Michigan’s 2008 Notable Books named

The Library of Michigan announced the 2008 Michigan Notable Books, highlighting Michigan people, places and events.

The books are chosen from both fiction and non-fiction books published in Michigan, by Michigan authors or books about Michigan. State Librarian Nancy Robertson said the books chosen showcase the diverse experiences of Michigan's people and life in the Great Lakes State.

This selection of books published in 2007 demonstrates the variety present both in Michigan life and in its literature: conversations with President Gerald Ford; the involvement of and impact on Michigan in the Civil War, World War II and Vietnam War; poetry that celebrates Michigan's natural wonders; novels that use Michigan backgrounds to tell stories of family or intrigue; and tributes to Michigan's unique art, architecture and music, and the finest in Michigan foods and wines.

Michigan Notable Books is an annual program with roots stretching back to Michigan Week 1991. The list is complied by representatives from the Library of Michigan, the Archives/Curious Book Shop in East Lansing, Capital Area District Library, Cooley Law School, the Grand Rapids Press, Michigan Center for the Book, Michigan Historical Center, Michigan State University Libraries, Northland Library Cooperative, ProQuest Information and Learning and Schuler Books and Music.

"For seven years the Library of Michigan has honored the best in Michigan literature, and this year is no different," Robertson said. "This year's Michigan Notable Books offer compelling reads that reach far beyond the borders of the Great Lakes State with their power to touch readers and their contributions to Michigan's rich literary culture."

The 2008 Michigan Notable Books are:

“Alden B. Dow: Midwestern Modern,” by Diane Maddex (Alden B. Dow Home &
Studio)

“Connecting the Dots: Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project” (Wayne State University Press)

“Elijah of Buxton,” by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic)

“The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam,” by Tom Bissell (Pantheon Books)

“Fork in the Road with Eric Villegas,” by Eric Villegas (Huron River Press)

“From the Vine: Exploring Michigan Wineries,” by Sharon Kegerreis and Lorri Hathaway (Ann Arbor Media Group)

“Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed,” by Paul Trynka (Broadway Books)

“Mackinac Bridge: A 50-Year Chronicle, 1957- 2007,” by Mike Fornes (Cheboygan Tribune Printing Co.)

"My Brave Mechanics:" The First Michigan Engineers and Their Civil War,” by Mark Hoffman (Wayne State University Press)

“One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II,” by Lita
Judge (Hyperion Books for Children)

“Paper Tiger: One Athlete's Journey to the Underbelly of Pro Football,” by Ted A. Kluck (Lyons Press)

“A Primer on Parallel Lives,” by Dan Gerber (Copper Canyon Press)

“The Red Parts: A Memoir,” by Maggie Nelson (Free Press)

“Returning to Earth,” by Jim Harrison (Grove Press)

“Sailing Grace,” by John Otterbacher (Samadhi Press)

“The Sound the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky: The Writings of Jane
Johnston Schoolcraft,” edited by Robert D. Parker (University of Pennsylvania Press)

“Stealing Buddha's Dinner: A Memoir,” by Bich Minh Nguyen (Viking)

“Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, with Pie,” by Patty Pinner (Taunton Press)

“Up in Honey's Room,” by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow)

“Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations With
Gerald R. Ford,” by Thomas M. DeFrank (G.P. Putnam's Sons)