Great Lakes, Great Reads (from our HOMES)

Curated during the 2020 pandemic, our list of great reads about the Great Lakes is a sampling of titles available on the greatest of watersheds. We are constantly adding to our list – please send us your favorite title to add! Just askwater@aqua.wisc.edu

Keep on reading!

[updated March 2, 2023]

The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes by Lynne Heasley. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2022.
Around Lake Michigan: American Indians, 1820-1850 by Gerard van Bussel and Eric Hemenway. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2021.
Biodiversity, Conservation and Environmental Management in the Great Lakes Basin
by Eric Freedman; Mark Neuzil. London; New York: Routledge, Taylor et Francis Group 2018.
Climate Ghosts : Migratory Species in the Anthropocene by Nancy Langston. Waltham, Massachusetts: Brandeis University Press, 2021.
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
by Dan Egan. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, [2017].
A Fully Accredited Ocean: Essays on the Great Lakes by Victoria Brehm. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press 1998.
Great Lakes Champions: Grassroots Efforts to Clean Up Polluted Watersheds
by John Hartig. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2022.
Great Lakes Chronicle: Essays on Coastal Wisconsin
from Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. [Madison, Wisconsin]: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2018.
Great Lakes Rocks: 4 Billion Years of Geologic History in the Great Lakes Region
by Stephen Kesler. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2019.
The Great Lakes: Stories from Where We Live by Sara St Antoine. Minneapolis, Minn.: Milkweed Editions, 2005.
The Great Lakes Water Warsby Peter Annin. Washington, DC : Island Press, 2018.
The Heart of the Lakes: Freshwater in the Past, Present and Future of Southeast Michigan
by Dave Dempsey. East Lansing, MI: Greenstone Books, 2019.
Indigenous Life around the Great Lakes: War, Climate, and Culture
by Richard W Edwards, IV. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2020.
The Late, Great Lakes: an Environmental History
by William Ashworth. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1987.
Lake Nation: People and the Fate of the Great Lakes
by Dave Dempsey. [n.p.]: Dave Dempsey, 2018.
The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas by Jerry Dennis. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2003.
Local Activism for Global Climate Justice: the Great Lakes Watershed by Patricia Perkins. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2020.
Milwaukee: a City Built on Water
by John Gurda. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2018.
The Once and Future Great Lakes Country: an Ecological History by J.L. Riley. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2013.
A Property Owner’s Guide to Protecting Your Bluff
by Lydia Salus, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, 2021.
Ripple Effects : How We’re Loving Our Lakes to Death by Ted Rulseh. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2022.
Third Coast Atlas: Prelude to a Plan edited by Daniel Ibañez, Clare Lyster, Charles Waldheim, Mason White. New York, NY: Actar, 2017.

Flora and Fauna and Geology

Animal Tracks of the Great Lakes by Ian Sheldon. Edmonton: Lone Pine, 1997.
Climate Ghosts: Migratory Species in the Anthropocene. by Nancy Langston. Waltham, Massachusetts : Brandeis University Press, 2021.
Fishes of Wisconsin by George C Becker. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1983. (available in full text!)
Great Lakes Rocks: 4 Billion Years of Geologic History in the Great Lakes Region
by Stephen E Kesler. [n.p.]: University of Michigan Regional, 2019.
Lake Invaders: Invasive Species and the Battle for the Future of the Great Lakes
by William Rapai. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2016.
The Life of the Lakes, 4th Ed: a Guide to the Great Lakes Fishery by Brandon C Schroeder; Shari Dann. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2019.
Making Waves: Battle for the Great Lakes (documentary)
produced by Jessica Walsh. [Glenwood City, W I]: Great Lakes Media, 2017.
Manoomin: the Story of Wild Rice in Michigan
by Barbara J Barton. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, [2018].
Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis by Andrew Reeves. Toronto: ECW Press, 2019.
People of the Sturgeon
by Kathleen Kline, Fred Binkowski, Ron Bruch. Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2009.
Something Spectacular: My Great Lakes Salmon Story by Howard Tanner. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2019.
Water without Borders? : Canada, the United States, and Shared Waters by Karen Bakker, Emma S. Norman, Alice Cohen Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2019.

Poetry

Harborless by Cindy Hunter Morgan. Detroit, MI : Wayne State University Press, 2017.
HOMES by Moheb Soliman. Minneapolis, MN: Coffee House Press, 2021.
In the Swim: Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian. Orlando, Flor. : Voyager, 2001.
Our Big Home: an Earth Poem by Linda Glaser; Elisa Kleven. Minneapolis : Millbrook Press, 2012.
Sail Away: Poems by Langston Hughes; Ashley Bryan. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2015.
The Sky Watched : Poems of Ojibwe Lives by Linda LeGarde Grover. Sante Fe, New Mexico: Red Mountain Press, 2016.
Song of the Water Boatman [and] Other Pond Poems
by Joyce Sidman; Beckie Prange. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.
Watermarks: Poems from the Coast of Keweenaw by Barbara Simila; Peter Oikarinen. Calumet, Mich. : Manitou Books, ©1996.

