Wisconsin Books

The book should be considered the top in its field. Dr. Becker obviously spent much time and effort writing this book.

What makes this book one of the best is its painstaking & thorough documentation of all that is known about the natural history of each species. This includes not just published scientific accounts, but anecdotes, which are often the starting point of a good hypothesis. It leads one to a full appreciation of the behavioral diversity of freshwater fish.

I am, BTW, in search of a copy of this book!

Easily the standard in the field of midwestern fishes. Dr. Beckers text is colorfull and extremly well writen . I makes the reader want to spend some time in the many lakes, creeks and ponds of Wisconsin in search of it's unique and beutifull native fish. This is the standard for the student, aquarist or naturalist interested in native fish.

Accessibly written and arranged by experienced outdoorsman and writer John Motoviloff, the Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin is a very knowledgeable and quite handy guide to over 250 of the best fly-fishing waters in Wisconsin ranging from the Kickapoo River to the American Legion State Forest. The fish species range from Rainbow Trout, to Coho Salmon, to Smallmouth Bass, to Northern Pike, and a great many other warmwater denizens. Extensive maps, directions, advice, practical tips, recommendations for fly shops and sporting goods, and more, combine to make Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin an enthusiastically recommended "quick reference" resource for Wisconsin anglers. Wisconsin libraries should have a copy of the Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin in their Hunting/Fishing collections.

I don't fish at all, but this book made me understand why someone would want to. Even if you aren't interested in fishing, the author gives wonderful descriptions of the backwaters of the state. Canoers and hikers will find this book of use. The author obviously has a deep love for nature and the places in this book, and it is very infectious.

An enormous book. It's certain to become the de facto fishing guide for the state, and not just for fly fishing (though that is the main focus). The author covers just about every puddle and stream (he's obviously done his research). Amazingly, it's actually quite an entertaining read: well laid out, with good area maps and illustrations, nice photos and pretty good tips on where to stay, eat etc. along with the occasional anecdote by the author. If you need a guide book for a trip to Wisconsin then this is without question the one to get.

I purchased this book along with Christmas in Dairyland for my father for Christmas in 2005. He grew up on a dariy farm in the same "era" as LeAnn and thought he might enjoy the books. Well, he more then enjoyed them, he LOVED them. I have now gotten him all of her following books as gifts as well. He especially likes the stories that are actually about agriculture and farming. I have also read all the books and they are most enjoyable.

My Dad liked Laura Ingalls Wilder and he said, "LeAnn's books are even better then Laura's! She makes you feel like you are right there next to her."

We don't live too far from where LeAnn grew up so when my parents came to visit my husband and I he wanted to go find the farm LeAnn grew up on. After he saw the fields, the farm setting, he was rattling off all of the stories and picturing it as it was years ago. You don't often times get to meet the authors and see where they grew up but we were fortunate too.

I would highly recommend this book and any of LeAnn's book for any reader who is a country (boy or girl) or who longs for the country. You will really enjoy them!

and hear her talk about writing. She is not only a kind person and good writer, but very encouraging to others who may want to tell their own stories about life on their farm.

A very enjoyable book. She really helps put you right there with her.

Give Me A Home Where The Dairy Cows Roam is a collection of autobiographical stories drawn from author LeAnn Ralph's family dairy farm in Wisconsin in a time when small family farm were commonplace in the Badger State's rural countryside. Now that we live in a time when approximately 85% of American family dairy farms have disappeared into suburban township developments or absorbed into agribusiness scale corporate farming enclaves, LeAnn takes us back some forty years ago into a era when dairy farming was a dawn to dusk life, seven days a week lifestyle that bonded parents and children with hard work and a sense of the land, animals, and homestead that is rapidly passing from today's expanding urban society. More than just an autobiographical collection of anecdotal stories, Give Me A Home Where The Dairy Cows Roam is also enhanced with a recipe for making homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker and a recipe for "Norma's Homemade Bread". Highly recommended reading, Give Me A Home Where The Dairy Cows Roam should be on the shelves of every community library in Wisconsin.

Very informative with good pictures of both the people involved in building the Harley Davidson motorcycle as well as the materials, places and products used to build them.

