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.