PB

The Long Winter Ends, by Newton G. Thomas
A reprint of the 1941 novel by Newton G. Thomas, The Long Winter Ends tells the story of a year in the life of a young emigrant miner who leaves Cornwall, a peninsula at the southwestern end of England, to work in the copper mines of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Typical of emigrant miners drawn to the new mines in America after copper and tin mine closings in Cornwall, Jim Holman journeys to Michigan from Stoke, Cornwall, and spends his first year living in a boarding house with other Cornish miners. Through Jim's story, The Long Winter Ends offers a glimpse into the lives of an often neglected immigrant group that played an important role in the development of the Great Lakes and American mining industries since the 1840s. Drawing on his own experience as a young Cornish immigrant in the mining communities of the Upper Peninsula, Thomas incorporated firsthand knowledge of the work routines of underground mining, as well as the inflections and patterns of Cornish speech, into this novel. With an introduction providing information about the cultural history of the Cornish, this narrative traces a Cornish emigrant's experience from the failure of the mines in Cornwall, his hopes to preserve Cornish traditions in America, and then finally his acceptance of a future in America. 360 pages. Paperback. Amazon.com

HC

The Truth About Fire, by Elizabeth Hartmann
 Two unlikely heroines who converge to expose a bioterrorist plot inspired by neo-Nazis and implemented by cultists on Michigan's Upper Peninsula are the protagonists of this absorbing first novel by nonfiction writer Hartmann (Reproductive Rights and Wrongs; A Quiet Violence).  Gillian Grace, a history professor raising her troubled mixed-race teenage daughter alone, has the family and security that Lucy Wirth, the abused wife of a recovering alcoholic, years for; both women are struggling for emotional independence.  Gillian's graduate student Michael Landis unwittingly brings them together by infiltrating the Sons of the Shepherd ministry, a radical right-wing militia and religious sect where Lucy's husband, Hank, blindly follows the dictates of its leader, called simply Reverend, even condoning the Reverend's coercive sexual relationship with Lucy.  Michael suspects the group of murdering his best friend, a Native American forest ranger.  Drawn into Michael's research by global implications of his discoveries, Gillian finds herself tracing connections from the group to neo-Nazis in Germany, while Michael follows a trail of terror to Chicago and Lucy makes her way to Gillian' daughter.  Probing the international network allows Gillian to put off decisions about her marriage (she and her husband are separated), just as pretending to obey the Reverend gives Lucy time to hatch her own plot; meanwhile, suspense builds as the time to thwart murderous plans runs out.  Hartmann's expertise on women's issues and insights into the problems of the poor serve her well in her fictional debut. Lucy is particularly interesting, so wily in her submissiveness we don't know if once she asserts herself she will save lives or destroy them.  Over the course of her compelling tale, Hartmann proves herself an able storyteller, creating fearless, idealistic, knowledgeable and opinionated female characters who make difficult choices and reluctantly get involved in dangerous enterprises to protect themselves, their families and their communities. 240 pages. Hardcover. Amazon.com

PB

Northern Reflections: A Lighthearted Account of "Growing Up North", by Jerry Harju
A collection of stories about growing up in Upper Michigan in the 1940s. 123 pages. Paperback. Amazon.com

HC

My New Friends Were Barefoot: A Story of Growing Up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the 1920's, by John Gray
73 pages. Hardcover. Amazon.com

PB

Heikki Heikkinen and Other Stories of Upper Peninsula Finns, by Lauri Anderson
The Finns of Michigan's UP are profiled by Lauri Anderson, who describes their comic aspects and tragic moments. Featured is Heikki, eighty years old, fond of beer, fishing, and potatoes, suspicious of barbeque grills and loathing of his smartass nephew from Lansing. 230 pages. Paperback. Amazon.com

LB

Clever Beatrice: An Upper Peninsula Conte, by Margaret Willey and Heather Solomon
40 pages. Ages 4-8. Library Binding. Amazon.com

PB

Fireweed, by Mildred Walker
Winner of the prestigious Avery and Julie Hopwood Award, this compelling novel tells the story of young Celie Linsen who, introduced to the outside world by radio and flivvers, longs to escape her remote Upper Michigan home town. Paperback. Amazon.com

PB

Northern D'Lights: Another Hilarious Account of Growing Up North, by Jerry Harju
Paperback. Amazon.com