Wisconsin Books

If you're seeking to be entertained, enlightened and completely engrossed, then NIGHT SISTERS will be a treasured reading time for you, with insights into the world of spirits and mystical phenomenons.

Nell Grendon, a skeptical journalist, is introduced to Spiritualism at the Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp, while pursuing a magazine article. The religious group, begun in 1873, is still active and flourishing. At the quaint and time worn premises, there's always an intriguing assemblage of characters. Gifted and elderly Grace Waverly, head medium, forms an instant connection with Nell, persuading her to try her inborn talents as a medium, which begins a series of startling revelations.

Nell is jarred back to episodes of her childhood, where religion played a vital role in the lives of her young friends. Deaths from the past still haunt. The time she stole the prize bible ring from the finger of her dead opponent, as he lay in his casket. The mysterious unsolved drowning of a girlhood friend. Upon seeing the drowned girl during a seance, the past streams forth anew, with further chills taking place at another seance, when the girl's suspected killer is seen in the audience.

New adventures also take place in the historic home middle-aged Nell is seeking to remodel, which includes renting an apartment to a jazz musician and his dog, leading to "neighborly" encounters. An unwelcome guest enters her life-- a famous 1920's radio actress, "Woman of a Thousand Voices", who usurps Nell's computer to communicate with her, harass her life, and make unusual demands. Ms. Rath's excellent writing skills intertwines the past, present and future, as we rapidly turn the pages to see "what happens next."

Her poetic gifts are apparent throughout, especially in the picturesque descriptions of characters and small town remembrances, so clear and beautiful, we are immediately there. Humor is sprinkled adroitly. The right amount of tension and a satisfying ending, make Nell's journey of spirit one that will remain with you for some time, and continue to hover.

Ludmilla Bollow (Author - "DR. ZASTRO'S SANITARIUM- For the Ailment of Women")

I just finished Night Sisters. I LOVED it! The story was intriguing and a study of excellent backstory--every piece of it adds depth and understanding to the present day story (and moves it forward, just fantastic!) The past and the present intertwine to weave such a compelling tale. Really excellent writing. Not to mention, a great read I couldn't put down!

And Sara Rath (not to mention the book's protagonist, Nell Grendon) has a wicked sense of humor :o)

What a wonderful book.

A skeptical Nell Grendon is pulled into a brief life as a spirit medium in this thoroughly entertaining novel by Wisconsin writer Sara Rath. Entertaining, funny, and serious, too. Ever since her Methodist childhood, Nell has longed for a deeper, more mysterious connection to her own spirit, like the more interesting Catholics and Jews of her childhood, who ate special food and performed exotic rituals. She loves old houses, too, and as part of a divorce settlement, she lives in a pea green colonial, part of which she rents out to a suave and funny jazz musician named George. Much of the story takes place at the Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp where Nell enrolls in a mediumship workshop given by Grace Waverly, a maternal, understanding, and gentle woman who has the ability to physically manifest a spirit entity with ectoplasm. (For the uninitiated, Rath does a good job of explaining what ectoplasm is and just how it happens.) A reluctant Nell attempts to dodge a reading, but Grace gives her one anyway and touches upon a great sorrow in Nell's heart that reaches far into her past. Soon, much to her shock, Nell is channeling an all-to-intrusive actress from the 1920's--Angella Wing. The woman begins communicating with Nell via her computer, and there's nothing Nell can do to stop her from fluttering around in there. More strange things begin to happen as people from her past show up, including an old love, Teddy Carter, who rides a mother of a bike, and is a member of HOGs for Christ. He's a turn-off, naturally, and the ensuing scene is downright funny. Then there's Miss Khrol, a magical woman full of wisdom and great knowing; I wanted more of her because she was odd and convincing and archetypal--and young girls need helpful figures like Miss Khrol who give life more depth.
The quest to understand the mysterious death of a not-so-cherished childhood friend is the central story of Night Sisters. I really liked the final pages, and was as astonished as Nell by Grace Waverly's ability and power to manifest the representation of a spirit. This is a satisfying read, and I recommend this book to anyone who does, and does not, believe in the invisible energies of those who have passed on. It's not that this book will necessarily make you a believer, but the story is Nell's and in her telling it--everything rings true. -Linda Vozar Sweet

