Minnesota Books

Very compelling narratives told in a sensitive and caring way. The author does an excellent job of sharing the stories and the experiences of these men in a way that reaches out to many of us who didn't experience WWII personally. Imagine landing safely after your plane is shot down to find yourself surrounded by the angry Japanese citizens you just bombed? Or imagine 80 year-old men who still get emotional remembering that first moment reunited with their mothers after years as POWs? Not only a great history of WWII, but a fantastic read that is relevant today in any discussion of the consequences of war or the imprisonment or torture of human beings.

I am very excited to add this book to my collection of world war two books

This book is written in such a way to document the historical value and so interestingly you don't even realize you are learing all along the way. I found the book accurate as to the stories as I remember the old people telling them.

Basil Johnson is a master story teller and writer. The legends are all deeply meaningful. He really transmits the spirit of the Anishinaubae in a vivid way. I hope he writes down a lot more of these haunting legends and that his hopes for the recovery of the Anishinaubae language and cultural traditions come to full realization.

The subject matter in this book is handled well, engaging and is well written. I was put off by a lack of an index as I was using the book for research but was glad for the endnotes and reference material mentioned. Great book on midwest farm culture.
One interesting point to note as a graphic designer I was impressed creative dust jacket on this book which featured a half fold on the front cover and folded out to reveal a map. The quality of design should be noted, usually history books of this type have appalling design.

Hildebrand's book is some of the best literary nonfiction I've read. His characters are well-developed. Because of that, the reader is drawn into the farm and, ultimately, its plight. This book does an excellent job of depicting rural life. It's very true to life (which is good, since it's nonfiction). EXCELLENT BOOK, highly recommended.

I love this series. I accidently picked up one of them at the library. Now I have read them all. The author is EIGHTY years old. I hope she has time to write a few more. They are the greatest police procedurals imaginable. Partly they are so excellent because they top out at 200 or so pages. No padding. But I hated to finish this one. I wanted more, more, more. Thanks, Ms. Gunn.

Police captain Jake Hines is back in action. This time coping with a series of muggings that are escalating in violence, credit card scam, and a very pregnant wife. The scariest part for him--the coming baby. A series of muggings with the same MO have been bothering the detectives of Rutherford, Minnesota. They are sure that murder is not far behind. When a woman is found murdered and the mugger is caught the same night. All seems to be wrapped up, then other crimes that seemed separate from this one begin to have strange similarities. In the meantime, Jake's wife, Trudy is ready to give birth and Jake is having some serious nightmares.

This seventh in the Jake Hines series is right on the mark. Characterizations are fully drawn and the mystery is tightly written. This is one police procedural that will not disappoint. And of course, I'm waiting for the next book.

The Mechademia series is an extraordinary anthology of original essays by scholars, artists, and fans discussing the popular culture of Japanese animation, manga, and their derivative fan-works, as gathered from an annual forum. Mechademia Volume 2: Networks of Desire especially focuses upon sexual and gender issues and subtexts present in manga and anime - although, despite the provocative cover image of a nude girl bound in ropes, most of the manga and anime examples discussed are emphatically not pornographic. Sample essays include "Shojo Manga! Girls Comics! A Mirror of Girls' Dreams", "Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction Writers: New Narrative Themes or the Same Old Story?", "The Animalization of Otaku Culture", "Between the Child and the Mecha", and much more. A handful of black-and-white animation stills and other photographs illustrate this welcome contribution to Japanese popular culture studies.

The full table of contents for this volume is as follows:

Introduction: Art Mecho
by Frenchy Lunning and Thomas LaMarre

*** PART I: SHOJO / GRRRL ***

Revolutionary Romance: The Rose of Versailles and the Transformation of Shojo Manga
by Deborah Shamoon

Shojo Manga! Girls' Comics! A Mirror of Girls' Dreams
by Masami Toku

Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction Writers: New Narrative Themes or the Same Old Story?
by Meredith Suzanne Hahn Aquila

Doll Beauties and Cosplay
by Mari Kotani (translated by Thomas LaMarre)

