Mary Doria Russell today discussed her book, “The Women of the Copper Country,” during a virtual news conference launching Michigan Humanities’ 2021-2022 Great Michigan Read. Russell discussed the research and storytelling that went into her account of how 25-year-old Annie Clements stood up for the miners and their families during the 1913 copper strikes.
Russell, who said she was honored to have her book chosen for this year’s Great Michigan Read, spent time in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula walking through the streets of Calumet, touring the mines, and visiting local museums as she prepared to write her fictionalized account of the real-life Big Annie.
“The copper strike itself has been studied and written about by historians and legal experts, but those accounts are not meant to engage the reader’s emotions. That was my job—to combine imagination and empathy with research,” she said. “Here was a 25-year-old woman who is central to a strike against the most powerful company in the most dangerous industry of her time, a child of despised immigrants, and a housewife with a simple education in a time when women couldn’t vote and weren’t supposed to take part in public life. Somehow, she mobilized 10,000 miners and kept everyone going, day after day, month after month. So, my task was to tell readers: what makes a woman like Annie Clements?”
The Great Michigan Read kicks off this month and runs through spring 2022. In addition to free books, Great Michigan Read partners receive free reader’s guides, teacher’s guides, bookmarks, and other supplemental materials. Schools, libraries, colleges, arts and cultural institutions, and a range of other nonprofits are eligible to be Great Michigan Read partners. Registration is open now at Michigan Humanities. Russell will participate in a virtual author’s tour this October. A 2022 author tour will take place but decisions on in-person or virtual sessions will be made at a later date.
“We are delighted to kick off our 2021-22 Great Michigan Read with a virtual event with Mary Doria Russell, author of ‘The Women of the Copper Country,’” said Michigan Humanities Acting President and CEO Jennifer Rupp. “As we begin this new cycle of Great Michigan Read, we look forward to seeing partners’ reactions to the book, and hope that the tale of ‘America’s Joan of Arc’ inspires meaningful discussion between Michigan readers.”
Widely praised for meticulous research, fine prose, and the compelling narrative drive of her stories, Russell is the award-winning author of seven bestselling novels, including the science fiction classics “The Sparrow” and “Children of God”; the World War II thriller, “A Thread of Grace”; and a political romance set in 1921 Cairo called “Dreamers of the Day.” With her novels “Doc” and “Epitaph,” Russell has redefined two towering figures of the American West: the lawman Wyatt Earp and the dental surgeon Doc Holliday. She holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan and taught anatomy at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. A photo of Russell is available here.
The Great Michigan Read aims to connect Michigan residents by deepening readers’ understanding of our state, our society, and our humanity. The 2019-2020 Great Michigan Read book was “What the Eyes Don’t See,” Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s account of her discovery that Flint’s children were being poisoned by lead leaching into the city’s drinking water. The 2017-18 book was “X: A Novel,” a fictionalized account of the early life and Michigan roots of civil rights leader Malcolm X. A Great Michigan Read logo is available here and here.
The 2021-22 Great Michigan Read title was selected by seven regional selection committees made up of teachers, librarians, community leaders and book lovers representing all corners of Michigan. After reading books with Michigan themes or locations from June through September 2020, the selection committee chairs met virtually in November 2020 and selected “The Women of the Copper Country” as the next Great Michigan Read.
The 2021-22 Great Michigan Read is presented by Michigan Humanities and supported by national, statewide and local partners, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Meijer Foundation, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, the Library of Michigan, Laborers’ International Union of North America, Michigan Radio, WCMU Public Media, Image Creative Group, and Martin Waymire.
Action grants of up to $750 will be available to help support registered partners’ Great Michigan Read programming centered on the themes found in the book’s title. Sponsorship opportunities also are available to support partner events throughout the state. Contact Michigan Humanities to find out how to get involved.
A recording of today’s virtual news conference is available here. It also can be found on the Michigan Humanities Facebook page here.
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