Winter 2025 Reading List
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The Gales of November
by John U. Bacon, ’82, MA’94 (Liveright, 2025)
“The Gales of November” details the untold story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729-foot-long ship that sank into Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, after a “storm of the century” assault of 50-foot waves and devastating winds, killing 29 people onboard. John U. Bacon, ’82, MA’94, provides a detailed account of the tragedy, as well as the Great Lakes’ and the Edmund Fitzgerald’s economic role in the decades after World War II, in this New York Times bestseller.
Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?: Essays on Conquering the Quarter-Life Crisis
by Eli Rallo, ’20 (Harvest, 2025)
You may recognize Eli Rallo, ’20, from the cover of our Winter 2023-24 issue, when Michigan Alum profiled her rise to social media popularity and announcement of her first book, “I Didn’t Know I Needed This,” inspired by the advice she gave to her followers on Instagram and TikTok. The School of Music, Theatre and Dance alum’s second book, “Does Anyone Else Feel This Way,” is a collection of essays that explore the often tumultuous transition into adulthood, her hard-won life lessons, and how to navigate a quarter-life crisis.
Little Movements
by Lauren Morrow, MFA’21 (Random House, 2025)
Dubbed one of the best books of the fall by People, Oprah Daily, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, this 2025 debut novel follows Layla Smart, who was never taught to dream big, as she leaves her job, friends, and home in Brooklyn to accept a prestigious choreographer-in-residence position in rural Vermont. There, she dives into her passion for dance — while the institution’s director seems to push her towards racial tokenization — until a betrayal is uncovered and dark pasts come to life.
Archipelago
by Natalie Bakopoulos, MFA’05 (Tin House, 2025)
When the unnamed narrator of “Archipelago” has an unsettling encounter with a man on a ferry while en route to a translation writing residency, it sets off a series of strange events. Once she arrives at the residency, she reunites with an old friend who seems to have based a character in his novel on the narrator, and begins to let this version of herself unfold before a sudden shift leads to an impulsive road trip back to Greece.
Ten Thousand Light Years From Okay
by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, ’91 (Lake Union Publishing, 2025)
Chosen as an Amazon First Reads and Good Housekeeping Book Club pick, “Ten Thousand Light Years from Okay” was co-authored by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, ’91, and tells the story of a young widower who believes her novels create realities. After her husband’s tragic death mirrored a plot line in her debut novel, Thea Packer refuses to write and focuses on raising her daughter. But when inspiration strikes, Thea begins a fairytale romance about an astronaut and a real-life astronaut enters her life. As the coincidences pile up, Thea must unpack her grief in this newly released novel.
Fred Flips! How One Gymnast Realized That Differences Can Become Strengths
by Fredrick Richard (Bushel & Peck Books, 2025)
Fredrick Richard, a U-M student, is an Olympic bronze medalist and part of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Gymnastics team that competed at the 2024 games. Now, he’s also a children’s book author with the release of his debut book, “Fred Flips.” The book tells Richard’s story of feeling different as a young Black boy in a gymnastics class with mostly girls but, by following his dad’s advice, Fred finds that embracing his identity is what makes him shine.
