Library Collections
Michigan Notable Books - 2012
The Library of Michigan recognizes 20 books, each year, that highlight Michigan people, places, and events. The list includes the following books available at the Baldwin Public Library:
| Elly Peterson: 'Mother' of the Moderates (Sara Fitzgerald) - BIO PETERSON: Michigan native Sara Fitzgerald writes about a different era of the Republican Party in Michigan. Elly Peterson's story is a missing chapter in the political history of Michigan, as well as the United States. This new biography gives full credit to one of the first female political leaders in this country. A biography of a woman who helped throw open the doors to broader participation and power for women in the Republican Party and American politics. Check Availability | |
| Everyday Klansfolk: White Protestant Life and the KKK in 1920s Michigan (Craig Fox) 332.4209 FOX: Protestant Life and the KKK in 1920s Michigan by Craig Fox (Michigan State University Press) Shedding light on this unsettling chapter in Michigan's history, Fox explores the origins of the organization's strong influence and popularity throughout the state during the 1920s, and demonstrates that their membership was bolstered by ordinary citizens. This important book is based largely on Newaygo County Klan records housed at the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University. Check Availability | |
| Fever: Little Willie John, A Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul (Susan Whitall) - BIO JOHN: Detroit's Little Willie John lived for a fleeting 30 years, but his dynamic and daring sound left an indelible mark on the history of music. His deep blues, rollicking rock ?n' roll and swinging ballads inspired a generation of musicians, forming the basis for what we now know as soul music. Check Availability | |
| Ghost Writers: Us Haunting Them, Contemporary Michigan Literature (Keith Taylor and Laura Kasischke) - STORY COLLECTION GHOST: This anthology is a collection of stories from renowned Michigan authors collected and edited by Taylor and Kasischke. The tales range from true stories written by non-believers to purely fictional stories that provoke the imagination. The collection is set in a wide range of Michigan locations that bring a sense of history and place to the tales. Check Availability | |
| Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want to Be One (Mark Kurlansky) - BIO GREENBERG: No baseball player has ever had a swing quite like the Detroit Tigers' Hank Greenberg. His unique athletic ability made hitting a baseball look smooth and effortless. Though Hank Greenberg was one of the first players to challenge Babe Ruth's single-season home run record, he may be more remembered for a game he did not play. In 1934 in a game with the New York Yankees Greenberg chose not to play because the game fell on Yom Kippur. Almost instantly he became a hero to Jews throughout America. Kurlansky's concise book describes Greenberg as the quintessential secular Jew, and argues to celebrate him for his loyalty to religious observance is to ignore the true man. Check Availability | |
| Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life (Michael Moore) - BIO MOORE:Oscar-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, and vocal critic of the right, Michael Moore, tells his story of growing up outside of Flint, Michigan. In a series of far ranging vignettes Moore highlights stories from his early life that helped to shape one of today's most controversial public figures. This deeply personal and honest account introduces readers to the Michael Moore they have never known. Check Availability | |
| In Stitches: A Memoir (Anthony Young, M.D.) - BIO YOUNG: Dr. Youn's memoir describes his transformation from a geeky outcast in Greenville, Michigan to celebrated plastic surgery expert on popular talk shows like "Good Morning America," "The Rachael Ray Show" and MSNBC. With humor and heartfelt honesty Dr. Youn describes how his own surgery to correct a protruding jaw led him to his calling and the realization of how changing your appearance can so profoundly change your life. Check Availability | |
| Jacobson's, I Miss It So: The Story Of a Michigan Fashion Institute (Bruce Allen Kopytek) - 381.141 KOPYTEK:This is the story of Michigan's Macy's, the once center of upscale clothing and lunch for ladies. Author Bruce Kopytek has found stories that date from the beginnings in Reed City, Michigan in 1869 until the sad bankruptcy and closing. Retail enthusiasts, history buffs and fashion devotees will enjoy the history and the memories. Check Availability | |
| Michigan and the Civil War: A Great and Bloody Sacrifice (Jack Dempsey) - 977.403 DEMPSEY: Offering a fresh and readable glimpse into Michigan's role in the preservation of the Union, Dempsey leads us through the leading characters, battles, and events during the Civil War, including Governor Austin Blair, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops. Check Availability | |
