Michigan Books

Great book! Easy read! I poured over this book when I was a kid. I read it 2 or 3 times a year every year until I was about 14. This isn't a kids book, however.. but its good for kids who are interested in the metaphysical because it is written simply and paints pictures clearly. Great book for anyone who lives in the GR area. Especially if you've lived in Heritage Hill!

My husband a I just bought the home on Madison Avenue in 2005 that supposedly has been haunted for many years. I have had friends who 'supposedly' have said they know my ghost's name, or have seen a wet dog run through. I have always considered that to be a little quackish and silly.

There was one time, when I was sitting here at the computer as I am now and directly behind me I heard a noise that lasted over a span of 5 minutes. It was a noise that resembled sweeping, over and over and over. If I hear anything else I'll post it....until til then, let's wait and see.

~Jessica (Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids Michigan)

I own both of the High Fit - Low Fat cookbooks (regular and vegetarian). The books are good for both novice and experienced chefs. Although I own many cookbooks, I do the majority of my cooking from the High Fit - Low Fat recipes. The recipes call for healthy ingredients. The recipes are created in such a way that my family can't tell the healthy version from the less-than-healthy version, except that mine tastes better! Cooking has never been so easy or nutritious. (The cookbooks make great gifts too, I bought 10 as gifts for family members)!

I own both of the High Fit - Low Fat cookbooks (regular and vegetarian). The books are good for both novice and experienced chefs. Although I own many cookbooks, I do the majority of my cooking from the High Fit - Low Fat recipes.

The recipes call for healthy ingredients. The recipes are created in such a way that my family can't tell the healthy version from the less-than-healthy version, except that mine tastes better. Cooking has never been so easy and nutritious.

The cookbooks make great gifts too (I bought 10 as gifts for family members)!

This work illustrates a particular culture of oppression at a high-tech company. The author shows action by action how management creates an environment where workers will not be likely to organize. Management actions include faulty and frequent time studies, line supervisors who punished everyone when one geller fell asleep, supervisors who started racial rumors to pit one employee against another, telling employees they were laid off due to a business slowdown but bringing in new recruits and not telling the "laid off" employees that they would never be called back, just to name a few things.

My favorite characters were the Assyrian gellers; I can still envision them diligently working, although their grit was never fully tested. I really liked them. The Latino gellers were as close to heroes as any characters in the book.

This book is instructive and revealing in unexpected ways. It is a compelling story and an easy to read book.

High-Tech Betrayal is a book that many different audiences will find attractive. While it is founded on academic premises, it does not read like an academic book. It is easy to read, describing the author's experiences when he attempted to form a union in a high-tech factory. The experiences are richly described, allowing readers to understand specifically the circumstances and issues faced by the author.

The book lays out the scenario up-front, so that the reader has a clear understanding of the situation at the time of the experience. Additionally, the individuals referred to throughout the book are clearly described, so that their comments and actions can be readily understood.

Finally, this book does an exceptional job of portraying the workplace that the average American does not think exists in this country, but in reality is more common that most would admit. Described are the struggles facing a group of individuals, attempting to better the lives of themselves and their families. This book reminds me of the classic The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. The major difference is the era of the book. The similarity is that this book demonstrates that organizations in some cases today still attempt to keep workers down, while the organization itself might be thriving.

Jack L. Howard, Ph.D.

I was born in Detroit in the 1950s before my family moved to Wayne, Michigan in 1958. We moved back for a year in 1962 and I attended third grade at Bow Elementary School. It was a thriving city with streets full of cared for homes with neat lawns. After decades of decline, it appears that Detroit is making a comeback and I find that encouraging. Nevertheless, Detroit has hundreds of years of rich history. This book covers a bit more than a century of that history through nearly two hundred beautifully presented photographs.

One of the traps we fall into regarding photographs is that we tend to gravitate towards a small set of vivid photographs that become the standard for presenting the images of this event or that place or these people. This book is fresh and refreshing because it uses terrific images that are much less well known images of Detroit and its people. The author, Mary J. Wallace has made her selections from the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University and from the Burton Collection of the Detroit Public Library. She has worked as an audiovisual archivist at the Walter P. Reuther Library for several years and her familiarity with the material shows in the selections she has made.

Wallace has divided the photos into four chronological groups. The first runs from 1860 to 1899 (from the Civil War until the arrival of the automobile), from 1900 to 1919 (the birth of the auto industry through the end of World War I), from 1920 to 1941 (the early boom of the auto industry through the Depression), and from 1942 - 1969 (from World War II through the 1967 riots and the aftermath).

What I most appreciate is the balance she shows in showing us images of the development in architecture with the photos of real people at work, in their fashions, and some historical events. Even when she picks the historical events, she selects an image that gives us a different perspective on the event. We all know the images of the fight of the Battle of the Overpass at the Rouge Plant. Not many of us have seen the image she shows us here of the peaceful demonstration before the struggle began.

