2 comments about A Popular History of Minnesota.

1. Outstanding! I reviewed several histories of Minnesota, and I came to the conclusion that this book is the best general history of Minnesota for most readers. It's very readable, concise, and enjoyable storytelling. The most important and most interesting Minnesota stories are told well. The basics of American history are also woven into the story, so this is the story of Minnesota's journey within the context of American history. A useful map with the most important and interesting historical sites to visit is included as a helpful guide. Useful lists by category of important things you can see are also included throughout the book as the story unfolds.
   
   Other history books, unfortunately, are ruined by boring academic facts and poor story-telling, but not this book. I recommend this book for a quick and enjoyable read on Minnesota. Highest recommendation.
   
   On the back cover are these positive reviews:
   
   "Norman Risjord recounts Minnesota's past with the studied approach of an accomplished historian and the engaging style of a crowd-pleasing storyteller. If only all state histories were this enjoyable to read."
   -Dave Kenney, author of "Northern Lights: The Stories of Minnesota's Past" and "Minnesota Goes to War: The Home Front During World War II." [Northern Lights is used in Minnesota Schools]
   
   "'A Popular History of Minnesota' captures in one volume the thing that makes the state unique. It is, and always has been, a playground. But not as we've been led to believe. We learn here that Minnesota was not only the field of play for Dakota and Ojibwe, but for J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller. It is a vast and fascinating history. Norman K. Risjord has found a way to put it in a finely written, single book."
   -Don Shelby, WCCO 4 News anchor and reporter



2. Since I came to Minnesota three years ago, I have been searching for a comprehensive overview of its history. Not too detailed, just giving a good overview. I found it in this book, and really anjoyed reading it

No comments about Rethinking Home: A Case for Writing Local History.

5 comments about Subterranean Twin Cities.

1. I live in one of the neighborhoods that is famous for it's tunnels and underground rooms (the Schmidt Brewery neighborhood) so I was looking forward to this book when I heard about it and I grabbed it off the shelf first time I saw it at the local bookstore.
   
   Then I started reading it. There was nothing there. I don't know if his coverage of other neighborhoods was as weak as his take on the West Seventh neighborhood, but what I saw convinced me to put the book back on the shelf.



2. This book is a dry read of other people's works. The original's were much better in my opinion. The author has almost zero credibility with anyone who reads his stories and says to themself "Hey I remember reading this before a few years ago in another place." He could have at least cited where the content was lifted from. He also has stories of risking other people's lives and safety by some of his irresponsible actions. Thunmbs down.



3. I became aware of this book by reading a short, positive review in a local magazine. The online reviews seemed to have a decidedly different take, which piqued my curiosity even more. It's clear that the author has rubbed some people the wrong way, and I decided to simply discount the perplexing and harshly negative reviews here (which oddly all seem to contain the same exact criticisms) and find out for myself what this book is all about.
   
   I'm happy to say that it's a delightful read on a fascinating subject. Basically, I couldn't put it down.
   
   Brick's prose is a little tortured at times, but that somehow matches the mental image the reader gets of a guy covered to his waist in waste (raw sewage) most of the time. (What must the inside of his car be like...?)
   
   He wisely splits his time between his own adventures and detailed histories of the features he explores. As a Twin Cities history buff, I have to admit that I've never encountered more comprehensive histories of many of these caves -- not even close. If I had to guess, I'd say that about 60% of the text is historical background, and 40% is personal exploration stories. It's a good balance, but I would have been even more pleased to have those numbers reversed. His tales are frequently gripping.
   
   There are times, however, when his storytelling approach lets down the reader after prolonged teases. He often writes more about the process for finding something than what was actually found. I suspect this reflects his clear joy in the searches, but it occasionally leaves the reader all built up for a payoff which never comes (or is anticlimactic).
   
   The book also represents an unintentional but fascinating peak into a weird subculture to which I've never before been exposed: cavers. Clearly they are highly competitive, secretive, combative, daring, and not above sabotaging a rival's efforts. Conversely, in at least one story the rivals completed work that the author and his friends had begun. Like an extension to the book, the reviews and comments seem to also show this community at work. (For clarity, I am not -- nor will I ever be -- a caver. I'm way too chicken.)
   
   Two things would make this book even better: photos and maps. I'm not talking about maps on how to find the various caves and tunnels (which Brick is keen on protecting), but historical maps which are referenced as starting points for many adventures, or just old maps of the areas discussed -- especially in the section on underground rivers. And while he mentions taking photos or video in various stories, it's perplexing and disappointing that more of his own images are not included.
   
