Spartan Geographer earns spot on 2025 list of Michigan Notable Books
May 15, 2025
What Detroit will look like in the future is a question Jeffrey Wilson has spent a lot of time considering. In his recent book, We Live Here: Detroit Eviction Defense and the Battle for Housing Justice, illustrated by Babmi Kramer, Wilson takes up the topic in a graphic novel focused on the Detroit Eviction Defense, a local housing justice group that organizes to keep families in their homes that are facing either a mortgage or tax foreclosure.
"These are everyday people fighting back, organizing with others, going into the streets, and winning their homes back," said Wilson, a fixed-term assistant professor with the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University.
Through its engaging illustrations and stories of seven families struggling against mortgage foreclosures, critics have praised the book for giving voice to those who have remained in Detroit, showing not a city devoid of people but one where homeowners are fighting back and winning against financial speculation and monied interests. Now, the graphic novel is earning additional accolades, having been named to the 2025 Michigan Notable Books list.
Each year, the Michigan Notable Books list features 20 books published during the previous calendar year that are about the Great Lakes, set in Michigan or the Great Lakes, or written by a Michigan author. Selections include a variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction, that appeal to many audiences and explore topics and issues close to the hearts of Michigan residents. This year's recipients also include New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry, along with Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The books and authors were honored at the annual Night for Notables reception on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Library of Michigan, with past Michigan Notable Books honoree Curtis Chin giving the keynote speech. Participating authors will travel to libraries across the state on the Michigan Notable Books authors tour to share their experiences and engage with local communities. Many also engage in the Author's Conversations video series, in which viewers can explore the backgrounds of the authors, uncover their creative processes, and hear readings from book selections.
Wilson's scholarly work is situated at the intersection of urban, health, and creative geographies, as well as anthropology and visual arts, and reflects his enthusiasm and commitment to an interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to We Live Here, Wilson has published several other graphic novels and published one of the first graphic novel interviews to appear in a peer-reviewed journal. His graphic novel writing has also appeared in The Nation, McSweeney's, CounterPunch, and World War 3 Illustrated. Wilson's books can be found on Seven Stories Press.