Not too long where kids would loose interest but written in a good format that is to the point without a lot of
useless words.

Overall very good!

This is a great book for all ages! It has wonderful descriptions and interesting stories! Lots of fun!

This book is about how the four founders of Harley Davidson thought up the idea and created the company. It tells how the company started and changed over the past 100 years. It's great for kids who are interested in finding out how Harley-Davidson got started.

Harriet Tubman: The Life And The Life Stories by Jean M. Humez is an exhaustive biography of this celebrated and heroic woman. Grounded in exhaustive research as well as the complete texts of stories Harriet Tubman told about her life. Harriet Tubman: The Life And The Life Stories follows Tubman, who was born a slave in the American South, as she escaped to freedom in the North, and vowed to liberate her entire family. Her work to guide dozens of slaves to freedom, as well as her service as a spy and a scout for the Union Army, are also described in historical detail. After the Civil War Tubman settled in New York and founded a home for the indigent aged. an absolutely essential addition to academic library Black History and African-American Biography reading lists, Harriet Tubman's memory and legacy are cherished in this profound and all-encompassing chronicle.

Several years back I was watching a documentary on Harriet Tubman in which one of her relatives was interviewed. I suddenly realized I had never thought of Tubman as a real person, with actual living relatives! Her legend looms so much larger than life that she hovers somewhere in the realm of Paul Bunyan.

This book begins with a traditional biography, presenting the bare bones of Tubman's life. The section called "Stories and Sayings" puts meat on those bones, breathing life into someone who has nearly been lost to us in legend. It's a fascinating concept, and I think it works.

Equally amazing is the Documents section, reflecting 10 years of research and which will be required reading for any future Tubman scholars because, as Humez herself says, "...my retelling of her life story cannot be definitive." Highly recommended.

Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com

Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories, by Jean M. Humez

This book is a treasure. Eminently readable, impossible to put down, totally absorbing, this book will satisfy meticulous scholars and the general public. What a great way to learn U.S. history! Great quotes, critical appraisal of the work of earlier historians, new documentation, wonderfully illuminating photographs. A feast for the curious mind and eye.
I have always wanted to know more about Harriet Tubman and as soon as I heard this book was out I dived into it. Harriet Tubman's life has been the subject of several biographers in the past, but in this work Humez convincingly argues that Harriet Tubman, who could not read or write, was able to produce a "self-authored life story" by carefully choosing the writers she collaborated with and exercising control about what stories to tell and how to tell them. This results in a fascinating and kaleidoscopic interpretation of Harriet Tubman's life, as seen through different authors and through Harriet Tubman herself.
In the first section, "The Life," I learned about the salient facts of Harriet Tubman's life: her years as a slave in Maryland, seeing two of her sisters sold and carried away in a chain-gang, her successful escape from slavery in 1849, when she was probably 29 years old, her contacts with the anti-slavery movement in the North, the mutual admiration of Harriet Tubman and John Brown who referred to her using the masculine pronoum ("Harriet Tubman hooked on his whole team at once. He is the most of a man, naturally, that I ever met with"). It is also about the clandestine trips she made to Maryland to rescue her extended family and others, her military and nursing work during the civil war and her settling in Auburn, New York, in poverty, taking care of old and sick people of color and children-- the John Brown Hall project, as she called it.
Interesting quotes from her dictated letters reveal details that throw light on her views on other issues, such as women's rights. For instance, in telling about the successful Combahee River raid in South Carolina, in which she worked with Col. James Montgomery and a band of 300 black soldiers, she states after her dress was shred that "...I made up my mind then I would never wear a long dress on another expedition of the kind, but would have a bloomer as soon as I could get it..."
It is in the second part, "The Life Stories," that Humez makes the case that Harriet Tubman's gifts as a story-teller, singer, and performer and her reputation as an African-American celebrity ensured that her experiences as a slave and her deep spirituality would be preserved. Here, through a discussion on the politics of research, the dynamics between a researcher and her/his subject, and the cultural and social context that influences much of those dynamics, I felt Harriet Tubman's presence and resourcefulness vividly, towering above those who tried to capture her complex story and interpret her life according to their values and the racial views of their culture.
The third part, "Stories and Sayings," offers a hypothetical version of Tubman's "autobiography" culled from every individual life history story Humez was able to locate from the earlier works. While all the stories and sayings are revealing and offer significant insights my favorite part was the "Stories of Clever Exploits and Tricks," probably because I always wondered how she actually carried out her rescue missions. In this section the intelligence, courage, and humor of Harriet Tubman shines through, like in the story "Avoiding Capture by Pretending to Read." It says: " At another time when she heard men talking about her, she pretended to read a book which she carried. One man remarked. `This can't be the woman. The one we want can't read or write.' Harriet devoutly hoped this book was right side up" (Tatlock, 1939a).
The final section, "Documents" is a gift of primary source materials for future researchers and anybody interested in pursuing an in-depth study of Harriet Tubman's life.
Read this book. See for yourself how illuminating the past and looking at history with a fresh eye can instill hope. This book is yes, about Harriet Tubman, but more fundamentally, it is a book about courage, dignity, persistence, and solidarity in incredibly harsh circumstances. What a gift for us all in these troubled times.

