Wisconsin Books

For anyone interested in the ethnology of South America, this book is essential. Although Ramos spent less time among the Yanomami than anthropologists such as Lizot and (the now discredited) Chagnon, hers is the principal work on the Brazilian Yanomami, and is a beautifully written, very philosophical book which not only discusses the culture, but includes some very insightful remarks on the nature of anthropological research. The final chapter describes her exhausting and nearly fatal trip with a medical team to help the malaria-stricken Indians during the Brazilian gold rush. Also an impressive translation by the author.

The modern theory of mechanics, due essentially to Isaac Newton, is usually presented in textbooks as a large seventeenth perturbation that was a totally new outlook on physical motion, as one that was opposed to the Aristotelian conception that dominated before Newton's time. This view is completely refuted in this book, as the author gives a detailed overview of the struggles of the medieval physicists to understand the nature of motion. Clearly their thinking on mechanics influenced greatly the work of Galileo and Descartes, and consequently that of Newton. Even though some of their ideas of the medieval scientists were based on mistaken notions, many of them had just enough truth to allow the correct formulations to be accomplished later. The author gives a fascinating discussion of how medieval mechanics, which was predominantly Aristotelian with "some traces of Archimedean character" was subjected to so many changes that it eventually was undermined, forcing a new outlook.

The author explains that it was the work of the French scientist Pierre Duhem that first took a look at the contributions of the medieval scientists. Duhem's work though, according to the author, was flawed, in that it inputed too many modern viewpoints, such as a theory of inertia, to the medieval schoolmen, especially to the Oxford professor John Buridan via his impetus theory. The author admires greatly though the work of Anneliese Maier, who greatly scrutinized the work of Duhem, and the author draws greatly on her work. The translations of the Greek works due to Islamic scholars clearly allowed the medieval scholars to engage in their thinking on Greek mechanics.

Most interestingly, the mechanics of the inclined plane was, as the author shows, solved correctly in the Middle Ages. He also shows that the concept of virtual velocities had its origins in Aristotle's Mechanics and the Mechanics of Hero, and that this concept was applied in the Middle Ages to obtain mathematical proofs of the law of levers and theorems of the inclined plane, setting the stage he says for the latter work of Bernoulli and Lagrange. The thirteenth century saw the origin of the thinking of velocity as a magnitude.

The author attributes the real advances in kinematics in medieval times to the academicians Thomas Bradwardine, William Heytesbury, Richard Swineshead, and John Dumbleton of Merton College in Oxford, who developed concepts of instantaneous velocity and analyzed various concepts of acceleration. The author attributes these advances partly to philosophical discussion on the "intension and remission of forms", which led these scholars to differentiate between the "quality" of velocity from the "quantity" of velocity. These scholars proved the somewhat long-winded "Merton theorem of uniform acceleration", which gave an equality with respect to space traversed in a given time a uniformly accelerated movement and a uniform movement where the velocity is equal to the velocity at the middle instant of the time of acceleration. The author attributes a restatement of this theorem to Galileo and is fundamental to his theory of freely falling bodies. Galileo used a kind of two-dimensional geometric proof for his law of free fall that was similar to the proof of the Merton theorem by medieval scholars. Thomas Bradwardine also presented a kind of law of force that related velocity to force and resistance. This law, argues the author, related velocity to instantaneous changes, foreshadowing the use of differential equations in modern mechanics.

The impetus theory of John Buridan in the fourteenth century takes on a special status in the book, as he views it to a large extent as the origin of the modern view of inertia. Buridan's description was in terms of the quantity of matter in the projectile, similar to the Newtonian notion of momentum. Interestingly though, Buridan's thinking was abandoned, according to the author. Buridan's thinking though is definitely not Aristotelian, and was a symptom of the end of the latter.

The lesson to be learned from the book is that despite the errors of the medieval scholars, their efforts eventually brought about the correct view of physical motion. Researchers in all areas of science need to keep in mind that although their ideas may be shown to be weak and not compatible with experiment, as shown later, their research restricts what is possible, and insures the same mistakes will not be repeated. The discipline of thought required by the medieval scholars, and that of modern researchers, is certainly something that is to be admired and be grateful for.

John Brehm rolls from sarcasm to the desire for spiritually trancendence in a matter of 30 lines. His language never leaves one grasping at the tail end of an confused fog. It does lead one into a cloud of contemplation.

Directed primarily at students in high school or college who don't know how to get started in writing a paper, report, thesis or similar project, my college son read it and passed it on. I found it helped enormously with my writing of corporate reports, clear and precise office memos, etc. It's in a chatty, easy to read style but I still found lots of ideas that will continue to be useful in clarifying and focusing what I'm trying to say and getting it down on paper quickly, sharply and without rambling.