| Misery Bay (Steve Hamilton) - MYS HAMILTON: A comprehensive biography of General Sherman's right-hand man, Orlando M. Poe, who served in the Civil War, commanded the 2nd Michigan Infantry and led brigades at Second Bull Run and Fredericksburg. This influential man was much praised for his bravery and service. He went on to lead an illustrious career as the supervisor for the design and construction of numerous Great Lakes lighthouses and then designed and constructed the largest shipping lock in the world at Sault Ste. Marie. Check Availability | |
| Motor City Shakedown (D.E. Johnson) - MYS JOHNSON:Johnson's follow-up to The Detroit Electric Scheme is a thrilling ride set in 1911 Detroit. Will Anderson looks to find justice for the death of his best friend, while battling the Detroit criminal underworld, a corrupt police department, and his own personal demons. This is Johnson's second time on the Michigan Notable Books list (The Detroit Electric Scheme). Check Availability | |
| A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (Matt De La Pena and illustrated by Kadir Nelson) - J BIO LOUIS: On the eve of World War II, boxer Joe Louis fought German Max Schmeling in a historic bout that was much more significant than determining who would be the next heavyweight champion of the world. Most Americans viewed the fight as a symbol of the nation's battle against Hitler's Germany and his "master race". This beautifully illustrated and powerful picture book focuses on the life of Detroit's Joe Louis and his role in helping White and African American communities set aside prejudice and come together to celebrate our nation's ideals. Check Availability | |
| Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America's Big Three Automakers-GM, Ford, and Chrysler (Bill Vlasic) - FIC LYSTRA: Once Upon a Car is a fascinating story of the "Big Three's" fight for survival in Detroit. In a tale that reads like a corporate thriller, Vlasic, takes readers into the executive offices, assembly plants, and union halls to introduce a cast of memorable characters including the executives who struggled to save their companies but in the end had to seek a controversial, last-gasp rescue from the U.S. government. Vlasic has covered the auto industry for the New York Times and Detroit News for over fifteen years. Check Availability | |
| Once Upon a River (Bonnie Jo Campbell) - FIC CAMPBELL :National Book Award finalist and past Michigan Notable Book award author for American Salvage (2010), Bonnie Jo Campbell, creates an unforgettable heroine to rival Huck Finn in sixteen-year-old Margo Crane. After the violent death of her father Margo takes to the Stark River in her boat, with only a few supplies and a biography of Annie Oakley, in search of her vanished mother. Her river odyssey through rural Michigan becomes a defining journey, one that leads her beyond self-preservation and to the decision of what price she is willing to pay for her choices. Check Availability | |
| Songs of Unreason (Jim Harrison) - 811.54 HARRISON: Songs of Unreason, Harrison's latest collection of poetry, proclaims his reverence for rivers, trees, dogs, and women. Each poem comes to life on the page with the richness and clarity of Harrison's voice. Michigan people and places play a central role in many of the poems included. Harrison is a past recipient of a Michigan Notable Book award for Off to the Side (2003), True North (2005), The Summer He Didn't Die (2006), Returning to Earth (2008), and The English Major (2009). Check Availability | |
| South of Superior (Ellen Airgood) - FIC AIRGOOD: Ellen Airgood's first novel celebrates taking joy in the little things in life. Chicago transplant, Madeline Stone, moves to the fictional town of Mac Allaster, Michigan on the southern shore of Lake Superior in hopes of finding an escape from her old life. Events and new friends quickly pull her into the world of this beautiful, gritty, and magic town. Airgood runs a diner in the similar town Grand Marais, Michigan. Check Availability | |
| Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike (M. Christine Byron and Thomas R. Wilson): Utilizing hundreds of historic postcards and photographs, Byron and Wilson detail the history of the road that has become US-31, and the Lake Michigan communities it connects from Michigan City, Indiana to Mackinaw City, Michigan. This is Byron and Wilson's third time on the Michigan Notable Books list (Vintage Views of Leelanau County; Vintage Views of the Charlevoix-Petoskey Region). Check Availability | |
| Wire to Wire (Scott Sparling) - FIC SPARLING: Sparling's debut is a crime novel with a full cast of colorful characters including the brain damaged, freight car hopping lead character. Between Arizona and Michigan, Sparling nails the sense of place in his writing while taking his reader on an uncommon journey. Lovers of both trains and Michigan will enjoy this book.. Check Availability |
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For other good reads, check out our Suggested Reads Page.
** Descriptions are taken from Michigan Notable Books materials