Gilpatrick documents the lives of 14 WWII heroes from Wisconsin in a very personable manner. She makes the reader realize that we encounter heroes every day. These humble friends and neighbors have made personal sacrifices for the good of everyone in this country. A must read for anyone that is a veteran, or has a veteran in their lives.

This book spotlites the experiences of the people who fought World War II in both Theaters of Operation... the guys who ate the dirt... in contrast with Tom Brokaw's fine book "The Greatest Generation" which recounted too many experiences of the brave guys who "commanded" troops. This book provides a "worm's eye" view of that war from guys who fought it. Gilpatrick did a sensitive job of telling the 14 very different perspectives of the war and will provide an insight into "how it was" to those who were not there.

Outstanding effort for a first book. Made me wonder what kindsof heroes might be living next to me. Compelling with the rightamount of compassion. Regular folks caught in irregular circumstances. Their modesty is pretty overwhelming. Another nice feature - you can start anywhere in this book - each of the fourteen stories are self contained. Definitely worth owning...

I have just finished the "acknowledgments" section of Brian Bouldrey's new book, and it's one of the best I've ever read. That may sound like hyperbole, but it's not. I'm a voracious reader -- I tear through 5-10 "acknowledgments" sections every week -- and Mr. Bouldrey's is as good as any penned by Mailer, Updike, or (God rest his soul) Vonnegut.

Instead of struggling in vain to adequately describe the merits of Bouldrey's acknowledgements, let me just quote a short passage from what is destined to become a classic of the form:

"The author wishes to thank . . . Larry Wood . . . ."

Bouldrey, Brian. "Honorable Bandit: A Walk Across Corsica", University of Wisconsin Press, 2007.

