New Book Provides Unique Insights Into Key Michigan Difference-Makers

DEXTER, Mich., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Not all of them set out to change the world, but some of them managed to do just that.

What these men and women of Michigan had in common was that their actions had consequences that reverberated far beyond the borders of the state.

"There is much that people don't know about some of Michigan's most consequential citizens," says author Bill Haney. "And, at the same time, many events with wide-spread repercussions played out in which the central figure remains little known."

In What They Were Thinking: Reflections on Michigan Difference-Makers, Haney reveals the motivations and the passions of people--some prominent, some scarcely known--who made decisions and took actions that had long-lasting impacts.

It was bitter cold in Christmas week of 1990 when the bombshell exploded that legendary Ernie Harwell was out as play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Tigers. Within hours a firestorm of outrage swept through the state. Who could have been behind such a stupid decision? No one--not even Harwell himself--knew the full story that is now presented here for the first time.

Reviewers and readers know about the forty-seven books and many films by crime fiction novelist Elmore "Dutch" Leonard. But not about how and when he "found his voice." Haney provides personal insights into what Michigan's coolest author was thinking as he created his intriguing characters and street-smart dialogue.

"Hooray for Michigan!" was the shout heard 'round the world as Sue Marx held high her Oscar. However, few people know that this multi-talented film producer and director was the creative genius behind many other films that have enriched countless of lives.

Haney takes readers inside the minds of these and a dozen other notable Michigan figures, people like Jack Kevorkian, the zealot who elevated the issue of assisted suicide. Haney published Michael Betzold's definitive book on the enigmatic Kevorkian, Appointment with Dr. Death.

A self-proclaimed "car guy," Cole was the driving force behind the Corvette, Corvair and the catalytic converter, among many automotive advances and innovations. Those accomplishments were dwarfed by what he had on the drawing board after his retirement as president of General Motors.

In Haney's latest book, he illuminates the visions and the motivations that drove these Michigan men and women to take steps that changed and enriched--and in one case ended--many lives.

Published as a joint venture of MB Books LLC of Ortonville, Michigan and the Seattle Book Company, based in Dexter, Michigan. $27.95. 320-page hard cover. Available by direct order from SBC at reganp@tshorecom. In selected bookstores, www.billhaneybooks.com and in digital editions from Amazon and other major platforms.

SOURCE Seattle Book Company