The Big Read

Keynote Lecture: July 16, 2024 at 7:30pm in Voorhies Hall

1924: Two teenagers ride the Orphan Train for a new life, but find only hardship on a Michigan farm. Mercy, a girl of mixed race, and Rope, a boy maimed in a factory accident, become virtual prisoners of Harlan and Estelle Nau, whose own children died of the Spanish flu.

Mercy and Rope flee to the Straits of Mackinac, where Mercy believes she will find her aunt. The two are relentlessly pursued by police, members of the Ku Klux Klan, and local bootleggers.

Full of history, suspense, and closely drawn historical and fictional portraits, A Cold, Hard Prayer grips readers from the first page to the last.

“By all means, read John Smolens’ terrific new novel for the exciting, suspenseful story it is–a pair of orphans are on the run from forces both good and evil, their escape and pursuit played out in the often-treacherous wintry landscape of northern Michigan. But don’t be surprised to find that as you turn the pages you’re also involved in an American morality tale, in which the best of this country’s virtues—a sense of fairness, decency, and tolerance—are in deadly conflict with its worst qualities—bigotry, fanaticism, and hate. A Cold, Hard Prayer is a full, rich narrative and rewarding on many levels.”

–Larry Watson, Montana 1948, Let Him Go

About the Author: John Smolens has published twelve works of fiction, eleven novels and a collection of short stories. His most recent novel is Day of Days, which has been selected as a Library of Michigan Notable Book for 2022. His novel Wolf’s Mouth was selected as a Library of Michigan Notable Book for 2017. His earlier novels, Cold, Fire Point, The Invisible World, The Anarchist, The Schoolmaster’s Daughter, and Quarantine have been reissued in paperback and as e-books by Michigan State University Press. His work has appeared in publications such as The North American Review, The Southern Review, The Massachusetts Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Columbia Journal of Literature and Art, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. He was educated at Boston College, the University of New Hampshire, and the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He has taught at Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and is professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University, where he taught in the English Department and served as the director of the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Michigan Author of the Year Award from the Michigan Library Association. He lives in Marquette, Michigan.

“The Orphan Train Era” Movie Screening: July 16, 2024 at 1pm in Voorhies Hall

Research historians and television producers Al and Dave Eicher have created this documentary film, “The Orphan Train Era.” Records this father/son duo discovered about the Orphan Train in Michigan, plus their other extensive research, indicate that 12,500 children were placed in Michigan between 1854 and 1927. Archival photos and footage show an orphaned child’s life in the city, the various child labor jobs and sleeping in tenement “daily lodging” for 7 cents a night.

About the Filmmakers: Al and Dave Eicher, a father-son team, have been working together for 29 years doing research on the History of 20 towns in Michigan. Their discovery of Orphan Train riders in Oxford, Michigan and other discoveries created a new income source for their Television Production Company called Program Source International. Al has been in the Television production business for 66 years…with executive positions at Campbell Ewald Advertising, Magnetic Video Corp., 20th Century Fox and Embassy Television, a Norman Lear Company. David, a Central Michigan graduate. majoring in Communication, started out in the Home Video distribution business at Video Trends Inc. with Blockbuster as one of his many accounts. David joined Program Source International in 1996 To direct the editing and production of many documentaries and TV commercials, and became President of the Company in 2010. The Historical Society of Michigan presented them with the “Award of Merit” for their research in Michigan Town Histories.