The Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association and the Crystal Falls Community District Library have scheduled a new author event — the 17th — for 7 p.m. May 12 with Mary Doria Russell. Her novel, “The Women of the Copper Country,” is a day-by-day account of the Calumet copper mining strike of 1913-14.

Her book has also earned the Great Michigan Read award from Michigan Humanities.

The event is open to all U.P. residents free of charge.

The May 12 event will be held on Zoom. Participants are asked to contact Evelyn Gathu in advance at egathu@crystalfallslibrary.org or 906-875-3344. The UPPAA recommends people borrow a copy the book from their local library or purchase from their local bookseller in advance to get the most out of these events.

RUSSELL

However, Gathu has a few extra copies of this novel to give away, so people should contact her if interested.

“Widely praised for meticulous research and fine prose and the compelling narrative drive of her stories,” UPPAA said Russell is the award-winning author of seven bestselling novels, including the science fiction classics “The Sparrow and Children of God,” the World War II thriller “A Thread of Grace” and a political romance set in 1921 Cairo titled “Dreamers of the Day.”

With her novels “Doc” and “Epitaph,” Russell has redefined two towering figures of the American West: the lawman Wyatt Earp and the dental surgeon Doc Holliday, UPPAA said.

However, Russell’s latest novel, “The Women of the Copper Country,” is closer to home.

UPPAA said it tells the story of the young union organizer Annie Clements, who was once known as America’s Joan of Arc.

“With The Women of the Copper Country,’ Mary Doria Russell captures the zeitgeist of the defining spirit of 1913-14 Calumet,” wrote Donna Winters in the U.P. Book Review.

Through the protagonist, she takes the reader inside the Women’s Auxiliary to show how their opposition to management’s demands plays out on the streets of Calumet — sometimes peacefully, sometimes deadly, Winters said.

“This is a gripping tale on a difficult topic that has been told by many,” she said. “Yet, this version stands out because of its focus on women’s experiences during the conflict. Grab a copy. You won’t want to put it down.”

The UPPAA also recognized the work with a U.P. Notable Book Award for this year.

Russell said she was honored that Michigan Humanities chose “The Women of the Copper Country” for the 2021-2022 Great Michigan Read, having spent time in the Keweenaw Peninsula walking through Calumet streets, touring the mines and visiting local museums as she prepared to write her fictionalized account of the real-life “Big Annie.”

“The copper strike itself has been studied and written about by historians and legal experts, but those accounts are not meant to engage the reader’s emotions,” Russell said in a news release. “That was my job — to combine imagination and empathy with research.

“Here was a 25-year-old woman who is central to a strike against the most powerful company in the most dangerous industry of her time. A child of despised immigrants. A housewife with a simple education in a time when women couldn’t vote and weren’t supposed to take part in public life. Somehow, she mobilized 10,000 miners and kept everyone going, day after day, month after month. So, my task was to tell readers: What makes a woman like Annie Clements?”

According to Absolute Michigan and other sources, Big Annie’s last name was Clemenc, but pronounced Clements.

Russell holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan and taught anatomy at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry. She and her husband Don live in Cleveland. Learn more at marydoriarussell.net.

More information about the U.P. Notable Book list, U.P. Book Review and UPPAA can be found on www.UPNotable.com.