Deceptive Humility

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

The University of Wisconsin Press has taken the lead in the academic field of publishing books relevant to our community. Brian Bouldrey, one of the leading gay men of letters published with them and the result is always exceptional. In
"Honorable Bandit, he takes us to he island of Corsica where the beach is as white as sugar, the sea is deep and dark as wine and the food and drink is spectacular. Bouldrey walked across Corsica so that he could spend time with himself and to think about his life. At the same time he could also avoid thinking and could escapeâ"escape to remember and to revel in his past and to mourn his losses. For two weeks he and a German friend named Petra hiked cross the land and in this book he gives us a journal of the experience. Corsica was t be for Bouldrey a place for reflection so that he could explore himself first of all ad then the difference in cultures and friendships.
He surmounted physical dangers and challenges in order to find himself and risked getting lost and facing personal challenges as memory often forces people to do.
It is somewhat hard to classify this book"it is both memoir and travelogue and also lampoon". Most of us are unfamiliar with Corsica and the beautiful pictures he creates in our minds are not likely to be forgotten quickly
Bouldrey's journal is humorous and touching at the same time. It is also very wise and extremely touching. As we travel with him, we also explore ourselves and it is easy then to look into the places in our hearts and face issues we may have avoided facing. We can deal with our own demons and Edens and Hells. All of this is in Corsica just as all of this is within every individual. Reading Bouldrey face his inner soul allowed me to peek into my own. Reading Bouldrey allows us to know him and to know ourselvesâ"it is as if he is the tour guide on each readerâ(tm)s personal journey to self discovery and acceptance..
Bouldrey's humility is deceptive at times and fro this I learned that we should move simply"one step at a time and that step must be timely and measured and full of thought".
We live in a world where destinations are fixed places ad by leering how to move toward our goal we may be forced to look at our mortality and the road that lies before us. The beauty of Corsica is a metaphor for the beauty of life and while we may trek on the path toward wherever we are going, we question who we are ad what our purpose in life is. I sincerely believe that all of us want to leave a mark on the world and to be remembered for the accomplishments we have made but it is impossible to journey through life and not be affected by it. We also learn that a set destination is not always setâ"obstacles and accidents can change our paths and when all is said and doe, it is up to us to decide which is more importantâ"where we end up or how we get there.
When I closed the covers of the book I felt cleansed. As I walked through Corsica, which s described so beautifully in Bouldreyâ(tm)s words, I also walked through where I had been and thought very carefully where I am going. A perfect example of this is how I ended up in Arkansas. Had it not been for Katrina, my life would have been completely different and I may not have ever read this book or written this review. It was not planned to be that way but that is how it turned out. Walking through Corsica with Brian Bouldrey allowed me to walk through my own life. Whether where I am now is worth it or not is a question to be answered and while the journey was not always fun, the rewards have been great.

If you've read any of Bouldrey's other work, this book will come less of a surprise than a delight. If you're new to Bouldrey, I envy you the discovery.

"Honorable Bandit" is part travelogue, part memoir, part meditation on walking, and part shaggy dog story. Bouldrey spent several weeks walking across Corsica, the Mediterranean island best known as the birthplace of Napoleon (the ruler, not the pastry), and he does offer tips on dealing with pigs, flash floods, and tiny horses. But "Honorable Bandit" is not a guidebook. Corsica merely provides the context for tales of vendettas, lonzu, throat singing, disagreeable roosters, and a host of other subjects that won't get you across the island any quicker or more safely. Speed is not the point, after all -- the journey is about the journey, and the journey is through life and history, not an island that seems to be saying, "We're #1!"

Reading the book is like watching a slideshow given by a loquacious, but very engaging, host, who stops the show for long stretches as one story leads to another, starting with the slide, but then sliding into tales of family and friends and escaped convicts and past journeys and memorable meals, yet always returning to the next slide, and just in the nick of time. In the hands of a lesser writer, such a book would be tedious at best and infuriating at worst. But Bouldrey loves language, and loves the reader, and has such wonderful things to tell you that you forgive him his excesses, even when they are excessive.

The problem with most memoirs is that the memoirist generally thinks of him- or herself as the most important -- and certainly most interesting -- character in the story. Bouldrey is rarely guilty of that crime. He uses his experiences as a way to tell us about what he's discovered along the way, and in doing so, allows us to make our own discoveries. He is a most generous host, and his book is a most satisfying repast.

One of the best books of contemporary poetry I have ever read.
A poet writing today can only hope to reach the depths that Behn does.

Behn's new book is magnificent. Poem after poem, hear such clarity of complication, such intelligence, such heart. If this book doesn't win ALL the prizes, I'll be surprised. On the other hand, it's a book that in all good ways doesn't seem to care about prizes. It's ambition has some eternity in it. Any serious reader of poetry will cherish this book.

The opening poem of Horizon Note introduces a spider who reappears at intervals throughout this book. The speaker states,
"If you play the fat black note of her body/anywhere upon her intricate staff/it only sounds like her." And the word-music Behn composes within this compelling book only sounds like her.
She has all her poetic instruments in tune. Through rhyme or playful word trills or long melodious movements of thought and sound, she playfully and painfully pushes words to their limits to confront and question their beauties and their frailties. Behn is a maestro here who understands the power of language, and at every turn--even in its griefs, its failings--she finds the music there. A stunning collection of poems.

