Minnesota Books

Before I give you the back cover of this book, I have to tell you that this book is not necessarily an "easy read" despite its alliterated and enticing chapter titles. Having been a student of Laurence Rickels', I feel obligated to tell you that if you haven't read this book or any of his others (Aberrations of Mourning:Writing on German Crypts, Der unbetrauerbare Tod) you are absolutely missing out on some of the most interesting contemporary literary theory you can find!

"In 'cultural clips' that fast-forward and rewind through a variety of images, disciplines,and time zones, Laurence Rickels explores 'California' as both an empirical place and a symbolic configuration. Focusing on the changing image of the West Coast to study politics, sexuality, and the effects of mass media in modern culture, The Case of California is Rickels' dizzying psychohistory of postmodernity.

In California, Rickels locates 'the intersection between technology and the unconscious' and thus reconstructs the political front of pshoanalysis which arose to combat National Socialism. California and Germany, he contends, are two coasts of an era that 'lets roll' in the Enlightenment and continues to this day. Kafka is the 'ultimate Kalifornian'. The fall of the Berlin wall and the San Francisco Earthquake appear 'symptomatically in sync'. And the invention of the California teenager - the archetypical adolescent - begins with 'a certain central European refusal of death'.

As he addresses an array of popcultural phenomena, Rickels situates the Frankfurt School of Adorno Benjamin, Horkheimer, and Marcuse within the Freudian system - and within the critical boundaries of deconstruction. Along the way he explores music and sound, mourning and the charge of sexual abuse, group and adolescent psychology, female sexuality, the convergence of religious and hysterical conversion, and the shifting status of writing and literature brought about through the rise of 'reproductive' media such as photography, film, and television."

"The Case of California is one of the most powerful attempts we have so far to establish connections between contemporary culture and certain German texts that are inseparable from modernity." - Samuel Weber, University of California, Los Angeles

South Central L.A. looms large in our popular culture as the center of a dangerous underworld that must be contained and controlled. Finally we get a book that goes beyond the media's ominous depictions. Vargas spends time actually living in the neighborhood and getting to know the people there. He writes about their lives with honesty and compassion. Moreover, unlike many ethnographies of the "ghetto" he avoids the construction of a moral typology that measures behaviors against "mainstream values". Instead he recognizes the actions of residents as complex responses to a political economy and legal system that powerfully marginalizes them. Highly readable, this book should be studied by everybody who wants to know Los Angeles beyond the Hollywood fictions.

Catherine Opie takes what we see and brings it in closer. She makes you observe the color, texture, time and nuance of her subjects. This book is full of lonely landscapes and beautiful harsh pictures. So OPIE.

I've been an avid fan of John Sandford's books for a decade now and was sorry to see that Lucas Davenport seemed to have lost his edge. I was wary when I picked up the book: I didn't want to get disappointed but Sandford surprised the hell out of me.
His latest in the Prey series is his best yet. The story has frightening insights: Sandford was able to draw the profile of a memorable serial killer perfectly. His portrayal ranks amongst the very best ones I've ever read. But not only the story is superb. Something happened to Sandford. His prose whas never been extremely vivid or pewrful but in Certain Prey he not only exceeded himself but most of the genre. His style breathes it's so fresh. Not one bad sentence in his dialogues. His conversations with his bride-to-be Weather, his interactions with his peers are so vividly written that I felt for the first time: Lucas Davenport is a living, almost larger than life cop, not just an interesting character who seeks the advice of a nun, who drives a Porsche and who designs softwares.
If you haven't read Sandford and want to know him, this is the best book to start with.

I have read this book over twenty times. One major reason is that each time I get new insights into the life and genius of one of this centuries greatest and most brilliant American leaders.

The other reason is because I was priviledged to have worked beside Mr. Chavez during the time of this books writing. Every time I read it I can still hear the author, Jaques Levy, reading it in draft form to Cesar by flashlight as we traveled California and Arizona's highways and biways.

This is truly the closest Mr.Chavez ever came to writing his own book. Jaques Levy had a rare inside look at Cesar, his movement and his family. The combination of trust and journalistic integrity between Mr. Chavez and Jacques Levy made for a great book that covers and captures his actions, thoughts, ideas, trials, ambitions, hopes and dreams. Mr. Levy, together with Cesar Chavez, captures the essence of his formative years, those leading up to his becoming the first Mexican and American hero of this century.

Unlike any other author on Chavez, Mr. Levy captures several examples of Chavez's self taught brilliance and tenacity. He also clearly shows Chavez' ability to grasp any subject and his views on American and poor people's economics. I have read many of the others and having been on the spot while they were written can add that while most err somewhat to a great deal in covering basic facts, Jacques Levy's book is on the money.

If it is possible to get this book reprinted, it should be and I bet a Spanish version would sell a million copies.

Mr. Levy spent nine years researching, writing and editing this work that over time will come to be known as the basic foundation of Mr. Chavez's life

Charles Hillinger, through his travels, can share a wonderful side of the U.S. that not many of us have ever experienced, let alone knew existed! It's not a book you have to read cover to cover. Skip around, what ever interests you at the time...Keep up the great work!

The Chase is a novel where the psychological plot line is equal to the narrative plot line - as the unnamed student tries to survive in a world of political intrique where he is the hunted not the hunter. Attention to detail - details that are constant varients on preceding detail - build the tension to a stunning climax.

Well written and worth your attention.

Steven McDowell is a wonderful storyteller. "Chasing the Minnesota Moon" spans the county, along with your range of emotions, in telling the story of Paulette Swenson's life. There are surprises, twists and turns and Mr. McDowell knits the story together in a way that makes it extremely hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am anxiously awaiting his next.

Wavering between four or five stars.

Although he is an academic, rather than being cumbersome, Friedmann's book feels like he sat down and simply wrote off the top of his head all that he knew about the subject. This is a good thing. It doesn't get bogged down and it reads well. It does have explanatory notes, but the notes themselves are interesting and the book is slim. The first chapter is the best, concise introduction to the history of the Chinese city out there. As a planner practicing in China, I even learned quite a bit. Other chapters deal with the migrant mobility, urbanization in the countryside, regional policies, governance, and social aspects among others.
This book is best for someone who does not know much about China but wants quick introduction to what is happening in Chinese cities today.

I have to admit, this wasn't a book I thought I'd read, but I came across it in a college library, glanced through it and ultimately later decided to buy and read it. I was surprised at the odd ways that decisions are made by everyday people, and the misconceptions upon which those decisions are made. Once explained, the reality of some premises was quite clear, and I could even see where I myself had been led astray in my own decision making on more than one occasion. This is a clearly written work that even the average reader will understand and appreciate.