Minnesota Books

I bought this book as a resource for camping in Minnesota. Minnesota is blest with many functional, scenic, and fun state parks; therefore, this makes it extremely difficult to get camping reservations. County parks on the other hand are semi forgotten gems. Many have facilities rivaling the state park system. Obviously county parks lack the funding to advertise. This book will provide you with quality reviews on many wonderful, less traveled destinations.
Have fun!

I thought that the story was fascinating. I grew up in the area and had always heard the story of "Coya" never knowing any of the characters. The book tells the story of the struggle of a hometown girl that was filled with passion and how she falls into politics and "tragically" falls out. The book shows just how corrupt the political scene can be, especially to a woman from a small midwestern town.

Crazy Dave struggles to live a normal life on a rural Indian Reservation in Ontario, Canada. Basil Johnston recalls his childhood and living with his grandmother and "Crazy" uncle Dave, who has downs syndrome. A fascinating, humorous and very realistic account of what it was like growing up on an Indian Reservation. Uncle Dave tries desperately to fit in with his community but is often misunderstood and never fully accepted. Uncle Dave is a metaphor for his people, the Native American Indian who is an outsider in is own country and anglo society. But once understood, the love, warmth and strong family values are seen through the Indian people. "Crazy Dave" often gets into trouble without knowing why. When he wants to play baseball with the children he hits the ball to far, he eats a wood cutter's lunch and is mistaken for a Japanese spy during the height of World War 11. This is an excellent read, don't be discouraged by the slow pace of the first two or three chapters, once started, you will not want to put the book down. I devoured the book in 3 days.

This is a study from several decades ago that was one of the earliest geo-spatial reviews of crime associated with bars. I don't remember how many bars were studied, perhaps 60, perhaps more. What we found was that there was an empirical correlation between the incidence of crime and the offense site distance from the bar.

What was interesting is that this used one of the first distance decay models which used normalized density functions to actually measure density as a function of distance. The math and stat involved demonstrated that at least for the city of Minneapolis during the study period, it was unhealthy to live near or frequent a bar compared to any other establishment type.

I guess you'd call it a proof of what everyone kinda new all along. The study was later used to shut down a particular bar in Minneapolis which we likened to the bar scene in the first star wars movie. It was a fun place to visit and we felt that the lab-work of actually being a bar patron was valid and justifiable research.

This isn't what I would call high literature, but if you're in the mood to shut down your local noisy neighborhood drinking establishment, this is YOUR study to present to the city council.

I have no idea how this ended up on Amazon, but if anyone actually has a copy, I'd love to see it. My copy got moldy and discarded years ago.

I have read this book and realized that this is the most brutal honest book that I have ever read on the AIDS Crisis. The problem of informing people who are not PWA's or Gay( Such as myself)is that you sometimes do not get the full picture. However, this is a little known gem that should be read by anyone that has to involuntarily change there lifestyle and bury so many friends in such a short time.

Extremely well-written (not at all dense or over anyone's head), and very original, mix of political and critical theories of the past few decades (plus Emerson). Escaping from the often self-indulgent intricacies of pop-deconstruction, Wolfe offers real and pragmatic tactical theories for a better-informed Left. I was very impressed, and even amused; there is a sense of humor here that is too often missed in today's critical environment. Very good.

This book is an insightful, and enjoyable, introduction to studies in cult television. This collection of writings deals with shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Star Trek," "Doctor Who" and other series central to the genre. One of the strengths of this book is that most essays, while usually attached to a specific television series, are presented in such a '"transparent" style that the reader still benefits from insight without necessarily being familiar with the individual series serving as an illustration of theory/ history given in the essay.
The book begins (after an excellent introduction penned by both editors) with the tradition of "French dressing," namely an academic, hyper-metaphysically abstract essay by a French author. The reader may do well to enter into the book by initially skipping this one and starting instead with
Sara Gwenllian-Jones' " Virtual Reality and Cult Television." Her essay is a quietly (read: somewhat academic) yet vital and enthusiastic exploration of the immersive nature central to the cult television experience.
Several essays deal with cult TV fandom. Each affirms the positive profile of those of us who share that kind of social awareness made manifest by means of our profound love of fantasy and play.

Finalemente, someone else is doing the right kind of work in the right way on this topic.

For years, Chico/Chicana scholars--like Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Elvia R. Arriola, Lourdes Torres, and of course, Cherrie Moraga and the late Gloria Anzaladúa--have written circles around us about the politics of culture, place and community. These women in particular seem to be fearless in investigative gaze surrounding the politics of eros within their communities. José Esteban Muñoz's albeit seminal Disidenificaitons speaks to a "Latino" performance, or as he phrases it one of "Queers of Color". Yet, to date, it has been the closest that we have come to a genuine scholarly effort to articulate the political function governing the erotic within the Cuban American community by a Cuban American scholar until now.

Ortíz's work is scrupulous, fascinating and inventive. Rather than repeat the theoretical notions of race, place, gender and time that have come to be literary critical practice, they are merely the tools--Foucauldian, Critical Race, Gender Theories--by which he fashions a incisive path in this area of thought. Many, many scholars to come already owe this author an enormous debt of gratitude for the groundwork he has laid.

