Library Lines: Discover the most notable books in Michigan
The 2024 Michigan Notable Books list has been recently released by the Library of Michigan. Every year the Library of Michigan selects 20 books that are about or set in Michigan or the Great Lakes or written by a Michigan author. The selection of books were all published during the 2023 calendar year and are composed of both fiction and non-fiction titles. The following five titles were recently added to the Cheboygan Area Public Library collection. We will continue to feature a title or two each week along with a brief description provided by the Library of Michigan. What’s your reading goal for 2024?
"The All-American" by Susie Finkbeiner (Revell)
In this 1950s coming-of-age story, two sisters are left reeling when their father is accused of being a member of the Communist Party. Bertha finds a haven with the All-American Girls Baseball League. Flossie finds herself in an unexpected friendship. Both are about to discover how much good there is in the world — even in the hardest of circumstances.
"A Cold, Hard Prayer" by John Smolens (MSU Press)
In 1924, an orphan train passes through the Midwest, and Mercy, a teenage girl of mixed race, and a boy nicknamed Rope, who lost fingers in a factory accident, become virtual prisoners of Harlan and Estelle Nau. After facing abuse, Mercy and Rope flee, making an arduous journey into sparsely populated northern Michigan, where Mercy believes she will find her aunt. Resolute and intrepid, Mercy and Rope develop a bond of mutual trust that helps them navigate a stark American landscape shaped by prejudice, hypocrisy, and fear.
"Enough to Lose" by R.S. Deeren (Wayne State University Press)
In nine captivating short stories, R.S. Deeren presents a vivid portrait of life in the rural Thumb region of Michigan. With unflinching empathy, Deeren weaves together the colorful lives of landscapers, hunters, artists, parolees, retirees, and entrepreneurs, characters who reckon with their relationship to this unique slice of Michigan. Deeren artfully illustrates the brutal realities of working-class rural life that are punctuated by moments of beauty, humor, and resilience.
"Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir" by Curtis Chin (Little, Brown and Company)
1980s Detroit was a volatile place to live, but above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal. Here was where, surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin came of age; where he learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese; where he navigated the divided city’s spiraling misfortunes; and where — between helpings of almond boneless chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, and some of his own, less-savory culinary concoctions — he realized just how much he had to offer to the world, to his beloved family, and to himself.
"Everything is Just Beginning: A Novel" by Erin Bartels (Revell)
Michael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a decent guitarist, but since he was kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he's not sure he'll ever get a record deal. Living with his loser uncle in a beat-up trailer and working a dead-end job, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future. On the effervescent night of December 31, 1989 — as the Berlin Wall is coming down, the Soviet Union is inching toward democracy, and anything seems possible — Michael will cross paths with the accomplished and enigmatic young heir to a fading musical dynasty, forever altering both of their futures.
— Paula Jewell is program director of the Cheboygan Area Public Library.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Library Lines: Discover the most notable books in Michigan
