Michigan: A History of the Great Lakes State

by Bruce A. Rubenstein, Lawrence E. Ziewacz

Informed by the latest research and taking the long and fascinating history of Michigan right up to the present, this fourth edition of the leading survey of the Great Lakes State features a thoughtful redesign of its maps, new photographs, and expanded coverage, including the social and economic impact of tribal operated casino gaming on the state's American Indian population; environmental issues; agriculture; education; the latest developments in the Jimmy Hoffa mystery; literary and media contributions; Michigan's return to prominence in the realm of collegiate and professional sports, politics in the twenty-first century, the revitalization of Detroit, and the deepening economic decline since 2003.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[CJ Gerardy]

An intense page-turner from start to finish, with a twist ending that will leave you SPEECHLESS.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

With "Michigan: A History of the Great Lakes State", Bruce Rubenstein & Lawrence E. Ziewacz take we the reader on a tour of the history of the Wolverine state which is at times more interesting than even I had realized. The book itself does a decent job of at the beginning focusing on the Indians who made the state home & the challenges that Michigan faced from those early days under multiple country rule as well as it's compromise way to enter the US. At over 300 pages, Rubenstein & Ziewacz go into a decent in depth look at all of the quirks (both good & bad) that make Michigan what it is as well as explaining the challenges that are a hallmark of the state as well & to the tenacity of the people who call that state home. As a non-native of "that state up north" (as we call it in Ohio), this is a book that will have anyone taking a closer look at the state & understanding it in a way that I never did before. It's also for me a reason to go back someday to visit to explore more of this state & understand it better than I do now.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. I maybe should give it 3 stars but I think the perfect number would be 2.5. I really wanted to know more about the history of Michigan as well as some of the facts that I, as a relatively new Michigander, don’t know (whereas most native Michiganders do). I had two choices - this book or a college textbook which appeared to be not at all the kind of book for someone who is just interested in finding information. However, this book is fairly light-weight and jumps around a lot, never really offering much depth to anything. On the other hand, I did learn things. But at the same time I used a lot of what I read as a starting point for searches on the computer to find out more. I’m glad I read it and I did learn many interesting things; but overall I believe that it could have been a bit more researched and better written.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half is pretty barren, but it develops into a pretty decent people’s history. Has some remarkable anecdotes I’d never heard before, from the Mormon cult-leader who tried to take over part of the state before getting assassinated to the crazy frequency of strikes during the war effort and why women began getting employed in factories during WWII (it wasn’t *just* that men were shooting nazis; the government had also decided they didn’t want any more immigrants coming to michigan or working at that time (although this did not apply to the prisoners of war brought to work in Michigan!)).

[Julia]

Another assigned text from Social Studies for Elementary Students. This provided a very detailed explanation and description of all things Michigan. I am uncertain, however, if I agree that it is an adequate source for an elementary aged child. Personally, I strongly believe it is not. I found myself skimming over the pages as there were too many details, statistics, and events that I simply didn’t feel I needed. I’m not sure who would need to have this much information on Michigan’s history…

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for a class and was surprised how much I enjoyed the writing style. That being said, this does feel more like a textbook than a light read, but enjoying chapters in chunks really helped me digest the material.

[Dawnmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for history buffs and anyone living in Michigan

[Paula Nevins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and an enjoyable read.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Project Read-a-History-of-Every-State-in-Order-of-Statehood #26

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good if you want just the overview of Michigan history! I would recommend to anyone who loves to learn more about state history.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nicely organized, but sometimes the authors' biases in favor or against various michigan political figures and movements shows and is annoying.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read for a textbook! I never felt like I didn't understand it, and it had so much interesting information it wasn't hard to read the assigned chapters.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jumped around quite a bit. So many places and names I couldn't keep them all straight. Had to read it for class which made it more boring.

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief review to come