Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Raymond Luczak’s Animals Out-There W-i-l-d: A Bestiary in English and ASL Gloss painted a picture of the beauty of nature, nature’s resilience, and the ugliness of human behavior. Luczak wrote about the animals, reptiles, and birds who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.) Luczak grew…
Review by Sharon Brunner Michele Olson’s book “Being Nancy: In a World Lost in Mystery” is filled with intrigue, plot twists, human misery, and enduring friendships. Mackinac Island served as the place where the story took place and some of the main characters are Nancy, Ned, Piper and Cam, two…
Review by Sharon Brunner Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone’s “Misguided: A Mackinac Island Novel” revealed a lot of plot twists, adventure, and humor. The main character, Jack McGuinn, steamrolled his way into serving as the youngest tour guide at the historic Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. He joins three other…
Review by Sharon Brunner Craig A. Brockman’s “Delirium Wilderness” tells a story about two boys who faced a harrowing journey of mystery, terror, survival, and steadfast friendship. The story begins at the small town of Paradise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.). Scotty visits his grandmother every summer and…
Review by Sharon Brunner Tom Lakenen and Nancy Barr’s book Lakenenland: the U.P.’s Most Unique Junkyard Art Park is packed with interesting and creative pictures of artwork made from scrap iron and other metals collected from various sources. Lakenen was born and raised in Marquette, Michigan. He pursued his interest…
Review by Sharon Brunner Nancy Besonen’s “Off the Hook Too!” book was thought-provoking, extremely humorous, and down to earth. She demonstrated the ability to connect so well with the Yooper culture. A true Yooper is someone who has lived all their lives in the scenic and rustic Upper Peninsula of…
Review by Sharon Brunner Tom Chambers delved into the history of Mackinac Island, Michigan from the 1940s to the present in his memoir “Memories of a Mackinac Island Native.” The island is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the town of St. Ignace, Michigan. It served as a…
Reviewer by Sharon Brunner Author Robert Downes revealed in his book “Raw Deal: The Indians of the Midwest and the Theft of Native Lands” a vast amount of debauchery at the hands of the U.S. government, interlopers and greedy entrepreneurs. Downes mentioned the names of some of the tribes in…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Marcie R. Rendon brings to life the voices of the Anishinaabe ancestors in “Anishinaabe Songs for a New Millennium.” She has made it her mission to let others know the Anishinaabe still exist, and their song can heard by those who listen. Rendon is a member of…
Review by Jon C. Stott. “Kill the Indian and Save the Child.” This nineteenth-century “altruistic” motto was used by White government and church officials to explain their “saving” of supposedly inferior native children by inculcating supposedly superior cultural and spiritual values in the children under their care at Indian boarding…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Linda Legarde Grover in her book “A Song Over Miskwaa Rapids” expressed in an eloquent manner a collection of truths about the history of the Ojibwe people in Minnesota. The fictional story took place near Duluth, a place called Mozhay Point. Other places mentioned were Sweetgrass (the…
Reviewer by Sharon Brunner Michael Schumacher in his book Too Much Sea For Their Decks brought to life the remarkable history of shipping on the Great Lakes. He clearly delineated the perils faced by captains and the crews of shipwrecked schooners, wooden freighters, steel-hulled steamers, passenger vessels, whalebacks, and bulk…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Phil Bellfy’s book Three Fires Unity: The Anishnaabeg of the Lake Huron Borderlands provided a revolutionary view of the Three Fires confederacy and a history of multiple Native American tribes, the British, the French and the rising American population. Bellfy has a residence in Sault Ste. Marie,…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Clearing Sky Woman’s Sandtown Survivor: Growing Up Indian in the Twentieth Century delivers a powerful and heartfelt message about living the life of a poor Indian girl and woman and her demonstration of steadfast resiliency. The story begins in 1946 when she attends her first day of…
Reviewed by Sharon Brunner Nikki Mitchell’s book Season of Dragons provides readers with adventure, magic, and masterful resolutions. The main locations in the book are Wisconsin and another place in a different world. The time period appears to be in the present with a child named Ichabod who experiences modern-day…
Review by Sharon Brunner, MSW Kasey R. Keeler and her book American Indians and the American Dream: Policies, Place, and Property in Minnesota presented a revolutionary view behind the Native Americans’ inability to pursue home ownership in rural, urban and suburban areas in Minnesota as a result of white American…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner In the novel Delta County, J.L. Hyde brings to life the struggle of a young woman, named Heather, who suffered a lot of losses and felt driven to get to the bottom of the questionable deaths of her parents and best friend. The story primarily takes place…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Karen Dionne’s “The Wicked Sister” is a novel filled with suspense and murder nestled in a wilderness setting with no phone service. The first chapter begins with Rachel envisioning a scene with her holding a rifle and killing someone she loved, and part of the story appears…
