The Great Michigan Read
The Great Michigan Read is a book club for the entire state. With a statewide focus on a single book, it encourages Michiganians to learn more about their state, their history, and their society. The next program is currently under development and will launch in May 2011.
Michiganians will be able to participate by reading the book, talking about it with friends, and joining community Great Michigan Read programs.
The Council will invite libraries, schools, book clubs, businesses, and other organizations to coordinate programs related to the book. These might include book discussions, classroom exercises, writing workshops, lectures, oral history projects, or others. All registered partners receive free reader’s guides, bookmarks, posters, and other resources and may apply for grants to support related programming. Partners also qualify for special program opportunities, including the potential to host author and exhibit tours.
Contact Gregory Parker (gparker [at] mihumanities.org) for more information.
2009-2010
The 2009-10 Great Michigan Read was Bich Minh Nguyen’s Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, a memoir chronicling the author’s migration from Vietnam in 1975 and her coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1980s. Hundreds of related programs took place statewide, including a five-city author tour. The program concluded with the 2010 Michigan Author Homecoming, with guests Benjamin Busch, Philip Caputo, and Doug Stanton appearing in East Lansing and Marquette.
Their Journey: Vietnamese in Michigan, a small, traveling display created to provide additional historical context to Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, is available for exhibit. Please contact the Council for details.
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner Reader’s Guide
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner Teacher’s Guide
2007-2008
The 2007-08 Great Michigan Read was Ernest Hemingway’s The Nick Adams Stories, a series of short stories set largely in Michigan. The book inspired more than 500 programs in 75 of Michigan's 83 counties, including a six-city author tour with Valerie Hemingway and the 2008 Michigan Author Homecoming featuring Richard Ford, Jim Harrison, and Thomas McGuane.
Council Programs
- The Great Michigan Read
- Arts & Humanities Media Project
- Arts & Humanities Touring Program
- Picturing America in Michigan
- Poetry Out Loud
- PRIME TIME Family Reading Time®
2009-2010 Great Michigan Read
2009-2010 Major Sponsors
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Meijer
- Citizens Bank - Saginaw
- Public Policy Associates
2007-2008 Great Michigan Read
