Deborah Frontiera's books

Two really wonderful books, both by Deborah K. Frontier. Deborah is a native to Michigan, growing up in Lake Linden in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She has lived away from Michigan in her adult life, but has a cottage in the UP where she spends her summers.

I especially wanted to mention two books that were recently submitted for the Michigan Notable Books program. One in particular, I especially liked & this one is LIving on Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy. The story is written in journal format by the oldest daughter of a Finnish immigrant family at the time of the miners strike, where Big Annie of Calumet plays a prominent role. The story is a remarkable one, encompassing the decision to unionize, to join the strike, the long months of not working, and the ending of the story. Frontiera manages to put a very personal face on the miners' strike, including the effect on people's families and what people did to survive. As well, many details that are missing from modern life, including canning, preserving food for the winter, children having to work to help support the family are well presented here. She does a wonderful job of showing, not telling about these details as well as accurately portraying this long ago time.

I recommend it highly, and this book may be of interest to young readers who like the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Parents whose children are sensitive to violence should be aware that the Italian Hall Disaster, where over 70 people died, including many children is talked about in this book, as the main character is there in the Hall during that time.

The second book I wanted to mention by Frontiera is Copper Country Chronicler: The Best of J. W. Nara. What an absolutely charming photographic book. Nara took many pictures in the Upper Peninsula, and his photos are full of family details, details of buildings, children, places & scenes of the UP. Really well put together, interesting, and the captions put together a historical perspective on the region.

Enjoy!