When I started reading Weird Michigan, I realized that the author, Linda S. Godfrey, had every right to title her book so. That is the only word to describe the things that are happening in this book, weird. While reading this book, it is easy to realize that no two places are alike, because they all have weird things going on that no other place in the world has. That is what makes each place unique and different, whether it is a special rock or a haunted place where no one dares to go.

Upon opening the book, I was impressed with how the author organized the content into twelve sections so the articles would be easy to find.  Every time she started a new section, she gave a little bit of information to get you fascinated with the articles before you dug into them. My favorite section was the local legends, where it says, “Teenage girls vanish. Small red-face creatures with glittering eyes foretell doom.”  What impressed me the most were the terrifying pictures of unexplained events.

The twelve sections in the book are...

A. Local Legends
B. Ancient Mysteries
C. Fabled People and Places
D. Unexplained Phenomena
E. Bizarre Beasts
F. Local Notables
G. Personalized Properties
H. Roadside Oddities
I. Roads Less Traveled
J. Haunted Michigan
K. Cemetery Safari
L. Abandoned in Michigan

The first section focuses on local legends.  The author explains how in every legend, there is a fear known to humankind. This section was extremely interesting.  There are eleven additional sections, each one with a special tale. One section is about personalized properties. I immediately saw a doll garden full of broken doll parts in drawers, on a wheel, and dolls that were just standing there staring at you. Looking at that picture brought back the memory of me going to an open house with my Mom. While there, we spotted a green car with broken doll heads (with eyes that were either missing or arranged to look like they were staring directly at you) all over the vehicle - and I remember being terrified by it.

The book is quite well-organized.  There are big bold headings to catch your eyes so the articles are easy to spot when you are looking for one in a hurry. In the back of the book, there is a detailed index to help you avoid flipping though the pages to find the articles you are looking for. This was helpful for me when I forgot what page number my favorite articles were on.

By reading this book, the author made me want to do more research to find out more about certain places, So we could go there someday. This book influenced a trip to the Weird Michigan wax museum, where I read about some of the people that are in the book. This book also made me think of my home state in a completely new way, because before I had read this book, I never realized how many things Michigan had that made it unique. Thanks to the author, I now want to explore and find new haunted places or new things that makes Michigan so unique.

If you are traveling in Michigan, be sure to grab a weird Michigan book to do some sight seeing, and explore what makes Michigan unique.

For more information, please see: http://www.weirdmichigan.com/