A Japanese Electra and Her Queer Progeny
by Keith Vincent

*** PART II: POWERS OF TIME ***

Thieves of Baghdad: Transnational Networks of Cinema and Anime in the 1920s
by Daisuke Miyao

When Pacifist Japan Fights: Historicizing Desires in Anime
by Hiromi Mizuno

The Quick and the Undead: Visual and Political Dynamics in Blood: The Last Vampire
by Christopher Bolton

Bridges of the Unknown: Visual Desires and Small Apocalypses
by Eron Rauch

*** PART II: ANIMALIZATION ***

Malice@Doll: Konaka, Specularization, and the Virtual Feminine
by Margherita Long

The Animalization of Otaku Culture
by Azuma Hiroki (translated by Yuriko Furuhata and Marc Steinberg)

Sex and the Single Pig: Desire and Flight in Porco Rosso
by Patrick Drazen

The Education of Desire: Futari etchi and the Globalization of Sexual Tolerance
by Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog

My Father, He Killed Me; My Mother, She Ate Me: Self, Desire, Engendering, and the Mother in Neon Genesis Evangelion
by Mariana Ortega

*** PART IV: HORIZONS ***

Fly Away Old Home: Memory and Salvation in Haibane-Renmei
by Marc Hairston

In the World That Is Infinitely Inclusive: Four Theses on Voices of a Distant Star and The Wings of Honneamise
by Shu Kuge

Between the Child and the Mecha
by Frenchy Lunning

*** REVIEW AND COMMENTARY SECTION ***

Godzilla's Children: Murakami Takes Manhattan
William L. Benzon

Anime: Comparing Macro and Micro Analyses
Brent Allison

Crazy Rabbit Man: Why I Rewrite Manga
Trina Robbins

Brain-Diving Batou
Brian Ruh

Lurkers at the Threshold: Saya and the Nature of Evil
Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog

*** TORENDO SECTION ****

UAAAAA! Trashkultur! An Interview with MAK's Johannes Wieninger
Christopher Bolton

This book was perfect for my 5th grader's extensive state report on Minnesota!

The quarter for Minnesota is the one currently being produced by the U.S. Mint for its ten-week period as the commemorative quarters being produced from 1999-2008. If you have all of them to date that gives you $8 in change. Of course finding a Minnesota quarter in Minnesota is pretty much impossible at this point (fortunately I know some one who runs a bank). On the other hand if you want to see a lake, we are the place to visit. You probably know that the state's nickname is the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but you have probably figured out there are not exactly 10,000 lakes. In fact there are more than 15,000 lakes (but Land of More than 15,000 Lakes does not have the same cache apparently despite the relative accuracy). Martin Hintz explains this in Chapter One, "What's in a Name?" for this volume in the American the Beautiful, Second Series. Young readers will also learn that of all those lakes 11,842 cover more than 10 acres and that with than many to name it is not surprising that there are 156 Long Lakes, 83 Bass Lakes, and at least 3 Swan Lakes for the state's ballerinas. Actually the official state nickname is the North Star State, but since we lost the North Stars to Dallas, where they won the Stanley Cup, that nickname has painful associations (and the Gopher State is not exactly the image we want).

The next three chapters of the book tell the history of the state, beginning with Chapter 2, "The First Minnesotans," which goes all the way back to the Eastern Archaic people of the Copper Culture, the settling of the territory and the steps taken to make Minnesota the 32nd state in 1858. Chapter Three, "The Drawing of a New Age," covers the Civil War, "Little House on the Prairie," and the coming of the railroads. Chapter Three, "Changing Terms," goes from Prohibition to the postwar era. Chapter Five, "Water, Winter, Woods" covers the topography and geographical features of the state, including wildflowers and weasels. "Cities As Varied As the Landscape" is the topic for Chapter Six, while explaining Minnesota politics and former governor Jesse Ventura is the province of Chapter Seven, "A Progressive Government." This is where you find out about the states symbols, including the state muffin being blueberry (I am so proud).