   Since he readily admits that many of his adventures involve trespassing, it's possible that he is just trying to protect himself. But at the same time, a number of the stories are about officially sanctioned activities (such as bat-counting) that led him into caves, and it seems reasonable that images from those excursions would not represent any risk. The same could be said for caves which either no longer exist or have been permanently and successfully sealed or filled. Even photos of former cave entrances, or those which have since changed beyond recognition, would be welcome.
   
   And though his budget may not have allowed it, there are plenty of historical photos available (beyond those few which are included) which would add greatly to his lengthy histories. The book is somewhere around 95% text, but with the addition of images it would make a wonderful, large-format coffee-table-style book (along the lines of Twin Cities by Trolley: The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul).
   
   In all, this book makes a terrific addition to my Twin Cities shelf, and I found myself sad when it ended. I'll put it away to happily read again in a couple of years, and I'll certainly keep my eyes open for a revised and expanded edition.



4. It's not a scholarly treatise on the cultural ramifications that caves have had on the Twin Cities, as some reviewers perhaps imply it should be, but this is a fun and unusual book with glosses of local history and accounts of madcap adventures underground. I don't think I'll ever forget Brick's phrase "whiskered gauntlet," which of course means crawling through a small tunnel amongst the hairy feelers of rats.



5. This book attempts to look like an informative work that documents the author's adventures, but it doesn't quite pull it off. It is riddled with offensive remarks against other trespassers and stolen stories from those same people. Of these stolen works, the most notable being from the infamous Action Squad, is their tale of adventure in the Ford Motors sand mines. Originally I thought the author was once a part of the Action Squad, but after much searching and interviews some of the local explorers, it seems he was not. I thought he might have been a disgruntled ex-member, maybe that could be his motivation for such insults and lies. But it lies much deeper than that. It seems that over the last decade he has taken any chance he could get to belittle other trespassers, or explorers as they like to be called, for reasons one could only speculate. Some thought it was because of their age or possibly his own feelings of being inadequate. Whatever the reason, it is just bad form in my opinion, and this book is just one more forum for his grandstanding. If he hever writes another, I will leave that one on the shelf.

4 comments about Twin Cities Then and Now (Minnesota).

1. I'm reading this book for Augsburg College's history of the Twin Cities. I think the photography is first class and I love reading this book. It is one of few class reading I enjoy (as well as Larry Millett's Lost Twin Cities). Lewis Nelson



2. I thought this book was very interesting, and not at all something that would appeal only to Minnesotans. It's sometimes hard to remember just how rapidly the neighborhoods and infrastructure of American cities have changed in the last hundred years, and seeing the movement documented is really fascinating. As the authors point out in an early chapter, nothing in a city is permanent, sometimes not even the streets themselves. The book does have some unhappy overtones. Like other cities, Minneapolis-St. Paul have chosen at times to simply bulldoze seedy areas of town and fill them with bland new buildings rather than try to redevelop them. New is not always better, for the city or its inhabitants. It's sad to see a block of aging but still beautiful turn-of-the century commerical buildings give way to cold-looking open spaces, or a stately mansion lawn turn into a weed-choked hillside behind a college. But this book is excellent whether you are interested in social commentary or just amazed at how quickly cities change to meet our changing needs.



3. Another VERY interesting book from Larry Millett - I couldn't put it down, lots of fun and great comparison pictures. Brings back a lot of memories!



4. A great book with great pix and a wonderful way of flashing back in time. Perfe3ct for those needing or loving a bit of the old, nostalgic Twin Cities!!!

2 comments about Jacob's Well: A Case for Rethinking Family History.

1. Amato has written an unusual, nay a unique book, that blends his substantial skills as a professional historian with the tools of the anthropologist, geographer, philosophy, and genealogy in order to trace the history of his family back seven generations. He writes of the struggle of his poor "mongrel family," tracing their roots to Ireland, Prussia, Sicily, French Acadia and elsewhere, describing the difficult struggles against poverty, disease, wars, and discrimination, in a relentless but mostly futile quest for the American Dream. This is much more than a family history. It is a "bottoms-up" look at the underside of American history as generation after generation struggled to survive against great obstacles, moving inexorably westward in a largely failed search for productive farmland, and then in the twentieth century, joining the new migration to industrial cities in a renewed quest for decent wages and a modicum of security. Written eloquently, solidly documented, and well grounded in historical literature, "Jacob's Well" subjects Amato's ancestors to the harsh scrutiny of historical fact. This is a must read for those interested in a new type of family history, and for those interested in the plight of the American poor from early colonial times to the near-present.



