Minnesota Books

I read most of the text recently and have to say it is one of the finest I have come across in recent years. From the Delezians I am familiar with in the States, I would rank Connolly highest along with Brian Massumi. Unlike a number of their colleagues, they do not simply reiterate familiar themes, but make genuine contributions to the field. And very much like Massumi (whose famous essay on affect he cited very favorably a few times), Connolly too works at the intersection of Delezian and Deleuze-inspired philosophy (Guattari figures prominently too, even though in this text he is hardly ever mentioned - my only minor objection) and contemporary cognitive science, in addition to providing fine-tuned analysis of some classical movies using Deleuze and Bergson.

It is a very fine text in political thought,provided one accepts a necessarily extended definition of the term tapping into a number of 'non-political' scientific disciplines. It might be a bit hard to read for the beginner, yet theoretical precision and fascinating intellectual depth are some of the major rewards. In terms of my own academic (as well as non-academic) interests, this has been one of the luckiest hits I have had in recent years (after dropping Lacan and Zizek upon coming across Anti-Oedipus and Guattari). A great read and a lovely book.

It is great to have these playwrights out and available to the general public. Anne Washburn and Erin Courtney are especially worth reading.

This book is awesome. Read it from cover to cover. Beautiful paper ideas. Glad I chose it. Making baby announcements, and I was looking for the right envelope to enclose them. Mimi's Envelope Template on page 28, hit the spot. The Hand Card on page 85, gave me excellent ideas for gift cards. Truly recommend this book to anyone looking for new paper ideas. Mimi when is your next book due?

The New Politics Of Race: Globalism, Difference, Justice, is a collection of superbly crafted essays by Howard Winant (Professor of Sociology, University of California - Santa Barbara) dealing with contemporary American social issues arising from considerations of race and ethnicity. A mix of new and previously published essays, The New Politics Of Race combine to provide the reader with a comprehensive perspective on the origins and nature of post-World War II complex racial politics that evolve and persist to the present day. Of special note are Professor Winant's thoughts on identifying the ways in which racial hierarchies everywhere are being reestablished and reenergized (often clandestinely and in newly refashioned forms) by contemporary political state and national forces. Also available in a a hardcover edition (0816642796, $59.95), The New Politics Of Race is a seminal and critically important work of impeccable scholarship which is an invaluable contribution to academic library Contemporary Social Issues, Political Science, and Black Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Now in a newly updated and expanded edition, "A New Theatre" is a fascinating description of the founding and launching of the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1963. Written by the great director himself, "A New Theatre" traces the four year (and longer) process of investigating appropriate communities, seeking building coalitions with business and philanthropic theatre supporters, and designing, building and successfully opening one of the most notable American regional repertory theatres to date. Full of pungent witticisms and underlying humor, "A New Theatre" expands the reader's awareness of the importance of classical theater in American, or indeed any culture. Perhaps today it is difficult to imagine the magnitude of the undertaking of creating a viable, artistically rigorous classic repertory theater in the Upper Midwest of the early 60's. "A New Theatre" reminds us of some of the ground that was broken in this stunning pioneer effort. A foreword by Joe Dowling, present Artistic Director of the Guthrie, explains that the theater's latest reincarnation, a wonderful new complex on the Mississippi River, has evolved into a place where "Future generations of actors, directors, and writers will have ideal conditions to create and develop their work, and the beautiful audience facilities combined with the iconic architecture of Jean Nouvel will maintain and even enhance the Guthrie's ability to attract both local and national support (p. 6)." Hence the present need for retelling the story of the beginning of the Guthrie in the words of its founder, Sir Tyrone Guthrie himself.

Included in the chapter on Rehearsals and Opening are black and white photos of the early company, even volunteers organizing to support the Guthrie, and amazing reviews of the opening productions of "Hamlet" and "The Miser" and others, from 1963. Life was not all strawberries and cream and roses for the early company. Certain reviewers seemed to need to make their aim to denigrate rather than to digest. Nevertheless, the Theatre began to thrive. I was fortunate enough to live in the area in the early 60's and I remember well attending the 1963 productions of "Hamlet," "The Miser," and "Death of a Salesman." My mother was determined that we should all benefit from this wonderful new cultural opportunity that we were beginning here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I loved it all.

