Michigan Notable Books

Every year, the Library of Michigan selects up to twenty of the most notable books, either written by a Michigan resident or about Michigan or the Great Lakes. The selected books are honored in the year after their publication or copyright date. Each selected title speaks to our state's rich cultural, historical, and literary heritage and proves without a doubt that some of the greatest stories are found in the Great Lakes State.

More information at: michigan.gov/notablebooks

This list includes titles included on the 2025 and 2026 lists.

Updated January 27, 2026
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Dearborn Public Library Dearborn Public Library
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Michigan Notable Books

Every year, the Library of Michigan selects up to twenty of the most notable books, either written by a Michigan resident or about Michigan or the Great Lakes. The selected books are honored in the year after their publication or copyright date. Each selected title speaks to our state's rich cultural, historical, and literary heritage and proves without a doubt that some of the greatest stories are found in the Great Lakes State.

More information at: michigan.gov/notablebooks

This list includes titles included on the 2025 and 2026 lists.

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Bear County, Michigan: Stories
Counts, John
Paper Book
Following desperate characters in desperate circumstances in the rural Midwest In these colorful, darkly comic stories, veteran journalist and crime reporter John Counts takes readers to an often-ignored part of the country: a fictional Great Lakes coastal town in northern Michigan...
The containment : Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the battle for racial justice in the North
Adams, Michelle
Paper Book
Winner of the MAAH Stone Book Award Winner of the 2025 Avern Cohn Award A New York Times Notable Book of 2025, A New Yorker Best Book of 2025 selection A Christian Science Monitor 25 Best Books of...
Cooler than cool : the life and work of Elmore Leonard
Kushins, C. M.
Drawing on unprecedented archival and family access, Cooler Than Cool: The Life of Elmore Leonard, is the first comprehensive biography of the master American crime writer, author of witty, gritty bestsellers like Get Shorty and Raylan. Over...
The gales of November : the untold story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Bacon, John U.
For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century...
Theater kid : a Broadway memoir
Seller, Jeffrey
Paper Book
A New Yorker, NPR, and Washington Independent Review Best Book of 2025 A coming-of-age tale from one of the most successful American producers of our time, Jeffrey Seller, who is the only producer to have mounted two Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals--Hamilton<...
Waterline : a novel
Mrjoian, Aram
Paper Book
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2025 BY ESQUIRE "A gripping journey through time, Mrjoian brings readers deep into the heart of the Armenian Genocide and its ripples across generations. . . . Waterline is a must-read--intense, moving, and unforgettable."--Morgan Talty, national...
The Black utopians : searching for paradise and the Promised Land in America
Robertson, Aaron
Paper Book
One of The New York Times's 100 Notable Books of 2024 One of the Washington Post's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 A Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History Finalist for the Zora Award | Hooks National Book Award<...
A cast away in Montana
Schulz, Timothy J.
Paper Book
A Cast Away in Montana is the captivating story of a passionate angler's first trip to Montana. Through Tim Schulz's humorous, insightful, and reflective storytelling, readers not only discover the thrill of pursuing elusive fish in stunning landscapes but also embark on a profoundly personal...
Funny story
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ A shimmering, joyful novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2024 Named a Must-Read Book of 2024 by...
Good dress : poems
Rogers, Brittany
Paper Book
Winner of the Lambda Award for Bisexual Poetry Longlisted for the 2025 Maya Angelou Book Award "A once-in-a-generation debut."―Angel Nafis "This self-assured, dazzling debut has a story to tell."―Aricka Foreman <...
I cheerfully refuse : a novel
Enger, Leif
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A BARNES & NOBLE BOOK CLUB PICK * A career defining tour-de-force from New York Times bestselling, award-winning and "formidably gifted" (Chicago Tribune) author of Peace Like a River Leif Enger. "A rare, remarkable book to be kept and...
The lady with the dark hair : a novel