Chapter Eight, "Timber, Wheat, and Tourism," is where you find this book's recipe for Wild Ric Soup (the obvious choice in case you were wondering). Chapter Nine, "A Diverse Group," explains the various ancestors for the states immigrants from the Ojibwa groups to the Scandinavians to the last surge of immigrants consisting of the Hmong people from Laos. The title of Chapter Ten, "'Where All the Women Are Strong...,'" comes from Garrison Keillor's tales about the fictional Minnesota town of Lake Wobegon ("the men good looking and all the children are above average") on broadcasts of "A Prairie Home Companion." This chapter includes famous authors from Sinclair Lewis to F. Scott Fitzgerald, musicians from Bob Dylan to Prince, and whoever is playing quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.

The back of the book includes a Timeline contrasting U.S. History and Minnesota state history side by side, and several pages of Fast Facts. Throughout the book there are color photographs, original maps, and lots of informative sidebars. This last is where young readers will find some of the most interesting things in the book about Jesse James coming to Minnesota, the legends of Lake Itasca (the true head of the Mississippi River), the Green Giant who eats his vegetables, the Lone Eagle who flew across the Atlantic, and the public servants of the Humphrey family. Hintz lives in Wisconsin, but he does an excellent job of covering the state in all its glory. The only surprise is that when we have the inevitable picture of the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth it is a long distance shot from the Lakefront walkway. I am not sure if I have ever seen a long distance shot of Duluth's iconic symbol in a book before.

The book is very thorough. Aviation historians should have a copy for their libraries.

I use this book as a wonderful reference addition to my library. It is filled with relevant, interesting facts. It offers a wealth of information to history and aviation buffs alike.

This book really is a lot of fun. You'll learn about a family that makes canoes the old-fashioned way, about two chain-sawing sisters that set up a bar, about ice fishing and all the strange things that get found at the bottom of a lake, and lots of interesting characters. The author has written for Prairie Home Companion, so you'll recognize the style. It's fun to read, even if you're not going to visit Minnesota.

The quisisential answer to "Everything you ever wanted to know about Minnesota.........but didn't know what to ask". What a delightful journey into some of the most tucked away sights and stories of Minnesota. The author has a style of writing that seems to have that Paul Harvey punchline giving you ..the rest of the story. Tales are spun respectfully no matter how outrageous the oddity. Even life long Minnesota residents will get a knee slap as they are compelled to read a chapter out loud to folks that will just keep saying "Gee, I never knew that"
This book will be our companion for spring travels this year. Our goal is to hit as many of the curiosities as possible and either put a notch in our book or get an autograph! Highly recommended for family gatherings and folks who love to know it all.

This is a wonderful collection of the best of Minnesota writers and artists. There are essays by a wide range of Minnesotans, living and dead, from the humor of Garrison Keillor to the remembrances of African-American author Evelyn Fairbanks. The photographs are stunning, including an incredible head-on view of a grey owl in flight and beautiful portraits of the diverse Minnesota landscape. The rest of the country must surely envy the incredible talent we have here in Minnesota!

This is a wonderful collection of the best of Minnesota writers and artists. There are essays by a wide range of Minnesotans, living and dead, from the humor of Garrison Keillor to the remembrances of African-American author Evelyn Fairbanks. The photographs are stunning, including an incredible head-on view of a grey owl in flight and beautiful portraits of the diverse Minnesota landscape. The rest of the country must surely envy the incredible talent we have here in Minnesota!

I'm not old enough to recognize all of the places featured here, but it is interesting to see all of the restaurants. Here you'll find everything from haute cuisine to roadside diners. A wonderful collection of memories that captures the spirit of eras gone by.

Fellow Minnesota oldsters and yuppies alike will have a ball browsing through this lovely coffee table book of the historic eateries in our home state. I was delighted to find a photo of the menu for my Dad's Minneapolis restaurant, the 620 Club, which he owned and operated with partners Max & Henry Winter from 1935 to 1965. (Max and Dad had been among the partners in the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team, and Max went on to found the Minnesota Vikings.) And then there was Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale. Ohhhh, how I miss Charlie's! Chuck Saunders' chef, Russian emigre Harry Walkowitz, also headed up the 620's kitchen for a number of years both before and after his stint at Charlie's. No wonder the food was so good at both places. Harry's secret: "I use lots of booouuter."