Michigan State University Press is excited to celebrate a distinguished group of authors whose recent works have earned well-deserved recognition with prestigious awards. From historical research to literary achievements, these authors and scholars are contributing new perspectives, innovative ideas, and engaging narratives that are reshaping their respective fields. Below, we highlight some of the award winners of 2024. Congratulations to the following MSU Press contributors for their recent award recognitions!
Joeva Sean Rock – We Are Not Starving (2024 Margaret Mead Award)
Joeva Sean Rock’s We Are Not Starving has been awarded the 2024 Margaret Mead Award, an honor recognizing works that bridge the gap between academic scholarship and real-world social impact. This critical text is a timely ethnography of how global powers, local resistance, and capital flows are shaping contemporary African foodways. Ghana was one of the first countries targeted by a group of US donors and agribusiness corporations that funded an ambitious plan to develop genetically modified (GM) crops for African farmers. This text aims to illuminate why GM crops have animated the country and to highlight how their introduction has opened an opportunity to air grievances about the systematic de-valuing and exploitation of African land, labor, and knowledge that have been centuries in the making.
The Margaret Mead Award acknowledges We Are Not Starving for its intellectual depth, compelling argument, and its potential to inspire change in global food systems. Rock’s work is a testament to the power of scholarship to engage with pressing social issues and advocate for transformative solutions.
Leslie J. Harris – The Rhetoric of White Slavery and the Making of National Identity (Marie Hochmuth Nichols Award)
Leslie J. Harris has received the Marie Hochmuth Nichols Award for her exceptional work, The Rhetoric of White Slavery and the Making of National Identity. In this comprehensive account of the Progressive Era’s sex trafficking rhetoric, Leslie Harris demonstrates the centrality of white womanhood, as a symbolic construct, to the structure of national space and belonging. Introducing the framework of the mobile imagination to read across different scales of the controversy—ranging from local to transnational—she establishes how the imaginative possibilities of mobility within public controversy work to constitute belonging in national space.
The Marie Hochmuth Nichols Award recognizes Harris’s contribution to historical scholarship, particularly her innovative approach to understanding how rhetoric and cultural narratives have shaped public perception of slavery and identity in twentieth-century America.
John Smolens – A Cold, Hard Prayer (Michigan Notable Book Award)
John Smolens has been honored with the prestigious Michigan Notable Book Award for his novel A Cold, Hard Prayer. Set against the stark, unforgiving landscape of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Smolens weaves a compelling tale of hardship, resilience, and survival. The story follows two teenagers seeking a new life in the Midwest, who find themselves struggling to survive after being taken in by a farm family in Michigan.
In A Cold, Hard Prayer, Smolens expertly blends elements of mystery, suspense, and historical fiction, exploring themes of faith, redemption, and the brutal realities of life on the frontier. His vivid depiction of the natural landscape and the emotional depth of his characters bring the historical context of the novel to life, offering readers a poignant glimpse into the challenges faced by those who sought a better future.
The Michigan Notable Book Award recognizes Smolens for his skillful storytelling and his ability to capture the essence of Michigan’s rich cultural and historical heritage. With A Cold, Hard Prayer, Smolens continues to showcase his talent for creating powerful narratives rooted in the complexities of both the human spirit and the Michigan landscape.
Melissa Croghan – Great Women of Mackinac (Michigan Notable Book Award)
Melissa Croghan’s Great Women of Mackinac has also been awarded the Michigan Notable Book Award. This work highlights the dramatic history of thirteen women leaders on Mackinac Island in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their linked visions of family and community define this beautiful island in the western Great Lakes. In this collective biography, author and Mackinac Island resident Melissa Croghan reveals how central they were to the history and literature of Mackinac.
The Michigan Notable Book Award recognizes Croghan’s skillful storytelling and her ability to shed light on often overlooked figures in Michigan’s history, offering readers a fresh perspective on the island’s historical and cultural significance.
Michelle Cassidy – Michigan’s Company K (Jon Gjerde Prize & Michigan State History Award)
Michelle Cassidy has received both the Jon Gjerde Prize and the Michigan State History Award for her book, Michigan’s Company K. Cassidy’s work delves into the experiences of Anishinaabe Michigan soldiers during the Civil War, focusing on the unique challenges faced by Company K, a group of men from Michigan who fought for the Union. Through in-depth research and personal accounts, Cassidy provides a detailed and poignant portrayal of the soldiers’ lives and the broader social and political context of the war.
The Jon Gjerde Prize and the Michigan State History Award celebrate Cassidy’s contribution to Civil War scholarship, particularly her ability to bring personal stories and historical events together to offer a richer understanding of Michigan’s role in the conflict.
Phil Porter – The Soldiers of Fort Mackinac (HSM History Hero Award)
Phil Porter has been awarded the Historical Society of Michigan History Hero Award. He is the author of The Soldiers of Fort Mackinac. This work explores the history of Fort Mackinac, a key military post in Michigan’s history, and the soldiers who served there. Porter’s research sheds light on the fort’s role in the region’s military and cultural history, as well as the lives of the men who were stationed there. Through a combination of archival research and historical interpretation, Porter brings the fort’s history to life for contemporary readers.
The HSM History Hero Award recognized Porter’s dedication to preserving and interpreting Michigan’s rich historical heritage, particularly through his detailed study of Fort Mackinac and its significance to the state’s military past.