"A New Theatre" is both a chronicle of an amazing cultural undertaking and a salute to a glorious beginning that continues to prosper and grow today. It has great appeal to both the nostalgic audience whose memories it touches, and new audiences whose present experience is informed and enhanced by it. It is also a very entertaining book to read. I close with one of Guthrie's favorite statements to his actors: "Astonish me in the morning!" What a legacy this is to us all!

Nancy Lorraine
Reviewer

This amazing books gives readers the ability to scrutinize literary texts from a feminist perspective. Cixous clearly lays out her arguments and offers a unique perspective on the struggle of woman and how she is seen by the rest of the world. This book is a must for any Women's Studies or English major.

I was glad to see these two books come out in a dual reprint. These were among the first Tami Hoag books I read and enjoyed thoroughly. Loved the way she continued the storyline into the second book with the prosecuting attorney. No one does dark mystery better than Hoag.

I just finished reading "No Place Like Max" and it has left me missing the days I shared with these wonderful people, Bud and Luise Anderson, their family and their neighbors.

This is a great read if you lived here and knew the main characters. And it's a great read if you didn't but would like to know what life in the north country is all about and the kind of people who settled here and made homes in the wilderness.

This is truly a remarkable book.

It's hard for me to believe that No Sensible People is a first novel. The story is so true and believable from the very first page that it seems it should be the work of a seasoned veteran.

Not only that, but this novel is written from the viewpoints of three different characters who write various chapters, beginning with nine-year-old Jennie, but also told by her Aunt Lucy and her best friend, a man in his mid-twenties who has been like another parent to her and whose name is Denny, but who she calls Taffy. And every single one of the voices sounds distinct and true, an amazing feat.

A tragic event that occurred before Jennie was born has set a disastrous series of events in motion, and as the book begins another tragic event, the accidental death of Jennie's father, begins another chain that will bring great changes to the lives of our three main characters. Jennie's mother, already on the borderline of sanity, tips over at the death of her husband and kills herself, and Jennie is forced to go live with her Aunt Lucy, who she's never met before.

Lucy has her own dark secrets and a marraige that is on the verge of falling apart, but she is determined to do her best for Jennie. And Taffy is also very much involved in Jennie's life. But the past between Aunt Luciy and Taffy keeps interfering with the present and unless secrets are revealed and closure granted, no one is going to be able to find any stability.

Ms. Bourquin paints a picture of damaged but smart, decent, loving people all trying to make everything all work out, and makes you care about these people intensely. Jennie, Lucy, Taffy, and even Aunt Lucy's husband Frank, Taffy's sister Susie, and Frank's gay brother, Stuart, are all fully defined characters that I will remember for a long time.

I can't recommend No Sensible People highly enough. You will not be disappointed in this sensitive and deeply moving story. I hope to have the opportunity to read much more of Gretchen's work in the future.

Using Freudian theory as a base, this scholarly treatise postulates that film noir is premised on conflicts involving gender, race, and nationality. Since much of the text necessarily examines psychoanalytical concepts, the reading requires patience and careful scrutiny. The authors' conclusions are at best edifying and at worst eye-opening--and almost certainly will cause readers to view familiar movies in a brighter light. Touch of Evil, for example, well known to most noir mavens, is thoroughly probed in its treatment of sexuality and ethnicism. The writers' judgments can thus be assessed as to their plausibility in accordance with readers' beliefs concerning Freudianism or simply in their evaluation of the motives of director Orson Welles. If the reader has not seen the film, however--as in the lesser known Secret Beyond the Door--it will be impossible to apply such a deduction. Surely, any of the authors' conclusions can be theorized to be intentional on the film creators' parts, or subliminally driven, or simply done for a technical reason. For instance, in Touch of Evil, the writers contend that Welles had Charlton Heston translate a Spanish statement into English in order to demarcate linguistic (and thus ethnic) identity. But might this not have been done merely to clue in the audience? Regardless, this text is very well researched and composed and should be of major interest to serious students of film noir.