Understanding Michigan Black Bear, 3rd Edition by Richard P. Smith

Two black bears, one with dark fur and one with light fur, stand on their hind legs facing each other in a grassy area. The book cover text reads "Understanding Michigan Black Bear," by Richard P. Smith.

Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Richard P. Smith’s Understanding Michigan Black Bear, 3rd Edition offers an extensive review covering the habits, attacks, and hunting of Michigan black bears. These well-researched bruins have exhibited avoidant and dangerous behaviors. They may run away if yelled at or may attack if they feel threatened. Some…

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Dead Moose On Isle Royale: Off Trail With the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project by Jeffrey M. Holden

Two moose antlers lie on grass. Below them, the book title reads, "Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project" by Jeffrey M. Holden.

Review by Mack Hassler “The Lord will guide you continually…. And make your bones strong….Your ancient ruins  shall aise up the foundations of many generations….  Isaiah 58: 8,  See also Genesis  2: 15-25 As I prepare to write these reviews of what seems to me a new and important regional…

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Building Kathy Ann: My Lake Superior Boat Project By Robert “Buzz” Johnson

A small blue and white boat named Kathy Ann is docked on a lake under a partly cloudy sky. Trees line the shore in the background. Text on the image reads: "Building Kathy Ann, My Lake Superior Boat Project, Robert 'Buzz' Johnson.

Building Kathy Ann By Robert “Buzz” Johnson Review by Deborah K Frontiera ISBN: 979-8-8956-054-8 Modern History Press, 2025, PB Ret. $21.95 If you’ve never thought about how much is involved in building a boat from the keel up, you will more than appreciate the many technical skills involved by the time…

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Dark Straits by Joshua Veith (Sudden Quiet – Book #2)

Book cover for "Dark Straits" by Joshua Veith, featuring a black bridge in fog, green vein-like patterns in the background, and bold red and green text. Subtitle reads "Sudden Quiet: Book II.

Reviewer Sharon Brunner Joshua Veith’s Dark Straits (Sudden Quiet: Book II) offered a haunting view of survival while various groups battle for regional control. The outbreak of deadly diseases led to the collapse of societal law and order. The various groups involved in the story were Rangers, Indigenous, Eco-elves, and…

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North of Tomboy, Middle Grade Fiction, by Julie A. Swanson

Book cover for "North of Tomboy" by Julie A. Swanson, showing a silhouette of a person standing by a lake with birch trees in the foreground, a full moon, and the title written in white, branch-like letters.

Review by Mack Hassler “…his demons are driving him [the lead violinist]….The company takes up the choruses             and men and women cry oit like all possessed… some celebrate the beauty of the bride           and the joys of love in the excitement….” Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1929), pp. 10-11. “…[a study]…

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We Made in New York 1968-72 by Michael and Evie Carrier

A young man and woman sit on outdoor steps in autumn clothes, looking at each other. The book cover text includes "TIBAX," "We Made in New York: 1968–72," and authors Michael and Evie Carrier.

Review by Sharon Brunner Michael and Evie Carrier brought to life dangerous situations, passionate and enduring love, and the trials and tribulations of a young couple in their memoir “Trax: We Made in New York 1968-72.”  Michael provided a disclosure at the beginning of the book about their different recollections…

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Enduring Legacies: People of the 1926 Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster By Mary V. Tippett

Six men and a young boy pose together outdoors in front of a house with snow on the ground; the book title "Enduring Legacies: People of the 1926 Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster" by Mary V. Tippett appears above them.

Review by Victor R. Volkman Quite rarely, a “social history” book of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula crosses my Superior Reads desk.  Social history focuses on the lives and experiences of ordinary people, rather than just political or military events.  Social history is often described as “history from below” because it explores…

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Michigan Auto Company: Calumet’s First Auto Dealership and the Man Behind It by Kenneth C. Bracco

Book cover for "Michigan Auto Company: Calumet’s First Auto Dealership and the Man Behind It" featuring an old black-and-white photo of a man standing next to an early automobile outside a storefront.

Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Kenneth C. Bracco’s “Michigan Auto Company: Calumet’s First Auto Dealership and the Man Behind it” brought to life stages of the automobile industry and other life changing events from 1900 to the 1960s. Other places mentioned in the book were Detroit and Chicago besides the main location…

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