Michigan Books

Well written and an excellent story. Stephen Gifford Simmons was the youngest brother of my ancestor, William Simmons. What a sad end to someone who didn't utilize all of the advantages he was born with. It is a testament to what alcohol can do to anyone.

George Wylie Henderson (1904-1965) is best known as the author of OLLIE MISS. Though both a critical and popular success during his lifetime, he has languished among academics as a "minor novelist." Editor Nicholls speculates that "Henderson's individualist ethos and his debt to Booker T. Washington" would not have appealed to the black aesthetic and feminist movements of the 1960's and `70's when the canon of the Harlem Renaissance was being solidified. A migrant to Harlem from Alabama with a Tuskegee education, he also arrived on the scene a bit late.

Collected here for the first time are sixteen stories which originally appeared in mainstream publications: nine from the Daily News, and seven published in Redbook. The editorial parameters of each publication make the two sets of stories quite different in terms of length, style, and to some extent, subject matter. But all of the stories - whether set in the rural South or in Harlem - are compelling, simple and well-crafted, bringing characters to life in a way which reminded me of Zora Neale Hurston.

Which is not to say these are simple characters, caught as some are in the social upheaval of the Great Migration. For example, in the title story, Henderson tangibly, poignantly captures the ambivalence of the young bride Obelia, who has one foot planted in the "new world" and the other equally rooted in the old.

This brief collection left me wanting more. According to a catalog found in Henderson's papers, there were at least fifteen additional stories but sadly, they're unpublished and lost. Which makes this collection even more of a treasure!

This book was one of the best on investigations into the paranormal. It is a very fast read and you also get to do interactive studies on the web to go with the book. The writers take you on a tour of each supposed haunted place in Michigan. They make you feel like you are actually with them as they investigate. The book is definitly worth buying!! After reading, you want to visit every haunted place.

David B.Smith provides the detailed history of how the goal of equity in health care provision remains unfulfilled to this day. He analyzes the historic crucial time periods when decisions were made and practices established. He describes the mechanisms leading to different health care for white and black and for rich and poor. He documents the economic and the ethnic prejudicial bases for this abridgement of civil rights. This book is a must for all concerned about American justice.

This book is a great pictorial and detailed way to remember, relive, and learn about the history of Grand Rapids, MI. I live in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids presently and for most of my life; I've bought two copies of this book already for family members. Highly recommended!

Haley's heart would be safe on the island. Mackinac Island was the perfect place to soothe her wounds and avoid the manipulations of her family. But when a lone passenger boards her tour carriage, Haley Tindale feels the walls around her heart shaking. Can he be trusted? Brent Walker is searching for a young man when he encounters Haley. He finds it hard to concentrate on his mission. Perhaps he should quit the case and focus on Haley. Or maybe her insight into the island could be of use to him. Can a woman terrified of being used surrender to God and His plan? Will Haley's wounded heart forever be an impenetrable island?

Being a fan of the Motown Sound, this book gives excellent reference materials to the person who is trying to collect records from the old Motown catalog. The discographies for each individual label (Tamla, Soul, etc.) is complete and very accurate. My hats are off to Mr. Bianco on this book.

This is a nice little book about the Heidelberg project, one of the most amazing art installations in the world. Buy it and get inspired!

I really wanted to give this book a bad review. Bowersock has some truly screwy ideas about Late Antiquity (see below). But I just had to give this book five stars for three reasons: (1) Bowersock is an excellent writer, (2) he knows his stuff, (3) he writes about things that, at least to me, are fascinating and important.

This book covers that period of history called "Late Antiquity". This is a euphamism for the time when the Roman Empire simultaneously became Christian and fell apart. Of course only the western part of the empire completely fell apart as soon as it became Christian - while the eastern part (which is what Bowersock is primarily interested in) simply entered into a prolonged irreversible decline.

The book begins with a look at John of Ephesus - a mid 6th century Christian missionary in western Anatolia who was horrified to find 1500 (by his estimate) active Pagan places of worship. To make things even worse, these Temples and shrines all sent representatives to study and "receive the law" at a central main Temple. Like this story, much of the book has a "regional" focus, and Bowersock's main thesis is that "Hellenistic" culture had made itself right at home throughout large parts of "the east" - and that this Hellenism never really replaced the local cultures so much as it became the language through which various local cultures not only expressed themselves, but were able to communicate with each other.

Bowersock is explicitly, and illogically, opposed to the idea that Late Antiquity was characterized by a struggle between Paganism and Christianity. He even goes so far as to promote one of his pet theories (to which he has devoted a whole other book) that Julian's desire to revive Paganism was both ill-conceived and completely at odds with "real" Paganism. Julian, according to Bowersock, was never really a Pagan, but rather a misguided Christian who just tried to create a completely new kind of Paganism that was really nothing but a mirror image of fundamentalist Christianity. In other words Julian was some kind of Late Antique Satanist! Despite Bowersocks loopy ideas about Paganism, this is nevertheless a wonderful little book that provides a wealth of information about some of the ways in which Paganism persisted even as Christianity "triumphed".

Anyone looking for information on primative burials in the southwest knows how hard this information is to come by. I was glad to see an actual archaeological dig written up so well. The pictures are equally interesting in showing positions of the bodies and possibly the significance of such. Although the dig site is in New Mexico and occupied in the 1300's it was especially interesting to see that in one burial, there was a "cache" of points that were of Texas origin AND from the Archaic time frame. The book also includes tons of charts and graphs for the very serious archaeologists out there.