed in August 1863. The regiment spent nineteen months in the field and suffered 10 percent fatalities. Not to be overlooked are the 40 pages of appendices filled with an abundance historical notes and highlights of African Americans in the Civil War including "The Most Recent Black Civil War Soldier to be Awarded the Medal of Honor." This fascinating and important book is obviously based on an enormous amount of research which is reflected in a 20-page bibliography.

Warriors for Liberty: William Dollarson & Michigan's Civil War African Americans by Jack Dempsey. Mission Point Press, 2025, 258p., $25.95.

Piracy on the Great Lakes: True Tales of Freshwater Pirates by Mikel B. Classen

This slim volume contains a wealth of information on a subject that seems as reluctant to reveal its history as the historical pirates of the Great Lakes who guarded their anonymity. Classen's research and history of piracy on the Great Lakes begins with the Fur Trade in the 1700s and closes with the death of the last known Great Lakes pirate in 1949. The author defines piracy as "attacking, robbing, and hijacking on the water." 

In the 1700s a large commercial canoe could carry a load of furs worth several thousand dollars. It made them a tempting target for those who preferred taking furs by robbery rather than the hard, wet, and cold work of trapping and skinning the animals for the fur. I'll bet most readers have never heard of Lumber Piracy. But it became so prolific the federal government had gunboats built to stop the pirates.  There is also a chapter on King James Jesse Strange. The Mormon leader probably took no part in actual piracy but encouraged his Beaver Island followers to take anything they needed from Gentiles on the island or mainland and also included attacking shipping. Classen includes a chapter that contains welcome new information on Michigan's legendary pirate Dan Seavey. He is probably the only man ever charged with piracy on the Great Lakes and after his conviction was hired as a U.S. Marshall.

The book is filled with photographs and illustrations that complement the narrative. Classen has written a fine survey of pirating on the Great Lakes and even readers with some knowledge of the subject will be find it worth their time.

Piracy on the Great Lakes: True Tales of Freshwater Pirates by Mikel B. Classen. Modern History Press, 2025, 62p., $15.95.

Secret Michigan: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Amy Piper

My hat's off to Amy Piper. I have spent more than half a life traveling across our state, writing about it, and in the past few years reviewing numerous Michigan travel guides. This guide is by far one of the most entertaining and unusual. Where else would one find a guide to The Moist Towelette Museum that features moist towelettes from around the world. The museum is housed in a MSU employee's office. Or there's Joe's Gizzard City restaurant in Potterville, Michigan that features deep fried chicken gizzards. The whole town embraces gizzards and hosts an annual Gizzard Fest that attracts 100,000+ annually. If you don't fancy gizzard's why not try the Triple D Burger. It's a cheeseburger with pickles, onions, and tomato weighing in at 1/3 of a pound. The bun and all is dipped in a secret batter and deep fried. For anyone out there who is politically minded you can become mayor of Hell, Michigan for one day. The campaign will cost you one hundred dollars which is considerably cheaper than the cost of  countless other political offices.  

The book also tempts travelers with a winery featuring live outdoor jazz concerts, and stunning views of Traverse Bay. Then there's the magic capitol of the world, a death museum, and a state park  devoted to the state's only known 1,500 year-old art work and symbols carved or etched in stone at the Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park. The author has also included the more well know and famous tourist destinations. The only two glaring omissions are Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Museum. Two pages are devoted to sites and contain photographs, a well-written compact description, and a boxed section devoted to What, Where, Cost, & Pro Tip. 

This is an unique guide to both the unusual and well-know tourist attractions across our state. I found that reading the book and discovering one-of-a-kind and often strange attractions was almost as much fun as going there. Especially when it comes to gizzards. The author must have had a ball researching and writing this guide.

Secret Michigan: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Amy Piper. Reedy Press, 2024, 182p., $27pb.

Michigan Railway Company: The Northern and Southern Divisions by Norman L. Krentel

I doubt there are many citizens of this state who ever heard of the the Michigan Railway Company (also confusingly known or called Michigan United Railway Company or MUR). The company's roots go back the era when horse-drawn passenger cars on rails served as public transportation in Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Detroit and many other larger Michigan cities. The horses gave way to electric powered rail cars in the mid 1880s. By the 1890s the development of the electric rail cars were connecting neighboring cities and further expansion united more towns and spawned companies to run them. 

The Michigan Railway Company was founded in 1906 to run one line and within a few years owned and leased enough lines and equipment to create a virtual web of electrical railway lines connecting the bottom half of the lower peninsula. This definitive history of Michigan Railway Company details the history and growth of electric railways in the state and the fast growth and economic importance to Michigan in spite of its short history. The railway was of  major importance to the early development of the automobile, then contributed to its downfall. The railway, in general, was an important contributor to the state's economic growth in the early 1900s before turning all its assets over to Michigan Electric in 1924 which in turn ceased operations in 1929. 