I've lived in Wisconsin for 7 years and had no idea how many equestrian pleasures were all around me. Well written, with great pictures, this book is a real inspiration to get out of the armchair and into the saddle. I selected a trail ride for a troop of Girl Scouts based on the book's description and found it right on the mark - the stable was exactly as described and the girls had a great time. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes horses and can imagine themselves seeing more of the State on horseback.

This book is fantastic! The author has been incredibly thorough in her research of the best horse stables, barns and trails around Wisconsin. It's well organized so information can easily be found depending on what part of the state you live in or are visiting. I especially liked all the added details such as which barns or trails were good for kids. She has even included therapeutic riding stables and what they offer. I haven't seen anything like this guide available anywhere. Even the pictures are great and add a lot to the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in riding or getting their kids involved in riding.

Professional writer and rider of 33 years' experience in the saddle Anne Connor presents Horsing Around In Wisconsin: The State's Best Stables, Barns, And Trails For Lessons And Training, a straightforward guide to anyone looking to discover the joy of horseback riding in Wisconsin, whether as an adult or a parent seeking to teach a child. Filled with information on 260 stables and barns suitable for boarding and renting, descriptions of 85 of Wisconsin's prime horse trails, places that teach riding lessons to all ages, and much more, Horsing Around In Wisconsin is a superb resource. Maps and detailed directions to various locations, as well as descriptions and summaries of what to expect, simplify the issues of travel and what to expect before one experiences firsthand the connection between horse and rider. An excellent guide for equine enthusiasts, especially useful for those seeking to spend a vacation riding.

This book is fascinating. It covers the Mississippi River past and present. It is more than just a history book, for it covers geologic time as well as modern history. But it is more than a geology book as it covers the river's ecology. But then it is more than an ecological book as it focuses on the necessity of the river's economy. To sum it up, this book covers the Mississippi River in a way that few books do their subject's justice. Reading it makes me proud that the river is part of my world here in the Twin Cities. I've driven over it, walked over it, walked up to it, pondered its power and might, but never knew the river until I read this book.

The river is three million years old. Man has been active around it for a few thousand years. Modern economies have influenced it for a mere 170 years or so. It is not a simple thing. It is a force to be reconciled with. What humans do to this river is profound, but only so far as our vanity allows us to understand our relationship with the river. It has had several sources over the years. It took modern white men years of guessing just trying to find the current source.

This river supplies our needs. It allows for barge traffic that come and go with products Minnesotans (or any of the other states whose boundaries it forms) need and make (or grow). We recreate upon it. We dam it, bridge over it, pollute it, draw water from it, try to make it conform to our wills, then wonder what went wrong when it floods (as in 1993).

This river truly is immortal. Calvin Fremling does the river justice by his book documenting its story. His writing style is pragmatic and relatively unbiased, though extremists (both right and left wingers) my suffer his ridicule. The Corps of Engineers, the environmentalists, the riverats, sportsmen, politicians all receive adequate and relatively accurate assessment and criticism by the author. If there is one person who truly knows the river, it seems to be Fremling. He leaves the reader with the impression that the river's age will allow it to survive inspite of what modern man is doing to it. Who knows, it may be around for another three million years. As Fremling concludes, somehow, I find comfort in that.

Dr. Fremling, I will address this to you. You were graduate advisor to my dad, Glenn Jergens, when he earned his Master's degree. You were my most revered college professor many years later. Now I have my Master's and will teach biology when our son doesn't need me at home quite so much. Your influence on my dad, and on me, was profound. If I am half the teacher you were, much of the credit will be yours. I remember the slide-peppered lectures and the frequent field trips that made scientists of your students. I appreciate more than ever your gift for making learning so effortless because the teaching was so relevant and so rigorously planned. I have rated your book as worthy of five stars even before I've read it, as I suspect it will reflect this gift as well. I'm purchasing two copies, one for my brother and his wife, which will be passed around, I know, and one for my family. Thank you, Dr. Fremling, and congratulations. With all best wishes, Merri Beth Nord

As a person who grew up on the Upper Mississippi I assumed that I knew that great river. Not so. Calvin Fremling's book opened my eyes to the river's past and alerted me to the significant environmental problems that confront the river today. This is must reading for anyone who uses the river or has an interest in it.