2. Joe Amato's book on his family is an excellent demonstration of how family history should be written. It combines genealogy, local history, European and American history, and most important, family stories, to give the reader much more than the pedigree skeleton we genealogists are accustomed to. This book gives us the whole body - the muscle and flesh of history, the brain of stories and memories, and the heart of the descendant's own feelings about the ancestors he knew and loved. I am using this approach as a guide to writing my own family story.

5 comments about Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out.

1. Annette Atkins can write the heck out of a story. Her lyrical history of Minnesota is thematic, personal, and a bit quirky. There are chapters in this book that soar, and there are chapters that touch on the mundanity of Minnesota history. I would read an essay by this author, on any topic that touches her heart or mind, in a minute. This book contains several such. My only mild critical comment is that this book would have been even better with more Annette, and a tiny bit less Minnesota, if that is even possible.



2. "Creating Minnesota: A History From The Inside Out" by Annette Atkins (Professor of History at Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict) is a superbly written history of how Minnesota evolved from a wilderness territory into a modern American state. In a model of accessible scholarship, Professor Atkins lays out Minnesota's achievement of statehood amidst the competing interests of indigenous natives, traders, farmers, townsmen, and politicians. There are illustrative and fascinating stories such as the family in St. Paul who managed to celebrate Christmas in 1898 with fruit that originated some 1,500 miles from their home. Professor Atkins also includes a photo essay of Minnesota communities as recorded by the cameras of local and itinerant photographers; the role of the railroads; even such culinary traditions as pan-fried walleye and walleye quesadillas. Very strongly recommended for personal, school, and community library American History collections in general, and Minnesota History shelves in particular, "Creating Minnesota" is an entertaining a read as it is informed and informative.



3. I bought it for Christmas for my husband because it was on his list. He says he thinks that it is going to be "good", but he hasn't gotten into it much yet.



4. I have read many Minnesota history books from the seminal state histories by William E. Lass and Theodore C. Blegen to works recently published for the state's sesquicentennial. But nothing can equal the incite and creativity offered by Annette Atkins in Creating Minnesota. I first discovered Atkins's work in Minnesota, Real & Imagined: Essays on the State and Its Culture where she provided an essay entitled "Facing Minnesota" and so I was very excited to read her new book on Minnesota history.
   
   Atkins's approach is that of a seasoned historian who approaches her topic with sensitivity and intelligence. She is aware of her own limits as a historian and the ways her identification as a white, female, South Dakotan can affect her narrative. Furthermore, she does not shy away from the existential questions that any good historian must ask: Why do we study history? Who are we studying when we study history and how do we decide that they are the ones worth studying? How does our position in the narrative affect how we look at history?
   
   But Atkins is not all academic theorizing, however valuable such theorizing may be. Her writing is readable, smart, and often funny. She plays with format in this book by telling the story of Minnesota by turns in broad strokes, with specific case studies, and in the form of a one-act play (an experiment that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't). What is most striking about her work is the humanity that comes forth when reading her stories. Glancing over the section of pictures, I am struck by the faces of the individuals who once called Minnesota home. Their stories are the ones that Atkins strives to tell in one way or another and, in my opinion, she exceeds all expectations.



5. Creating Minnesota has over two chapters about the Campbell Family. It also contains genealogy information on many of the mixed blood families in Minnesota in the early 1800s. For those who descend from Minnesota and those who do not this book is a goldmine.Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out

1 comments about The Missabe Road: The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (The Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book Series).

1. An author who knows his subject. Very accurate information of the planning, development, implementation of a very unique rail system to deliver raw iron ore from the mines to the loading dock where ships waited for cargo to fuel the steel demands of our growing United States.
   Frank is very frank about his candid writing. Great photos, drawings, of how the entire system was built over rough terrain and difficult weather elements.
   Again a must have for Great lakes shipping enthusist!

3 comments about Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota.

1. A wonderful book on the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota. Many people don't realize the great work done by the young men of the CCC in the 1930s. Hard Work and a Good Deal is a history of the camps and work in Minnesota and supplements the text with a host of photos. Not all the CCC workers in Minnesota were Minnesotans but came from many other states. The author also reveals how the CCC bureaucracy dealt with race issues by sending many northern black youngsters to camps in the South rather than keeping them in Northern camps. Top notch history! Also recommend that you read Stories in Log and Stone in conjunction with this book.



2. I enjoyed reading this book that described the CCC in terms of its operation within Minnesota. The camp summary in the Appendices allowed me to understand better where my father served in the early days of the CCC. There are a number of references in this book that should allow me to learn more about my father's experiences.
   
   This book also has the most information I've found so far on how Native and African Americans served in the CCC.



3. I enjoyed this book. It documents the CCC camps throughout Minnesota. It profiles men involved in the camps. Also, it was interesting learning about the projects the CCC sponsored. It is a great bit of Minnesota history. I bought the book for my mother, but enjoyed a read of it first.