The author became interested in Michigan electric railways as a child through his father's fascination with them. At thirteen the author began researching Michigan's electric railways with the help of his mother. She drove him down to the State Journal where he combed through the paper's microfilm. It was the beginning of a lifetime of research, including the restoration of a electric railcar that had been turned into a cabin. The book is a testament to that research and will stand as the comprehensive work on the subject.

Michigan Railway Company: The Northern and Southern Divisions by Norman L. Krentel. Michigan State University Press, 2025, 264p., $69.95.

January 7, 2025 Post #101

 

Quote for the day: "To the average visitor, the Irish Hills are 3.2 miles of gently rolling tourist traps, unspoiled by nature."  Neal Rubin. Detroit Free Press Magazine. October 4, 1992.

Reviews

The Real Two Hearted River: Life, Love, and Lore Along Michigan's Most Iconic River by Bob Otwell.

Hemingway made the river famous when he wrote a short story about trout fishing on the Fox River and choose to set the story in and entitled it after a river to the north of the Fox.  The short story made the Two Hearted River famous but there's no doubt it would have become famous in its own right. Otwell writes the river has the distinction of being "one of the most undammed, untrammeled, undeveloped, unpopulated rivers in the U.S Great Lakes watershed. In 1973 the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommended it be designated a "Wilderness River." In 1980 the National Park Service considered it for designation for a proposed "Wild River National Park."

The author, a hydrologist and environmental scientist, and his wife were interested in buying a cabin in the Two Hearted area and in 1991 were lucky to buy a camp (Yooper for cabin) on the river with two wooded acres surrounded by a state forest. Lake Superior was only a mile hike to the North. In the following thirty-plus years the author fully embraced and studied every aspect of the 180 square miles of the Two Hearted River's watershed and this book is the fruit of his studies. He explains the unique waterflow of the river that services as a compact class on hydrology. The book covers the geological history beginning with the ice age and human history with the arrival of the indigenous people. The flora and fauna are also covered. Readers will find chapters on access to the area and and the few hunting and fishing clubs within the area. 

The author does not neglect covering in detail the family's enjoyment and adventures over the years. They visited the camp in all four seasons, skiing to cabin in the winter. They biked, hiked, canoed, beachcombed on Superior but probably most enjoyed just spending time at the camp. There is no cell phone service or TV reception so the family, which included three daughters, treasured the solitude, and entertaining themselves. The cabin on the Two Hearted simplified and enriched their lives. The is a unique book and my overriding reaction to it is envy. 

The Real Two Hearted: Life, Love, and Lore Along Michigan's Iconic River by Bob Otwell. Mission Point Press, 2024, 180p., $16.95.

The Gift Horse: A Kate Wilde U.P. Mystery by Terri Martin

I've read six pervious books by Terri Martin and enjoyed every one of them. Whether short stories or a mystery novel all of the previous books were billed as humorous. All delivered laughs and grins enough to make my cheeks hurt. This book is a bit of a departure for Martin. She has dropped the comic characters and their laughable antics for well-drawn multi-dimensional characters dealing with a baffling murder mystery on their recently inherited land.

Kat Wilde is in her twenties, went to college, became a grant writer only to discover it was not her calling. She returned home to live in her parents basement and work parttime in her father's accounting firm. Kat was worried about her rudderless future when her uncle died leaving her dad the sole inheritor of a long abandoned riding stable. Her father made Kat a co-owner and was given the job of getting the stable up and running. Great news until a murdered woman was found in the barn, and a homeless man toke up residence in the stable's campground and refused to leave. His refusal proved irrelevant when he turned up dead. Oh, and there's the possibility someone else may lay claim the stable.

The investigation into the identity of the murdered woman and who killed her, as well as determining if the death of the homeless man was also a homicide moves forward slowly. In the first half of the novel Kat's struggles to get the stable up and running and her  blossoming  romance with a DNR conservation officer takes center stage. Little headway is being made in the murder investigation. The tight lipped Michigan State Police have taken over the case and the local sheriff keeps the family informed of their progress or lack of. Unexpectedly the major break in the case comes from the family's accounting business. Kate is a delightful character with a fine sense of humor and the minor characters are not merely cardboard cutouts. The U.P. is also a nicely drawn character that contributes to the pleasure of  reading what I hope is the first of "A Kate Wilde U.P. Mystery" series.

Gift Horse: A Kate Wilde U.P. Mystery by Terri Martin. Modern History Press, 2024, 245p., $24.95pb.