The author has supplied about a page of text at the beginning of each section as well as captions for each picture, but wisely lets the images do most of the speaking. The credits for the photos are given in a list at the back. These are images that are worth lingering over. They are full of captivating details that will show themselves as you spend time looking into the pictures for things beyond the obvious main object of the photograph.

If you have any interest in Detroit and its history, this is a fabulous book to own and refer to often. It is printed on great paper and bound handsomely.

I've always thought that it is very important to know the history of one's local area and have always loved to read books about regional history. One of the very best one's I've come across in sometime is "Historic Photos of Detroit" from Turner Publishing Co. Detroit was one of the most important early colonies due to its strategic location along Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair and was founded as a fort by French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701.

The book covers four periods of Detroit history, 1860 - 1899, 1900 - 1919, 1920 - 1941, and 1942 - 1969. The photos date as far back as the 1860's, less than thirty years after Michigan became the 26th state. What first surprised me is just how busy and bustling Detroit was nearly 150 years ago. We tend to think of the 1860's in terms of the dusty old west but Detroit already had numerous multi-story buildings built including the massive Old Russell House Hotel on Woodward Ave. It's fascinating to just sit back and flip pages to "building watch" all of the types of businesses that were in operation back in the mid to late 1800's...Grocers, dry goods, shoes & boots, carpets, drug stores, furniture...in other words, it really wasn't much different than today. People are out and about on the town, working, shopping, or just enjoying a walk.

These photos also serve as an important archive since most of these buildings are long gone today. For example there is the Old Federal Building, looking like a gothic French cathedral that was torn down in 1932. It's educational as well...even living my entire life in the Detroit area I never knew that Detroit once used street cars. Besides the architecture of the era one should also pay attention to the fashion of the day. Women stroll along the streets in their finest clothes: tailored dresses and their Sunday best hats, highlighting an era that was certainly more refined and cultured.

Even in 1910 the Detroit Auto Show was one of the city's most important events. A beautiful photo shows off the brand new models, accented by bright lights, at the old Wayne Gardens. The photos range from the humorous of three boys holding on to the side of a car for dear life on a flooded West Grand Blvd. in 1925, to the tragic destruction of the riots in 1967. One wonderful photo that will surely warm the hearts of all Detroiters is Santa Claus waving to a crowd of thousands at the end of Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade. For many residents of SE Michigan, a trip downtown to watch the parade and look at the Christmas displays in the old J.L. Hudson's department store windows was an annual rite of winter.

It's a beautiful book from cover-to-cover highlighted by brilliant photography. I would have loved to had seen a photo or two of the old Olympia stadium but no Detroiter will be disappointed with this book. Hats off to author Mary J. Wallace for a wonderful job of research.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

The Hope of the Air is a collection of poems by songwriter, actor, literature teacher and award-winning poet Barry Spacks. Each poem is no longer than a page or two, but all have an indefinable lighter-than-air quality that lends a whispered, lingering impression upon one's consciousness. An absorbing treasury of simple reflections, sometimes witty, sometimes wistful, upon the simple challenges and celebrations of daily life. "Message to the Widower": In an envelope in a favorite book / she left him her final message: a lock // of her hair... and with it the thought that she knew / surely one day he would find it there // and how he would feel, / finding it there.

If, as Franz Kafka says, literature is the axe that smashes the frozen sea of the heart, then after reading this book your heart will be in smithereens. Buy it, buy it, buy it.

A revisionistic view of many of the orgins of the central beliefs of classical economics.

Economics has long been called 'the dismal science' supposedly as a response to the writings of Malthus, who grimly predicted that starvation would result as projected population growth exceeded the rate of increase in the food supply. And because economics so often discusses the less plesant aspects of life such as depressions, starvations and the like.

The author of this book looks at some of the writings of the time and presents a view of the time where slavery was being held as morally correct in that the 'colored races' need the protection of the white. He quotes heavily from Thomas Carlyle's 1849 paper 'Occasional Discourse on the Negro Question.' Carlyle was arguing that freeing the slaves had led to a moral and economic decline.

For a mind-blowing companion to, and crucial expansion of, this theme, see the superb *Lost Literature of Socialism,* by George Watson.

Nathan Rosenberg, Department of Economics, Stanford University, says: "Levy's scintillating volume offers a startlingly original reinterpretation of Carlyle's well-known characterization of classical economics as 'the dismal science.' Levy examines the positions of classical economics and its nineteenth-century Victorian literary critics, as seen through the specific prism of the antislavery debate. He argues, persuasively in my view, that it was the economists, and not the poets, who were the 'true friends of humanity.'"

This book is exactly what you need to enter the world of Stability of Fluid Flows. It is not sufficient in itself, because the reader should have some previous instruction in the theory of complex functions, transforms, and so on. But, the book delivers what he 'promises'. The treatment is basically complete, the order of the several topics is perfect, and it is written neatly and very didactically. The authors are to be complimented for this masterful work.

