Michigan Books

Very Peaceful and Relaxing book to sit and meditate on while drinking a cup of coffee. I Love It! Highly Recommend

I had the opportunity to attend a book signing in Mackinaw City and learn first hand what a great book this is....and the author is a nice guy too...extremely knowledgeable! I just read it cover to cover...and will do so again! His research is extensive and I always wondered what happened to each of the now defunct ferries....he tells us! "Michigan State Ferries" has a prominent place on my bookshelf.

Life is nothing if not an identity crisis, but few of us have had to face the extreme paradox that Jim Yoshida did. A great paradox requires a great affirmation, and Jim fought hard to make it, succeeding outstandingly finally. Raised in Seattle, a high school football star there, he travelled to Japan with his family in 1941 to return his father's ashes and was caught by the outbreak of war. A student of martial arts, especially Judo, he suddenly found the two dearest sources of his identity in mortal combat with each other. Drafted into the Japanese army, he was carried away weeping and shouting for his mother. Thanks to the harsh treatement of Sergeant Kido, he was not of much use to the Japanese army and never rose far within it. As it turns out, Kido was another nisei, looking after him and making sure he drew no suspicion on the two of them. After the war Yoshida fought long and hard to win back his American identity, serving more usefully in the Korean War, and taking the matter to court. He won the backing of the veteran, Senator Inouye, a significant character reference. The judge simply ruled that he had been a citizen all along, and thanked him for his Korean War service.

I have 2 editions of this book, it's more like a guide, I'm going to order another one as I lost the last edition I bought which was updated from the first edition.This book is what got me started on my tree identification, which I now know all the trees quite well,and is kind of a second little hobby for me.This is a straightforward guide with pictures, a little section on forest succesion, and each tree has a plate to identify leaves, seeds,and a description of where abouts it most likely grows and whereabouts you would most likely find it.I wore out he first edition, missing pages and covers,I got it when I was very young after going on camping trips,and would bring it along with me wherever I would camp or take hiking trials in the woods.It is a good book for learning for kids and teenagers.

Many folks do not realize the rich history and important role Michigan played in our country's history. It was being colonized at the same time - and was every bit of a colony - as the original thirteen. Detroit was founded in 1701, just 19 years after Philadelphia, and has thrived (for better or worse) ever since.
What makes this book such a find is that it is soley written in the hand and language of those early settlers, going back to 1665 when the French settlers were spreading God's word to the Indians and continuing through the Indian wars of Pontiac, the Revolutionary War, early settlements in the lower penninsula, the Civil War, through the automobile industry, up into recent times.
The most interesting entries are those written by the simple folk trying to etch out a life in this wilderness, such as the life of a new school teacher in 1866 who writes of having 89 students in her one room schoolhouse, as well as the surveyors who wrote off Michigan as a water logged wasteland. The life of a logger, a first hand description of the sounds of the Civil War, the birth of the GOP in 1854, and into the electric light and telephone age of 1907. This book is a wealth of information, taking the reader back into time, visiting the early folks of our great state.
A must for local history buffs and social historians.

This book is not a study of "lesbian" culture as is stated in the editorial review. Directly from the book: "Every year in August, thousands of womyn from around the world make a journey that takes them from the liminal world of patriarchal violence and oppression to the safety of a Land where they build an Amazon culture of homes, families, and sacred traditions. This culture binds these womyn to each other and to the 650 acres in Michigan they call their homeland. This book is the culmination of a five-year ethnographic study of the cultural community womyn build at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. ..." To imply that this book focuses specifically on the lesbian community is inaccurate.

Folks have been asking for another photography book on Leelanau County and finally, it is coming! Release date is Nov 2000. You can see excerpts of photos and text on my site at kenscottphotography.com ...

a quote from the book jacket: "The 150 photographs and 12 essays in "Leelanau" create a compelling vision of the "little finger" of Michigan and make a powerful statement about our relationship with nature.

Ken Scott and Jerry Dennis are skillful observers of the world. Their collaboration adds a significant volume to the literature of nature in America."

Thank you for your interest and support!

Co-authored by professional naturalists and forestry experts William Botti and Michael Moore, "Michigan's State Forests: A Century Of Stewardship" is a descriptive history of Michigan's timber forests that allowed the lumber industry to become a core part of that state's economy. Detailed are the stories of harvesting, transporting and processing pine logs, the fires that imperiled Michigan settlers, and how an abandoned, cutover, burned out wilderness has been converted once again into highly productive and protected public lands that today are one of Michigan's greatest assets for continued economic development and a rising quality of life for its citizens. "Michigan's State Forests" is a work of impeccable and meticulous research, making it a seminal addition to academic and community library Michigan History and Environmental Studies collections.

A confidently highly recommended resource guide for the traveler, Michigan's West Coast: Explore The Shore Guide by Brian Hutchins is a precise and informative reference for lower Michigan's beautiful sights and landmarks along western shore. Knowledgeably engaging readers with a wealth of information, pictures, and maps, Michigan's West Coast is enhanced with features such as "hidden" beaches, coastal campgrounds, lighthouses and public access, fishing locations, launch sites for canoes and kayaks, great hiking trails/areas, and website addresses for further study. Michigan's West Coast acts as a remarkable guide for anybody wishing to discover a more in-depth, less known area of lower Michigan and its Lake Michigan coastal region.

I purchased this calendar as a gift for my fiancee in the U.K. It has a lot of great photos that really showcase the Michigan countryside, and most importantly, she just loves it.