1 of 1Muscle Cars: Stories of Detroit's Rarest Iron by Wes Eisenschenk

If you're a muscle car owner, a fan, simply interested in automotive history, or rare cars this one-of-a-kind book will capture your attention. In the introduction the author explains his definition of 1 of 1 rarity and how he divides the cars into three groups. The section on Prototypes and Special Factory Built includes cars that were built as design models for potential  production, as a test models, or built on the whim of a corporate bigwig. Factory Production are models a customer could have walked into a dealership and ordered. But it's what components the customer orders that make it unique. The last section focuses on the the Super-Car Tuners and Builders. 

The author has great stories to tell about many of the cars.  In 1968 only 518 Ford Shelby Cobra convertibles were built. Among the 1968 Mustang paint choices was Royal Maroon but it was not a Ford Shelby paint choice. Carroll Shelby asked a plant supervisor if he would paint a Shelby Cobra Royal Maroon and got a no. So he went all the way to Henry Ford II and asked him to approve the special paint job. Ford asked Shelby if he was aware of how much it would cost to stop production to paint one car. Shelby asked if Ford knew what a divorce would cost him. Shelby got his paint job. It was going to be his wife's car and she wanted it to match her favorite nail-polish. And then there's the story of 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II Hemi Four-Door. Arne Berner was the Finnish importer of Plymouth and Chryslers. He also loved fast cars. When a friend led him drive his car, a 1966 Plymouth Satellite with 383 horses under the hood he loved it. Then he was told the company had even a more powerful engine, a 426 Hemi. He ordered the Belvedere model, a four-door family car, with a 426 Hemi. It tore up Finnish highways and more than  once Berner buried the speedometer that only went up to 125 mph. The third owner of the car carried illegal booze in the car's trunk and on several occasions out ran the cops. The last latest owner is conducting a full-blown restoration. 

The book also details each of the car's features and equipment from engines, transmissions, suspensions, and paint jobs to mention only a few. Great cars, great stories, and great color photographs on every page.

1 of 1 Muscle Cars: Stories of Detroit's Rarest Iron by Wes Eisenschenk. Car Tech, 2023, 239p., $29.95.

 Post # 100  December

Quote of the day: "Michiganians seem to have an almost mystical feeling about water and the north woods -- that dark, mysterious, wonderful land that lies north of Clare." Martha Bigelow. Michigan: A State in the Vanguard," in Heartland by James Madison.1988.

Author's Note

In the past year readership has approach nearly a 1,000 page-views on a couple of months and regularly drew seven to eight hundred readers a month. The number of page-views a month was very gratifying. I had never looked at a breakdown of the readership available via the platform on which the blog is run. But the readership numbers sparked my curiosity and led to a stunning discovering. Michigan readership was steady at three to four hundred a month but three hundred plus readers could regularly be divided between Hong Kong and Singapore. Some months Hong Kong readers alone out numbered Michigan readers. I was also surprised to find that in the past year the blog was read in more than thirty countries. I am at a loss to explain or understand the foreign interest. In the last couple of months while foreign page-views continued to rise, Michigan readership began to fall. This past month the blog drew 280 readers from the Netherlands while Michigan drew 189. If this trend continues Michigan in Books will fold. I can't ask authors and publishers for review copies when the review will reach less than 200 Michigan readers.  And I would welcome any opinions on why this blog attracts so many foreign readers.  

I have enough review copies on hand for at least two more postings. The decision to continue Michigan in Books will depend on the number of Michigan readers in what maybe the last couple of posts.

 Reviews

The Ghosts of Detroit by Donald Levin

One of my favorite genres is historical fiction. I'm drawn to it because I am fascinated by everyday life in the past, whether recent or ancient. I find that really good historical fiction can often do a better job of immersing the reader in the life, times, and everyday society of the past than non fiction and tell a great story at the same time. Two of the best examples of this are Ken  Follet's book "The Pillars of the Earth" and succeeding books in that series. The second example is Donald Levin's novels that vividly depict everyday life, culture, and the major issues faced by Detroiters at major turning points in the city's recent history. Levin's novels not only capture the city's culture and society with fascinating clarity and detail he is also a natural born storyteller.

His latest novel is set in 1950s Detroit and is experienced by four major characters. Jake Lieberman is a Jewish WWII veteran who lives with the horror he saw in the Nazi death camps while he experiences the prejudice at home of being a Jew. And it appears he will never outlive the taint imposed on him by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Anna Miller works three jobs to stay financially afloat while trying to make something of her photographic talent and overcome being a victim of abuse. Malone Coleman, another would be artist, was fired as a custodian because he once belonged to the National Negro Labor Council and is determined to discover who and why that person went out of their way to denounce him. Bridget McManus is a war widow and female Detroit police officer. Detroit female cops at that time were not allowed to make arrests or investigate crimes unless accompanied by a male officer. Yet, she is determined to hunt down a serial child killer.