Fiction

Across the Great Lake by Lee Zacharias. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2018.
Death at Gills Rock: a Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery
by Patricia Skalka. Madison, Wisconsin: Terrace Books, a trade imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press, 2015.
Death by the Bay
by Patricia Skalka. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2019.
Death Casts a Shadow by Patricia Skalka. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2022.
Death Rides the Ferry by Patricia Skalka.
Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2018.
Death in Cold Water by Patricia Skalka.
Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2016.
Death Stalks Door County: a Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery
by Patricia Skalka. Madison, Wisconsin: Terrace Books, a trade imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press, 2014.
Death Washes Ashore by Patricia Skalka. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2021.
Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury: a Novel
by Kinley Bryan. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: Blue Mug Press, 2021.

For Earth Day

Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise by Gaylord Nelson; Susan Campbell; Paul R Wozniak; Tia Nelson. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012.
Gaylord Nelson: Champion for our Earth by Sheila Cohen.  Madison, Wis.: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2010.
The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-in Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation by Adam Rome. [n.p.]: North Point Press, 2014.
The Man from Clear Lake: Earth Day Founder Gaylord Nelson by Bill Christofferson. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2004.
Wisconsin’s Environment, 1970-1995: an Earth Day Twenty-fifth Anniversary Commemorative by Darin Harris. [Madison, Wis.?] : Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, [1995].

Shipwrecks

29 Missing : the True and Tragic Story of the Disappearance of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald by Andrew Kantar. East Lansing, Mich.: Lancaster : Michigan State University Press ; Gazelle, 2000.
“A” is for Archaeology: Underwater Archaeological Investigations from the 2016 and 2017 Field Seasons by Tamara L Thomsen; Caitlin N Zant; Tori Kiefer. [Madison, Wisconsin]: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2018.
Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals by William Ratigan. [n.p.]: Galahad Books, 1994.
Mysteries and Histories: Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes by Wes Oleszewski. Marquette, Mich. : Avery Color Studios, 1997.
Myths and Mysteries: Underwater Archaeological Investigations of the Lumber Schooner Rouse Simmons, Christmas Tree Ship by Keith N Meverden; Tamara L Thomsen. [Madison, Wis.?] : Wisconsin Historical Society, 2008.
Shipwrecks! / Dive into History and Explore the Underwater Wonders of Wisconsin’s Maritime Legacy (video). by PBS Wisconsin. Wisconsin :Wisconsin Historical Society and PBS Wisconsin, 2021.
Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures, Great Lakes: Legends and Lore, Pirates and More! by Michael O Varhola; Paul G Hoffman; Frederick Stonehous. Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot, 2008.
Stories from the Wreckage: A Great Lakes Maritime History Inspired by Shipwrecks by John Odin Jensen. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2019.
Tales of the Great Lakes: Stories from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Secaucus, N.J.: Castle, 1986.
Uncovering Great Lakes Shipwrecks
by Kathryn Wesgate. New York: Enslow Publishing, 2023.

Lighthouses and Ships and Maritime Heritage

The Cadottes : a Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior by Robert Silbernagel. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2020.
Mastering the Inland Seas : How Lighthouses, Navigational Aids, and Harbors Transformed the Great Lakes and America by Theodore Karamanski. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2020.
Real, Honest Sailing with a Great Lakes Captain by Gary Schmidt with Warren Gerds. Green Bay, WI: Seaway Printing Company, 2013.
Schooner Days: the Story of Wisconsin’s Flagship and the Rebirth of Discovery World by Frank L. Steeves. Wauwatosa, WI: Running Light Press, 2017.
Steamboats and
Sailing into History : Great Lakes Bulk Carriers of the Twentieth Century and the Crews Who Sailed Them
by Frank Boles. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2017.
Sailors of the Great Lakes
by Mark Thompson. [n.p.]: Wayne State University Press, 2017.
Sea Stories: True Adventures of Great Lakes Freighter Captain, Richard Metz by Richard Metz.
Cambridge, Minnesota: Adventure Publications, 2017.
Stories from the Wreckage: a Great Lakes Maritime History Inspired by Shipwrecks by John Jensen.
Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2019.
The View from Split Rock: a Lighthouse keeper’s life.
by Lee Radzak. St. Paul, MN :Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2021.
Whaleback Ships of the Great Lakes : McDougall Adventures.
by Stan Bougie. Columbia, SC: [n.p.], 2021.
Wooden Boats and Iron Men: History of Commercial Fishing in Northern Lake Michigan & Door County, 1850-2005 by Trygvie Jensen. De Pere, Wis.: Paisa (Alt) Pub., 2007.
World War II & the Great Lakes : Submarines, Bombers & Ore Boats by Wes Oleszewski. Gwinn, MI :Avery Color Studios, Inc., 2018.

