Editor’s note: This article was published in Grand Traverse Scene magazine’s Fall 2025 issue. Pick up a free copy at area hotels, visitor’s centers, chambers of commerce or at the Record-Eagle building on Front Street. Click here to read GT Scene in its entirety online.
As fall arrives, so does a heightened sense of the passing of time. Peak season comes to an end, kids return to school, and the bright green of summer trees fades into a spectrum of yellow and red. A sense of impermanence creeps in. But the beauty of northern Michigan endures, no matter the season. Two recent nonfiction books celebrate this endless enchantment and explore the theme of change, albeit from different times and perspectives.
In “The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan,” Robert “Carlos” Fuentes recalls a week of harvesting cherries alongside his family in the summer of 1969, when he was 14 years old. His young adult memoir provides insight into life as a migrant farmworker and what it is like growing up while straddling two cultures. He also reflects on the guideposts of his youth: religion, family, and friends.
Fuentes explains that his father disguised the week as a family vacation: after each day of picking cherries, there would be time for trips to the beach, cookouts, and other outdoor fun. While some children might protest this, Fuentes sees it as an opportunity to make new memories in wondrous Lake Leelanau, which he affectionately calls “Cherryland.” Throughout the week, Fuentes exchanges notes with his crush, stargazes, jumps off the pier, and savors ice cream on a hot summer day. The hope and enthusiasm of youth is palpable.
While picking cherries, Fuentes considers how his family history enriches his connection to the land and his sense of self. He worries about the advent of mechanized harvesting and how it will impact those whose livelihoods rely entirely on seasonal farmwork. Fuentes contemplates racism, representation, and his dreams for the future. While hanging out with the other migrant children, he finds strength to overcome insecurities and face fears.
“The Vacation” would serve as an excellent springboard for discussion among young people, particularly in an educational setting. But readers of any age are likely to appreciate Fuentes’ memoir and be inspired to investigate their own family history or to share their childhood memories of northern Michigan.
Tim Mulherin’s “This Magnetic North: Candid Conversations on a Changing Northern Michigan” explores factors that are shaping the region today, focusing on the effects of the pandemic, climate change, and northern Michigan’s influx of tourists and residents. Along the way, Mulherin provides a fascinating inside look at many of the area’s iconic institutions and the various efforts to educate and protect the public while recreating in its parks and waterways.
Mulherin travels across the region and meets with dozens of people, from business owners to biologists and city officials to astrophysicists. He talks to birders, fishermen, and volunteers. Mulherin approaches each conversation as a friendly neighbor and tries to avoid politics. His process proves that expressing a keen interest in someone and focusing on common ground, often accompanied by taking a walk together, opens doors and builds connections.
“This Magnetic North” provides a deeper understanding of how stewards of northern Michigan are preparing for the future while working to preserve what has long made the region special. In a time of great division, heated online discourse, and rash judgement, Mulherin’s work is a vital reminder that despite our differences, we are united by a fierce love and appreciation of our Michigan home and the hope its beauty, wonder, and welcome persist for many generations to come.
Mulherin has several upcoming events in the area. Visit www.timmulherin.com/events for details.
In the back-to-school spirit, I’ve put together a reading list of familiar favorites and recent publications inspired by northern Michigan and the Great Lakes, including one book co-authored and illustrated by the Grand Traverse Scene’s own essayist, Chris Smith.
“Around the Next Bend: In Search of What the Day Might Hold” by Greg Frey, Chris Smith, Jon Osborn, and Jake Smith — This third volume from the authors known as The Lost Branch Sportsman’s Club celebrates the promise and possibility felt while hunting, fishing, and spending time in the great outdoors. These immersive stories are full of wisdom, laughter, and camaraderie.
“The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas” by Jerry Dennis — Last year, this bestseller was released with a new introduction in honor of its 20th anniversary. Skillfully blending his experience sailing from Lake Michigan to Maine with the natural and human history of the Great Lakes, Dennis has written a captivating and unmissable entry in Great Lakes literature.
“Great Lakes for Sale: Updated Edition” by Dave Dempsey — An informative and alarming account of the battle between protecting the waters of the Great Lakes and allowing diversions of water for public, private, and commercial use. Dempsey advocates for more ironclad protections and provides insight into water rights conflicts in general.
“Bear County, Michigan: Stories” by John Counts — Set in a fictional northern Michigan town, this collection of interconnected short stories explores the sense of disregard and desperation that can characterize small-town life. Though bleak, these stories are also beautiful and, at times, humorous.
“100 Things to Do in Michigan Before You Die” by Kath Usitalo — Usitalo highlights popular and lesser-known activities across Michigan, including many of her personal favorites. Categories include Food & Drink, Music & Entertainment, Sports & Recreation, Culture & History, and Shopping & Fashion. Proof that playing tourist, even in your home state, provides endless fun and discovery.