Looking for books set in Michigan? Press play above to hear us discuss five great books we love, including a biography of Detroit city, a collection of stories set in Dearborn’s Arab-American community, two suspenseful family dramas masquerading as thrillers, and a lighter dramedy set at a charming resort hotel on Mackinac Island.
Michigan may be in the heart of the American Midwest, but it feels like a state with a coast. Its mitten-shaped peninsulas touch four of the five Great Lakes, and with around 11,000 inland lakes, too, you’re never more than a 10k from some kind of water.
The Upper Peninsula is the place to go for dense forest, snowy winters, and an outdoorsy lifestyle influenced by Finnish and Swedish heritage. Head south to the Lower Peninsula for Detroit-style pizza, unique Petoskey Stones, and the University of Michigan — including its Law Library with the reading room of your dark academia dreams.
Michigan is the Cherry Capital of the US and home to the Isle Royale National Park — wolves and otters and moose… oh, my! It’s also the birthplace of both the cornflake and the Motown sound — the state that invites you to dance in the streets and be mayor for a day.
In this episode, we explore the freshwater spring of Kitch-iti-kipi, delve into the history of the Big D, learn about the Kellogg brothers’ feud, and explore Michiganders’ silly nicknames for each other. Then we recommend five books that took us to the Great Lakes State on the page:
Make Nice by Ryan Effgen — a family reunites at a retro resort on Mackinac Island to grapple with romance, petty crime, and old memories
Once in a Great City by David Maraniss — a biography of the city from fall of 1962 to spring of 1964, when Detroit was peaking and collapsing at the same time
Dearborn: Stories by Ghassan Zeineddine — a collection of short stories that take you inside the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan
The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne — a thriller set in the Upper Peninsula that examines what it costs to love someone who taught you everything but very nearly ruined you in the process
Children of the Wolf by Abby Geni — a family drama with bees, Viking lore, brutal murders, loyalty, and all kinds of love
To continue your virtual trip to the American Midwest, listen to our podcast episode Chicago: Baseball, Hot Dogs, Industry, and Infamy — for five books we love set in the Windy City. You might also read our review of Edna Ferber’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning classic So Big, treat yourself to a homemade Chicago-style hot dog, or read about Quimby’s Bookstore, a love letter to offbeat literature. You might also like our podcast episode National Parks: Go Outside and Touch Grass with recommendations that include Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park.
Read the full transcript of Michigan: We’re All Just Yoopers and Trolls Livin’ in the Mitten State.
Reddit: What’s your favorite Michigan fun fact to share with out-of-state folks?
National Geographic: A Beginner’s Guide to Travel Across Michigan’s Two Peninsulas
National Geographic: Finding Michigan’s Wild Side: A Journey Through the Upper Peninsula
Cherries
Motor City & Motown
University of Michigan Law Library
Michigan Food
Mayor of Hell
Outdoor Activities
Lonely Plant: A First-Time Guide to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Statement 1: The research station for one of the most famous studies in wildlife science is a dead man’s cabin, in the most isolated patch of wilderness Michigan’s got.
Statement 2: In 1975, the Upper Peninsula came within 30 votes of being the 51st state.
Statement 3: The invention of corn flakes started a family feud that lasted nearly 40 years.
Make Nice by Ryan Effgen
CNTraveler: A Michigander’s Guide to Mackinac Island
A look at the film This Time for Keeps
The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
Read the first story in the collection: ‘The Actors of Dearborn’
How Did Detroit Become a Center for Arabs in the United States?
A Brief History of Dearborn, Michigan – the First Arab‑American Majority City in the US
Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story by David Maraniss
Children of the Wolf by Abby Geni
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