This book is an outstanding and accurate treatise on hydrodynamic stability. I've never read any scientific article concerning hydro and fluid dynamic stability without a reference to this book. Thus let's deal with fluid dynamic stability with this precious and absolute masterpiece at hand!

What a wonderful marvelous simple exploration and subtle exposition of a family history with the weaving of that sense of humor so often found in the Jewish culture. Page after page is filled with loving kindness expressed by Gootie's grandson.

I am reading this book slowly since I don't want to ever finish it. It is such a joy to read.

P.S. I find it most interesting that "I Love Gootie" is out of print. But, as is often the case, some of the best works of literature are not always popular. In closing, I would like to say, I chanced upon this find while browsing through, of all places, a [LOCAL STORE]. Yes indeed, on one of the shelves I saw around a dozen copies of same and was immediately attracted by the title (and the picture on the cover). I took out my one dollar, and smiled all the way home, since I knew this was going to be one great read. Shortly I am returning to that store in hopes that there are still some copies left. There are a few colleagues of mine that would most appreciate having this gem in their library.

After thoroghly enjoying Max's previous book (Roommates) I must admit I was looking forward to reading I Love Gootie. Now I feel even closer to this loving, quirky family that I have never met. In this book Gootie grows on us and makes us wonder how we would adapt to being "thrown into the next century" -- surely we would hold onto the "old ways" as well. I wish all grandchildren and grandparents had the good fortune to have such a close and caring relationship -- driving each other crazy at times, but underneath it all a deep love that is shown in different ways each and every day of their lives. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story and appreciates the humor of everyday life. Thanks, Max, for revealing more about your family and capturing a story that would have otherwise been lost.

Having come from this area of west Michigan, Idlewild has always intrigued me. Stephens' book is the definitive work so far, and is well documented and researched. The photos are priceless. I would recommend this book for any student of black America.

This book is an exceptional and accurate account of historical Idlewild. Although it is slightly slanted based on the authors assessibility to information (a wide variety from one or two sources) they are execellent sources. Having grown up in Idlewild on Idlewild lake and gone to the local schools from pre-school through high school, I would recommend this book for any scholar or novice who is interested in the development of Black America in small towns; the rise and fall of the Black entertainment industry; and Black resort towns and Black Ghost towns.

Edited by historian David Lee Poremba, If I Am Found Dead: Michigan Voices from the Civil War presents written letters that comprise firsthand testimony of the Civil War from four Michigan soldiers. Of the four, one perished during the conflict; one returned to a normal life; one was accused of murder and tried three times; and one invented a brand of ginger ale that remains famous in the region to this day. Though the four were of disparate backgrounds, their letters each provide an equally vivid glimpse of wartime life through a soldier's eyes, from observations of officers' leadership abilities to the suffering of residents who lived where the war was waged to the omnipresent threat of death on the battlefield - many of the letters were penned just before or just after an armed conflict. A welcome addition to private and library collections of primary sources and testimonies of the Civil War, highly recommended.

Even though this book is made up of the journals and letters of Michigan Civil War soldiers, it's not necessarily a book strictly for Michiganians. The words that these four men wrote pertain to all who fought in that awful war, including camp life, long marches, and invlovement in the battles themselves.
Here's a few entires from May of 1861:

29th Wednesday - drilled and paraded and received our shirts, drawers, and socks from the government.
31st Friday - I was Colonel's Orderly; received our coats and pants.

June 1861
3rd Monday - the 3rd regiment of Michigan Volunteers had a banner presented to the by the Ladies of Grand Rapids. A large crowd of spectators on the ground, the largest ever known.

Here's a snippet of a letter from James Vernor to his father from 1862:
"We...passed Perryville afternoon. 300 Rebels dead on the battlefield of last Wednesday. I asked some of the folks why they were not buried & the 'oh they are Secesh.' I think if I lived around there I should want to get them out of sight for they are anything but pleasant to look at."
James Vernor, by the way, would eventually make his fortune in Vernor's Ginger Ale.

This is one of my favorites that shows life as a soldier in 1861:
"I have ten dollars in gold in my pocket & I would give half of it for a quart of water & the other half for a loaf of bread. I had nothing but hard bread and raw pork. I went without and today I have had no time to eat. I have had no water today, only what I sucked up out of a mud puddle..."

The details these folks wrote in their letters and journals tell the tales of the Civil War far greater and with more impact than modern historians could ever muster. And the maturity level of these young men (ages late teens / early 20's) were far beyond those of the same age today.
I will say this, however, if you are just looking for a book on the Civil War, this may not be for you. It's not a concise history. But, if you are already a scholar of that war and are looking to add to your knowlegde then you just might want to check this volume out, as there are, in well over 200 pages, many tedious details presented here in first person not found elsewhere that will heighten your image of the CW soldier.
Engulfing reading throughout.