Bartels, Erin
Paper Book
2025 Michigan Notable Book "Bartels perfectly meshes the stories of two women, both artists, living half a world and nearly a century-and-a-half apart. Bartels' settings and historical details are unusual and compelling; the dual time lines work perfectly, and this well-researched...
The Lions Finally Roar How the Ford Family and the Detroit Lions Broke the Oldest Curse in the N.F.L
Morris, Bill
Ebook
The epic and tumultuous story of the Lions, the Ford family, the city of Detroit--and how all three have come together on the cusp of a new era. On Nov. 22, 1963, William Clay Ford, the youngest grandson of auto pioneer Henry Ford, made a successful bid to buy the Detroit Lions...
Listening to workers : oral histories of metro Detroit autoworkers in the 1950s
Clark, Daniel J
Historians and readers alike often overlook the everyday experiences of workers. Drawing on years of interviews and archival research, Daniel J. Clark presents the rich, interesting, and sometimes confounding lives of men and women who worked in Detroit-area automotive plants in the 1950s. ...
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry
Johnson, Anna Rose.
Ebook
Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers--and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking... Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor's...
Mc5: An Oral Biography of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band
Tolinski, Brad
Paper Book
A riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle   Few bands have dared to ignite a revolution through their fusion of activism and art like MC5. Managed by the...
My black country : a journey through country music's black past, present, and future
Randall, Alice
Paper Book
Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author presents "a celebration of all things country music" (Ken Burns) as she reflects on her search for the first family of Black country music. Country music had brought Alice Randall and her activist mother together and...
Old Time Hawkey's Recipes from the Cedar Swamp : A Cookbook
Old Time Hawkey.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Step into Old Time Hawkey's magical world with 100 comforting recipes and stories inspired by the beauty of Northern Michigan Well hello, buddy. In videos that have captured the hearts of millions online, Old Time Hawkey, aka Fritz...
Sail, steam, and diesel : moving cargo on the Great Lakes
Hirsimaki, Eric E.
Paper Book
Water transportation has played a key role in the Great Lakes region's settlement and economic growth, from providing entry into the new lake states to offering cheap transportation for the goods they produced. There are numerous tales surrounding the Great Lakes shipping trade, but few storytellers...
Searching for Van Gogh: A Novel
Lystra, Donald
Set in Michigan during the tumultuous closing weeks of 1963, "Searching for Van Gogh" is a heart-wrenching story of two young souls bravely navigating life's challenges.A young woman is inspired by a cinematic heroine to find meaning in a world that has cast her aside.A teenage math and science...
True Gretch : what I've learned about life, leadership, and everything in between
Whitmer, Gretchen
Paper Book
From trailblazing Michigan governor, Democratic leader, and national advocate for women's rights, Gretchen Whitmer, comes an unconventional and deeply personal account of her life and career--"Not your nana's ponderous political memoir" (New York magazine)--offering insights into her...
The waters : a novel
Campbell, Bonnie Jo
Paper Book
On an island in the Great Massasauga Swamp--an area known as "The Waters" to the residents of nearby Whiteheart, Michigan--herbalist and eccentric Hermine "Herself" Zook has healed the local women of their ailments for generations. As stubborn as her tonics are powerful, Herself inspires...
We live here : Detroit Eviction Defense and the battle for housing justice
Wilson, Jeffrey
Paper Book
A graphic novel featuring uplifting stories of combatting-and beating-calls for their eviction in Detroit, showing how everyday people are fighting to stay in their homes, organizing with their communities, and winning. We Live Here! is a graphic novel biography of the...
When Detroit played the numbers : gambling's history and cultural impact on the Motor City
George, Felicia B.
Paper Book
Winner: A Michigan Notable Book! Finalist: The Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards! A testament to the tenacious spirit embodied in Detroit culture and history, this account reveals how numbers gambling, initially an illegal enterprise, became a community resource and institution of...
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