2 comments about Minnesota in 3D: A Look Back in Time: With Built-in Stereoscope Viewer - Your Glasses to the Past!.

1. I really like the old time 3D pictures, and this book is full of them. Clever idea. I found it easy to see the 3D, but some people have difficulty with it. There is no "divider" to hide the left picture from the right eye, and vice versa. But even those that have difficulty, a little practice and they can figure it out.



2. All of the books in this series are great. As a stereocard maker and enthusiast, I was excited about the release of these books.
   Good points: Excellent price! Excellent construction with the fold out viewer in the cover and excellent graphics giving it an 'antique' feel. Some very rare views are presented that would cost a fortune to purchase. The descriptions originally printed on the card's verso are reproduced here on the preceding page to each image so that they can be viewed and read all at once... And, did I mention the excellent price?
   Weak points: Some cards which already suffered from poor image quality are made 'grainy' by the halftone printing. A few of the images are not in 3D. A few images have the left and right images reversed. While the original cards may have been this way, the least they could have done was correct them or note the error in the descriptions.
   Still, these few and minor weaknesses do not detract from the overall quality of the books. Nothing can really describe seeing historical moments and people in 3D.These books should be in classrooms. I look forward to the next 2 releases in the series.

5 comments about The Lonely Land (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book Series).

1. After I read this book I had a burning desire to visit the Canadian Shield and paddle a wood and canvas canoe on the Churchill River. I only wish I could have done it in 1960, when this book was written. It is a much different place today. This is an excellent book about a canoe trip of 500 miles by six friends. I only hope I will be as lucky to do such a trip someday.



2. I was looking on information on old canoe routes of the voyageurs and I came upon this book. It tells the experiences of Olson, a famous naturalist of the 50's and 60's, and 5 of his friends, as they paddle three wood and canvas canoes down 500 miles of the Churchhill River in Saskatchewan in 1960. Olson describes the setting and experience so completely, including diary entries of famous fur trappers who traveled the same route, that I have thought of nothing else but going to see the country he describes, the Canadian Shield of Northern Saskatchewan. It is a different place now than it was 40 years ago, less lonely I imagine, but still something I must do. I would recommend this book to anyone who longs to experience this land, North America, before it became overpopulated.



3. It's a great book. I haven't paddled the Churchhill River yet, but rivers closeby, and you still find the wilderness and the loneliness that Sig Olson describes. After reading this book and others by Sig Olson I just want to go out paddling and enjoy the wilderness.



4. I first obtained this book in my youth through the old Outdoor Life Book Club (which also introduced me to other classics such as John J. Rowlands' Cache Lake Country). I'm not sure I read The Lonely Land all the way through at that first encounter, but I recently rediscovered it when cleaning out a family home. I picked it up out of nostalgia, but I soon found that I couldn't put it down.
   
   Apart from the inherent interest of its subject matter -- the majestic wilderness of central Canada's Churchill River drainage -- I was quickly taken by the immediacy of Olson's account. The wind, the waves, the thunder of approaching rapids all spill off the page in vivid detail, as do the detailed descriptions of each night's camp and its routines. As compelling is the exuberance of Olson and his five companions as they explore pristine lakes, shoot the Churchill's wild water, and find refuge time and again on the solid, reassuring outcrops of the Canadian Shield.
   
   Finally, at each stage of the journey, Olson quotes from the journals of those who came before him, the "bourgeois" who led the brigades of voyageurs into the heart of the Lonely Land in search of furs. Men like Alexander MacKenzie, George Simpson, and David Thompson, who worked for the Hudson's bay Company or its competitors: the record of their observations informs Olson's account with vivid descriptions of the land as well as a sense both of how much and how little had changed over the one hundred and fifty years since they had last paddled, poled, and lined their way up the same great river system.
   
   I know that Olson has many well-regarded books to his credit, but a new reader could do worse than enter this world of woods and water by way of The Lonely Land.



5. This book is an account of Olson's canoe journey down long stretches of the Churchill and Sturgeon Weir rivers in Saskatchewan. Olson was a leading popularizer of the notion of wilderness, associated with the North Country of Minnesota and Canada.
   
   The story of someone else's canoe journey risks being mind-numbingly boring: "we paddled, portaged falls, and then paddled some more." Olson's story isn't any different than that basic narrative, but he manages to make the journey more lyrical. Observations about the empty land they traverse, the comraderie of the company of six, reminiscences of the voyageurs of old, and occasional encounters with other people leaven the basic narrative.
   
   It's a great read, and I literally didn't put it down (I was stuck on a transatlantic flight, but even so). Heartily recommended.