The library has a copy of all seven local history books written by Sonny
Longtine over the past eighteen years, You can find them in our Michigan
collection of regional books. The books
are listed below, newest to oldest, beginning with U.P. People, which is hot
off the press. All of these non-fiction
books can be found by their call numbers on the upper level of the library.
U.P. People (2017) – 977.49 LO – Longtine once again uses
the tagline, “Incredible Stories About Incredible People” to describe the
stories within. Following the format of Courage Burning, U.P. People features incredible people who claim the U.P. as their
source of inspiration. Find stories
about George Shiras III, the first to photograph animals at night with a trip wire; Nita Engle, a
most extraordinary watercolor artist; Steve Mariucci and Tom Izzo, all-star
athletes who went on to become famous coaches in football and basketball; Dr.
Paul Van Riper, longtime physician and namesake of Van Riper State Park in
Michigamme; Anne Clemenc, union organizer in the Copper Country; William G.
Mather, who instituted safety practices in the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company;
and Charlotte Armstrong, mystery writer and author of numerous television
screenplays. All forty-two stories are
supplemented by photos and drawings.
Michigan's Upper Penninsula Magnificent Mansions and Courtly Cottages (2015) -720.9774 LO - The subtitle, “The Houses We Live In, The
Buildings We Work In, The Churches We Pray In,” aptly describes the subject
matter.
Buildings are grouped together
by architectural design, such as Gothic Revival, Tudor Revival, Arts &
Crafts, Art Deco, and Modern, with the Table of Contents listing the building,
the city, and date of construction all in one line.
The story of each structure includes a
complete history from its construction to present day use.
Black and white photographs of the buildings
and close-ups of architectural details add to their historical interest.
There’s a huge glossary of architectural
terms, with a similarly large bibliography at the back of the book.
Murder in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (2014) - 364.1523 LO -
This book consists of twenty-one Upper Peninsula murders lifted directly from WADING
IN BLOOD and repackaged with a new cover.
Some of these short stories have been re-written into full-length books
or made into modern documentary films.
“Spousal Assassin,” a 1992 murder in Ontonagon, became “The Sweater
Letter” by Dave Distel (also found in the true crime section under 364.1523
DI).
“A Staircase to Death,” covers the
death of 73 people in Calumet’s 1913 Italian Hall Disaster, which has been the
subject of various books such as “Death’s Door: The Truth Behind the Italian
Hall Disaster and the Strike of 1913” by Steve Lehto (977.4993), and two recent
documentaries on DVD:
“Red Metal: The
Copper Country Strike of 1913” (977.499 RE) and “1913 Massacre” (977.4041 NI).
Wading in Blood: Murder in Michigan: A Riveting Read on
Legendary Murders that Spanned Upper and Lower Michigan (2009) - 364.1523 LO –
The title is very descriptive of thirty-six short stories of murder, each one
more ruthless than the last. These
spectacular crimes range from “A Hymn for the Hangman,” an 1830 story of a Detroit
tavern owner who beat his wife to death, to “A Picture Perfect Plan for Murder”
in 2008, unraveling the tale of a woman falling over a cliff at Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore in Munising while hiking with her husband. Did she fall or was she pushed? The book includes photos and drawings to
enhance the factual text of each story.
Courage Burning:
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (2006) - 977.39 LO - Longtine highlights
“Incredible Stories About Incredible People” by telling short stories about notable
figures in the U.P. from founding fathers to modern day pioneers. There are well-known names such as John
Longyear, John Voelker, Charles Kawbawgam, and Peter White, along with lesser
known, but quite awesome, people such as Fred Rydholm, William Blakewell, and Maggie
Waltz. These short biographies are accompanied by photos that enhance the
information.
Michigan's Upper Peninsula:
Life, Legends, and Landmarks (2002) - 977.49 LO – Longtine moves from
the history of buildings to the history of interesting people and places in the
U.P. Did you know about the Flying
Bietila brothers - Finnish ski jumpers from Ishpeming? How about Henry Ford’s home away from home at
the Thunder Bay Inn in Big Bay, which
was also the setting for the filming of the movie, “Anatomy of a Murder.” There are tidbits of information from every
corner of the U.P.
Marquette, Then and Now (1999) - 977.496 LO - This book,
with its historical and current photographs of city landmarks, appeals to
historians, tourists, and everyday residents of Marquette.
The stories are brief, but full of
interesting facts about each structure.
Take the book with you on a walk around town to reap the full benefit of
its content.
Longtine established his
style of combining story and photographs in this extraordinary publication.
--Lynette Suckow, Reference Desk.