It is through these characters that readers are immersed in the major issues facing Detroiters in the '50s. The country's Automobile Capitol is starting to leak jobs as the automobile industry begins to move plants out of Michigan. As ghettoes are replaced by expressways and African Americans try to move into white neighborhoods they are met with hatred and violence. McCarthyism flourishes in Detroit and in league with bigotry ruins lives and emboldens persecution. The author does a great job of totally involving the reader in the daily hurdles the characters must clear to grasp a share of the land of the free and the home of the brave.  The novel builds to a moving, surprising, yet a completely believable conclusion that effects all four characters. I have totally lost myself in every book in this series.  Previous volumes are "The Arsenal of Deceit" and "Savage City." Do yourself a favor and crack the cover of one of the above.

The Ghosts of Detroit by Donald Levin. Poison Toe Press, 2024, 322p., $22.95.

Letters Home: A Memoir of Michigan's "Up North" Country by Tom Leonard

In 1965 two teenage best friends came up with the crazy idea of riding their bicycles from Wacosta, Michigan, a small-town northwest of Lansing, 800 miles north to Marquette in the U.P. I don't know which I find more surprising, that the boys made the trip on their bicycles, or their parents allowed them to go. This was before cell phones, todays many long-range bicycle trails, and little interest or popularity in cross-country bicycling. Most state highway shoulders were gravel or so broken and patched they were unrideable. So the boys rode on the edge of the pavement as cars and trucks whizzed by little more than a foot or two away. They often edged further out on the pavement and had cars honk at them to move over. Did fifteen-year-olds or their parents understand the danger. I don't know but suspect that the boys, like all teenagers, felt they were immortal.

Enough with my initial reaction to this absorbing tale of an incredible accomplishment by two young men and their adventure of a lifetime. The author of the book was allowed to go with the understanding that he would write and mail his parents a letter everyday without fail. Even after 60 years much of the trip must still bring back vivid memories but the author also had the daily letters he sent home to refer to. The author admits the day they left home both boys felt they were "delusional" to think they could make it to Marquette and the whole idea was "absurd." Yet they pedaled on because they "would rather have died rather than admit defeat so soon."

The author captures the adventure of the open road and details the surprises, challenges, and people they meet each day. They spend a night in jail when they couldn't find a room which proved to be a whole lot more comfortable than the $2 a night motel room they spent a night in that was a "rat-invested hole." They got preached to by an old lady who sold them each a glass of cherry juice for 5-cents and days later are treated to a tidal wave of creative and constant profanity from a bicycle shop owner as he repaired one of their bikes. The observations and deeply felt reactions of the two teens as they experience the wonder of Michigan, and the character of its people is evident on nearly every page. Readers can't help but find themselves riding along with the boys on their great adventure.

Letters Home: A Memoir of Michigan's "Up North" Country by Tom Leonard. Privately Published, 2024, 112p., $14.95.

Memories of a Mackinac Island Native: Life on the Island from the 1940s to the 2020s by Tom Chambers

In the very first sentence the author writes he "will not attempt to cover a detailed Mackinac Island history." By the end of the book, I wish he had covered more history and less personal memories than included listing every bicycle he ever owned, the musical albums he collected, listing the names of fellow students in the various schools he attended, or recalling every member of the rock and roll band he played in. On the other hand his descriptions of how the island's Main Street changed over the years is fascinating. Where once a dentist's office and three drug stores could be found on Main Street at the turn of the 20th Century they gave way to high quality gift shops and galleries. By mid century ticky-tacky souvenir and fudge shops lined Main Street. His detailed recording and history of the development of the ferry service to the island and the names and descriptions of the many ferries that plied the waters of straits I found very interesting.

I would like to know how typical his life is compared to other natives of the island. From a young age he seems to have led the life of a vagabond. He attended schools in St. Ignace, the northern lower peninsula, Florida, and various grades in the Mackinac Island school system. He transferred back to the Mackinac Island high school late in his senior year because he wanted to graduate on the island. For many years, as an adult, he worked on the island during the summer and spent the winters working in Florida. The author has lived on the island year-round since 1982. His first job as a teenager on the island was running the ancient projector in a movie theater. In the following years he found work as a cook, bartender, maker of judge, and a painter that also closed cottages for the winter and opened them in the spring. He also worked as a street sweeper because it was the best government paid job on the island at $5.50 an hour. I would have liked to know if  that was the job title for the workers who I saw on every visit to the island sweeping up horse apples.

In the acknowledgements preceding the 1st chapter the author states that he struggled "with how  much should be history, and how much autobiography." He then goes on to write "if a chapter isn't your cup of tea ...... simply skip it." Readers will skip very few chapters.

Memoirs of A Mackinac Native: Life in the Island from 1940s to 2020s by Tom Chambers. Modern History Press, 2024, 136p., $17.95.