Reviews for Trees of Michigan

The average rating for Trees of Michigan based on 3 reviews is 4.6666666666667 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-08-23 00:00:00 Jonathan Lane Easy-to-use key, good organization, full and clear descriptions. Each tree has photographs of its bark, leaves, and fruiting bodies, as well as an illustration of the typical tree shape. There is a lot of useful information in the beginning of the book and a full index at the end. The book is hardy yet packable. Perfectly done.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-07-21 00:00:00 Marcy Zerbini If you want an insanely thorough look at the Haymarket affair, this is the book for you. I think I would have liked it more if it hadn't been so detailed, but part of me appreciates all the little facts being crammed in one book. I was however disappointed in two things. 1) The way Avrich plays into some of the anarchists' defense of "we're innocent victims," and 2) the way Avrich referes to a lot of the female anarchists. I'm usually able to acknowledge subtle mysogany in some writers, and move on and getting at their other ideas. But it was just so repetitive the way Avrich would almost always refere to Albert Parsons "and his wife" over and over again, while Albert Parsons wife, Lucy Parsons, is in my opinion, a much more inspiring person than Albert. William Holmes overshadows his sister Lizzie - I suppose just the usual prioritization of some women to their perceived male counterparts. The victimization of the anarchists was also dissapointing after reading Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background - a book written after The Haymarket Tragedy and one that does a superb job of debunking the myth of Sacco and Vanzetti being "innocent victims." I overall did like this book very much, I think I just have unfair standards for Avrich. 4.1

Review # 3 was written on 2013-02-05 00:00:00 Peder Lerud Probably the best general history of the Haymarket events. Avrich does an excellent job putting the events into the context of a militant anarchist movement that existed in Chicago and nationally in the 1880s. Unlike some other historians, he doesn't sanitize the anarchists' views to make them seem innocent, nor does he portray them as crazed revolutionaries. He also takes a very nuanced approach to the events and the people involved, showing the differences in views that existed within the anarchist movement and even within the Haymarket martyrs themselves.