Growng up in Kohler during the 1960's and 70's, we were continually aware of the influence and history of the Kohler family: the three Kohler sisters who devoted their lives to the beauty of the village and good works, the development the Waelderhaus, the annual village traditions and the like. This book tells it all.

When we visit the village and surrounding area now, we find so much of what is worthwhile is due to the benevolence of this one family: the nearby arts center, the golf courses, the state park.

This book is a good read for those who lived there. It was proof positive to my husband of the many legends and tales I've been telling him for thirty years.

If you look up the history of Kohler, this seemingly out of print book is available there for under $70.

Rufus Dawes writes of his service as an officer of the Iron Brigade's 6th Wisconsin Volunteers from it's formation until his resignation in 1864. Dawes was continuously present in the field almost every day from the day he enlisted, and wrote to his wife even several times a week, yet the book fills a mere 318 pages. His work is based primarily on this large collection of letters his wife had kept throughout the war.

His retrospective reminiscences are interjected only to give us the larger context, and sometimes he quotes the Official Army Reports when helpful. Not only is Dawes a good writer, but because he rose to command the 6th Wisconsin Regiment, he was cognizant of both the big picture and the immediate details of soldier life.

Dawes is an eloquent and sensitive writer. Through Dawes' letters we can feel the stresses and tensions of army life. As a junior officer, Dawes notes his concerns over the seniority among Captains in the Regiment as his primary concern. By 1864, this has shifted to the simple desire to spend time away from the incessant bullets, death and discomforts of war. Dawes' passages on the 1864 Campaign really expresses how different the war became and how really weary the veterans had become. Dawes himself, an exuberant and optimistic spirit always, had become truly weary of war by 1864.

To have tramped with Dawes all over Virginia, to Antietam and Gettysburg and through the Wilderness is an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend this book for the general reader. Of all the first person accounts I have read by Iron Brigade soldiers, this is the easiest to read and follow, and is richly rewarding.

if i were feeling more articulate i'd say something more than just WOW. maureen seaton knows how to write, baby. if you've read her poetry you already knew that, but now you know she can wield prose, too, and make it wickedly funny, too. this should be a story of pain (alcohol, the search for self, coming out later in life, suicide of loved ones, poverty, divorce) but seaton makes it all fluffy and foamy with maraschino cherries on top, and you forget to feel the pain. in fact, you have the impression she didn't feel any pain -- not at the time, not in writing it -- which is of course impossible, but there you have it. it might be a letdown for some, because some of us take the (many) dark parts of life very seriously, and like to see them described with twice as much seriousness. we take comfort in serious pain. we feel less alone. but seaton says in the intro that this book was a present to her daughters on the 30th year of her sobriety, so it figures: who would want to give a "poignant" story of pain to one's daughters, however triumphant at the end? (note: this is not triumphant at the end or anywhere else: it's just funny).

anyway, i don't feel alone. i find pleasure in poignant stories of pain, too (check out my bookshelves!), but don't feel any of the darkness belittled in this brilliant little book. i find it elevated to humor and dazzling, life-giving language.

Seaton, Maureen. "Sex Talks to Girls: A Memoir", University of Wisconsin Press, 2008.

A Journey to Self

Amos Lassen

Do not let this title fool you. "Sex Talks to Girls" by Maureen Seaton" is part on the University of Wisconsin's "Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies" series. Seaton uses Molly Meek as her alter ego and with her she explores her identity in some of the cleverest writing I have read in a long time. Molly has quite a life, often finding herself in the company of all ilks of people--winos, swingers, drag kings. She is in love with Jesus as well as a butch woman named Mars. She is taking care of two children; she writes stories and finds herself in very strange situations. She has come full circle from having been a near nun to a sexual animal and is having the time of her life.
The book is very sensitive and has the reader laughing and weeping. It deals with the major issues of religion, identity, coming-of-age and self-medication and sobriety. She becomes a lesbian after having being a daughter and a mother. Molly lives one day at a time and relishes every moment. Here is a story filled with humor and pathos and so much more and is a great fun read.

If you are interested in womens role in art and science then this book is definitely for you. This book is hard to put down as each essay involves you in an articulate vision of how women were involved in dissection, wax modelling etc in the eighteen and nineteeth century.It explains how acts of violence were (and still today) are acted upon womens body to find the truth about science for doctors and scientists knowledge. Also about the unveiling of women and how this involves man and the scientific field.

Leavitt is wonderful historian and although the majority of her early work centered on women's health throughout US history, in "Sickness and Health in America" she once again proves her ability to ferret out wonderful historians who write well and on pertinent issues. Encompassing classic works like the work on the Tuskagee Syphilis experiment and early work on attitudes toward persons living with HIV/AIDS, Leavitt should be applauded once again for her tireless efforts toward public health history.

This book is available in hard cover, contrary to some reports. It was recently (1999) awarded the Gambrinus Prize in history by the Milwaukee County Historical Society for the best book on Milwaukee area history.