Doesn’t quite fit elsewhere

The (Even) Greater, Great Lakes Trivia Test : the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of Michigan by Michael J Thorp. Flint, MI: SouThorp Publishers, 2018.
Great Lakes Pirate : the Adventures of Roaring Dan Seaveyby Gavin Schmitt. Charleston, SC :The History Press, 2021.

StayCation

A 1,000-mile Great Lakes Walk: One Woman’s Trek along the Shorelines of All Five Great Lakes by Loreen Niewenhuis. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Crickhollow Books, 2013.
Across the Great Lake by Lee Zacharias. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2018 (fiction).
Biking the Great Lakes Islands: a Guide to Biking Seven Islands in the Great Lakes by Kathleen S Abrams; Lawrence F Abrams. Wausau, WI: Entwood Pub., 1985.
Going Full Circle: a 1,555-mile Walk Around the World’s Largest Lake by Michael Link; Kate Crowley. Duluth: Lake Superior Port Cities Inc., 2012.
The Great Lakes at Ten Miles an Hour: One Cyclist’s Journey along the Shores of the Inland Seas by Thomas C Shevory. Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [2017].
Great Lakes Chronicle: Essays on Coastal Wisconsin by Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.  [Madison, Wisconsin]: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, [2018] ©2018
Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure
by Maureen Dunphy. Detroit, Michigan: Painted Turtle, an imprint of Wayne State University Press, 2016.
The Lure of the North Woods: Cultivating Tourism in the Upper Midwest by Aaron Shapiro. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
Surfing the Malibu of the Midwest
by William Povletich. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2016.
Water
by John Gurda. Essay in the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Edited by Amanda Seligman. (accessed 3/26/2020)
The Windward Shore: a Winter on the Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012.

HOMES

Around the Shores of Lake Superior : a Guide to Historic Sites by Margaret Beattie Bogue. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2007.
Lake Erie: a Pictorial History by Julie Macfie Sobol; Ken Sobol. Buffalo, N.Y.: Boston Mills Press; Distributed in the United States by Firefly Books, 2004.
Lake Huron by Anne Ylvisaker. Mankato, Minn : Bridgestone Books, 2004.
Lake Michigan by Sarah FitzSimons. [Madison, Wis.] : [Water Books], [2019].
Perimeter : a Contemporary Portrait of Lake Michigan by Kevin Miyazaki. [Madison, Wisconsin]: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2014.
The State of Lake Ontario in 2014
by Robert O’Gorman. Ann Arbor, MI : Great Lakes Fishery Commission, [2017] Sustaining Lake Superior: an Extraordinary Lake in a Changing World. by Nancy Langston. [n.p.]: Yale University Press, 2019.

For April Fools Day

Blue Men and River Monsters: Folklore of the North by John Zimm. Madison, WI : Wisconsin Historical Society Press, [2014].
Lake monsters of Wisconsin by Chad Lewis. Eau Claire, WI : On the Road Publications, [2016].
A Field Guide to Mermaids of the Great Lakes by Debbie Scheller. [n.p.]: Deborah Scheller, 2017.
Shipwrecks, Monsters, and Mysteries of the Great Lakes
by Ed Butts. [n.p.]: Tundra Books, 2011.
Tallulah: Mermaid of the Great Lakes by Denise Brennan-Nelson; Susan Kathleen Hartung. Ann Arbor, MI : Sleeping Bear Press, [2015].

For Children

The Day the Great Lakes Drained Away by Charles Ferguson Barker. [Michigan?]: Mackinac Island Press, 2005.
The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell by Kathy-Jo Wargin and Gisjbert Van Frankenhuyzen. Chelsea, Mich.: Sleeping Bear Press: 2003.
The Freshwater Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge: 1996.
Gimaamaa-akiiminaan gimiigwechiwendaamin: Thankful for our Mother Earth: A kid’s manoomin activity booklet by Dylan Jennings; Wesley Ballinger; Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, Odanah, WI: GLIFWC, 2017 (available full text online!).
Good Night Great Lakes by Alan Gamble. [Sandwich, MA]: Good Night Books, 2019.
Great Lakes by Kevin Meyers. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2020.
Growing up Ojibwe. by Joshua M Whitebird; Edward Benton-Banai; Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Odanah, WI: Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, [2018].
Mail by the Pail by Colin Bergel; Mark Koenig. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000.
The Mystery on the Great Lakes by Carole Marsh. Peachtree City, GA: Carole Marsh/Gallopade International, 2019.
Nibi Emosaawdang = The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson. [Toronto]: Second Story Press, 2019.
Paddle to the Sea. Written and illustrated by Holling Clancy Holling. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1941.
On Sand Island by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes by Pamela Cameron; Renee Graef. [Madison, WI]: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, [2019].
Gimaamaa-akiiminaan gimiigwechiwendaamin: Thankful for our Mother Earth: Spearing Through the Ice, Activity Booklet by Dylan Jennings; Wesley Ballinger; Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Odanah, WI: Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, [2016].