A great read about some great ladies Pat Majhers Ladies of the Lights pays long overdue homage to an overlooked part of Great Lakes maritime history in which a select group of stalwart women beat the odds to succeed in a field historically reserved for men. Terry Pepper Executive Director of Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association Michigan once led the country in the number of lighthouses and theyre still a central part of the mystique and colorful countryside of the state. What even the regions lighthouse enthusiasts might not know is the rich history of female lighthouse keepers in the area. Fifty women served the sailing communities on Lakes Huron Michigan and Superior as well as on the Detroit River for more than 100 years. From Catherine Shook who raised eight children while maintaining the Pointe Aux Barques light at the entrance to Saginaw Bay to Eliza Truckey who assumed responsibility for the lighthouse in Marquette while her husband fought for four years in the Civil War to Elizabeth Whitney whose combined service on Beaver Island and in Harbor Springs totaled fortyone yearsthe stories of Michigans ladies of the light are inspiring. This is no technical tome documenting the minutiae of Michigans lighthouse specifications. Rather its a detailed human portrait of the women who kept those lighthouses running defying the gender expectations of their time. Patricia Majher is Editor of Michigan History magazine published by the Historical Society of Michigan. Prior she was Assistant Director of the Michigan Womens Historical Center and Hall of Fame in Lansing Michigan. In addition she has been writing both advertising and editorial copy for almost thirty years and has been a frequent contributor to Michigan newspapers and magazines. show more