Minnesota Books

The Bauhaus was the site of one of the most influential experiments in the art world, moving from Germany at the turn of the century to 1933 Berlin and offering an alternative to state-sponsored fine arts academies. Today modern art still holds elements of Bauhaus tradition and thus BAUHAUS CULTURE: FROM WEIMAR TO THE COLD WAR offers essays from art scholars analyzing accomplishments of the Bauhaus and adding the history essential to a thorough understanding of its unique role in the arts. Other books on the topic review Bauhaus artistic results: BAUHAUS culture is the other side of the spectrum: essential for an understanding not only of the art works and artists, but for the underlying culture which spawned them.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Ben Peyton was a seventeen year old hockey player who received a crippling spinal cord injury during a game. Be Not Afraid: Ben Peyton's Story is a personal story of a young man whose experiences and courage document the endurance of the human will and spirit. Deftly written by Peter Rennebohm, Be Not Afraid is a very special and enthusiastically recommended biography that will leave the reader deeply moved both emotionally and spiritually.

Bear Island: The War At Sugar Point by Gerald Vizenor (Professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico) is the history of the battle in 1898 at Sugar Point Minnesota when the Anishinaabe people's sought to protect their land from the U.S. soldiers who set about to attack them. Written in the format of a narrative poem based on an extensive research which draws from myth, memory, legend, and history, Bear Island vividly depicts a succinct episode in Native American history. "Hole in the day/returned to the bears/by natural reason/heard the cause/manners of court/ordered in english/clever comebacks/in anishinaabe/always misconstrued/falsely summoned/then abandoned/by the court..." --Gerald Vizenor, (Bear Island, P.43)

This is a great resource book written through actual experiences of the authors. Great pictures and references. The book shares information that is not readily available through tourist information. It makes you want to get out your bike and ride along with nature. One does not have to be biking to enjoy the Bed &Breakfast establishments visited in the book.

Ed Cleary has provided an informative glimpse into what it takes to get a controversial case to the United States Supreme Court. Disappointed by the ACLU's obvious preference for agenda over free speech, Cleary battled St. Paul's "hate crime" statute, arguing that he had no problem with laws which punished criminal acts, but serious reservations over laws which punished incorrect thought. Paul J. Walkowski, Co-Author, "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court"

Now in a fully updated second edition, Doug Shidell and Vicky Vogels' Bicycle Vacation Guide: Minnesota And Wisconsin has everything the adventurous cyclist would want or need to know about biking the trails and byways of two premier upper Midwest states. If you want to go biking anywhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin for fun and healthy exercise, begin planning for your cycling excursion by reading Doug Shidell and Vicky Vogels' Bicycle Vacation Guide!

Sharp maps, all of them are four color. The authors even included maps of the towns along the trail. Nice for finding trail heads and local parks.
They included a lot of tourist type information like lodging, camping, local festivals and events and other activities for when you aren't on the bike. The road loops are a nice touch. Ride one way on the trail, then return on a road.

This guidebook for Minnesota was certainly a great addition to my birding library. It is definitely a fine sourcebook for the serious birder. The detailed maps for finding specific species are a tremendous aid. My husband and I found both the elusive Three-toed Woodpecker and the Black-backed Woodpecker in the areas indicated. I would recommend this book highly for the serious birder who is in the process of adding new species to their life list.

Kim Eckert has written the definitive birders' guide to Minnesota birding. With detailed maps, species records and useful anecdotes, Kim makes finding even the most unusual birds possible. One might think that Kim flies with the birds--how else would he know their habits so well?

Kim is known as one of the United State's most skilled and competent trip leaders. He is also known by those who have the pleasure of working with him as a gentleman.

This guide is a must for anyone interested in birding some of the hottest sites in the United States. As most birders know, upper Minnesota can be most exciting in the winter, and Kim shows us that this region and the rest of the state has much to offer throughout the year.

If you plan to bird in Minnesota, don't leave home without taking Kim Eckert along...get this book!

The system that Stan Tekiela uses for his field guides is clear and easily understandable. You can easily find the bird you saw and identify it! This book is great for beginners, but adds fun and interesting facts that everyone can enjoy. I have had all kinds of field guides for more than 25 years; and now that I have discovered these, I reach for them first every time. "Birds of Prey of Minnesota" works just as well for Wisconsin and other surrounding states. In fact, we have pretty much the same birds of prey here in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. The tips that Stan gives for telling one species from another are second to none. He chooses points of identification that are easily visible. What can I say, I love this book!