Cutting Edge investigates the differences/relationships between avant-garde cinema and exploitation (what she terms as `paracinema') - how viewers of both types tend to divorce themselves from mainstream cinema. The difference between the two types of cinema is that though both tend to use shocking material to explore certain themes whilst attempting to jolt the viewer out of complacency, `paracinema' maintains a more ironical distance. The films used to illustrate this hypothesis are interesting choices. George Franju's LES YEUX SANS VISAGE/ EYES WITHOUT A FACE is used in a lengthy chapter as an example of a horror film that has transcended its origins to become a respected art house film. An equal amount of space is given to Jess Franco's GRITOS EN LA NOCHE and FACELESS, both as examples of the how Franco approaches the material in a different way. Other examples explored in depth are ANDY WARHOL'S FRANKENSTEIN, an exploitation film whose genesis was in the avant-garde scene, and Tod Browning's FREAKS, a horror which has once again been appropriated by the avant-garde. But most fascinating for me however was a detailed description of Yoko Ono's RAPE. It was meant to be an allegory of the media's "rape" of Lennon, McCartney and the rest of the Beatles and their wives/families, though it raises some interesting points about the nature of spectator/victim in the role of cinema, a la PEEPING TOM. Is this "art" or "exploitation". Undeniably it's the latter, BUT the film was never released commerically into cinemas, just a few specialist screenings for an "art" market. The author contrasts this film with SNUFF, a fake film which masquerades itself as reality.

Well worth a read, this book. Very thought-provoking stuff indeed.

On Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis there is a large rock with a heavily patinated plaque imbedded in it right under an impressive gold-domed church. The plaque is extremely weathered and greenish, and looks as if it has been reset more than once into the rock. It says that, above the rock on the hill, where the present day church now stands, is the original site of the first dwelling built in Minneapolis in 1834 by Samuel and Gideon Pond. I've walked by this historic marker for years while circling the lake, so when I came across Samuel Pond's work on the Dakota in Minnesota (including those that lived on Lake Calhoun), I had to read it.

Obviously, the salient thing about Lake Calhoun is the complete absence or even a tiny minute speck of evidence that it was once inhabited by Native Americans. They are simply gone without a trace. High rises and expensive homes now line the lake, and ice fishers speckle its icy surface from approximately October to February. From the viewpoint of today, it's almost impossible to believe Lake Calhoun was any different. That's only one thing that makes this book so great. It makes the reader aware of what was happening before the europeans arrived (or invaded as some people see it) in Minnesota.

The book was written by a missionary; Samuel Pond's sole purpose in habitating with the Dakota was to save souls. The somewhat happy and possibly unforeseen outcome of this was that Pond had to get to know these people incredibly unbelievably well to save them. So, as good missionaries will do, he literally shacked up with them. He hunted with them, observed rituals, went on long journeys with them, spoke their language fluently, and, most importantly, talked with them. This guy was there, he wasn't a journalist or a muckraker. He was literally on a mission.

The book, almost paradoxically, does not mention whether or not Pond was successful or not in "converting" or "saving" the Dakota. There is almost no mention whatsoever of his missionary work, so this is not a self-gratuitous work that shouts "look what I did!" What it is is an observance, a capturing of a people before that people completely disappeared (i.e., as they have today).

It is important to note that the book was not written while Pond lived with the Dakota. It was written some thirty or forty years after. Why? When Pond lived with the Dakota, there was no indication that within the next fifty years Native American culture would be more or less wiped out. As Pond observed this phenomenon, he found it best to write down his recollections of his life with the Dakota, since the culture no longer existed as it was in the 1830s. Pond wrote after what is now known as the Dakota Conflict of 1862, which radically changed the relations between whites and Dakota in the Upper Midwest, and resulted in the largest mass execution in United States History (in Mankato, Minnesota; Reconciliation Square now marks the spot where 38 Dakota were simultaneously hung by the neck for their supposed part in the events of 1862).

Pond is mostly very fair to the Dakota. He passionately defends them against what were the then mainstream accusations of laziness, uncleanliness, gluttony, and barbarity. Pond was overall very impressed by the Dakotas, and obviously had a lot of respect for them as a people. He is, however, not fair to the Dakota's religious practices - this is the one topic where Pond's ulterior motives really show - calling them "ridiculous superstitions".

All in all, Pond's descriptions and retelling of events are priceless for anyone curious about Dakota life before the overwhelming influence of european settlers set in. There are so many amazing stories winding throughout this text that picking one or two out as examples would be unjust to the rest. Pond also draws parallels between the life of european settlers of the time and of the Dakota. These are always fascinating, and Pond's intent seems to be making europeans think hard about their prejudices.

Why this book is not more widely read or talked about I'm at a loss to explain. Perhaps the missionary twist scares people off? Whatever the reason this book is vitally important in that it attempts to capture the culture that was completely destroyed in the 19th century. It is timely, of course, in that the Dakota are often referred to as "savages" or "heathens", but that adds a historical interest to the text, albeit a somewhat now sad one. One must prepare oneself for a 19th century read when dipping into this book. It is well worth the effort.

Lastly, this book was previously issued with its more historically accurate title of "The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834". Changing the title seems somewhat strange since the author intended the title to emphasize that the work focused on "how they were" in 1834. The title change was likely undertaken to remove the word "Sioux" - a derogatory word that translates to "Snake". Nonetheless, the current title detracts from the work, and removes a certain historicity from it. The original title should be restored for historical accuracy and perspective.