Pat Getz-Gentle draws upon thirty-five years of meticulous scholarship and research in Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture, the latest contribution to the outstanding University of Wisconsin Press series, "Wisconsin Studies in Classics" Here presented is a 185-page definitive work on Cycladic sculpture provides a wealth of new material and fresh insights into a artistic tradition which is rooted in the Neolithic period spanning the third millennium B.C. The reader is treated to a an informative and challenging review of this tradition of artistic express as Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture gives special emphasis on the stages leading to the reclining figure with folded arms that is the unique and quintessential icon of the early Bronze age culture at the center of the Aegean. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture also focuses on the discernibly unique styles of fifteen specific carvers. By introducing little-known pieces attributable to these sculptors, Pat Getz-Gentle superbly illuminates various phases of their artistic development. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is enhanced with a special chapter by European art history and lecturer Jack de Vries, a profusion of photos and drawings illustrating 212 different works of Cycladic sculpture. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is an impressive, seminal, accessible, original body of work that will prove to be an invaluable addition to Art History Studies in general, and Hellenic Sculpture Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections in particular.

Parenthood In America: Undervalued, Underpaid, Under Siege is a compilation of contributions by professionals engaging in research and discussions about "parenthood" as it is being experienced in the American culture today. After succinct and compelling analysis of the current stresses and problems involved with parenthood, a body of recommendations emerge in behalf of having family-friendly workplaces and decent child care options; family health care for all members; programs aiding the development of children in addition to their physical health; recognition by professionals of parental expertise regarding their own children; alternatives to vapid or violent games and television programming; prioritization of family meals, talks, chores, and activities within the parenting schedule; valuing caring relationships above the accumulation of wealth or the acquisition of possessions; an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; and family support in community settings. Highly recommended for both child development professionals and interested non-specialist readers alike, Parenthood In America is a welcome and much needed addition to academic and community parenting studies reference collections.

Parenthood In America: Undervalued, Underpaid, Under Siege is a compilation of contributions by professionals engaging in research and discussions about "parenthood" as it is being experienced in the American culture today. After succinct and compelling analysis of the current stresses and problems involved with parenthood, a body of recommendations emerge in behalf of having family-friendly workplaces and decent child care options; family health care for all members; programs aiding the development of children in addition to their physical health; recognition by professionals of parental expertise regarding their own children; alternatives to vapid or violent games and television programming; prioritization of family meals, talks, chores, and activities within the parenting schedule; valuing caring relationships above the accumulation of wealth or the acquisition of possessions; an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; and family support in community settings. Highly recommended for both child development professionals and interested non-specialist readers alike, Parenthood In America is a welcome and much needed addition to academic and community parenting studies reference collections.

Russian Symbolism seems to be a peculiar literary movement at first glance. But Russian Symbolists inherited very much from German romantics. I'm also a student of Russian Symbolism, especially of Ivanov's heritage, like the author. I was captivated by this book. This fascinating book has become for me a model of my research (especially the chapter 10 is splendid!): a "mirror" of what I think about Ivanov. An excellent book both for specialists and for simple literature lovers.

A trenchant investigation of an essential subject. Rarely have I encountered such a profound treatment of this highly intriguing subject. The book is a must for anyone interested in German-Russian literary relations.

Russian Symbolism seems to be a peculiar literary movement at first glance. But Russian Symbolists inherited very much from German romantics. I'm also a student of Russian Symbolism, especially of Ivanov's heritage, like the author. I was captivated by this book. This fascinating book has become for me a model of my research (especially the chapter 10 is splendid!): a "mirror" of what I think about Ivanov. An excellent book both for specialists and for simple literature lovers.

Come on people! I--devotee of Whitman, Stevens, Hart Crane, Kenneth Fearing--have looked high and low for great living American poets. Jim Daniels is definitely one. Daniels is remarkably hard hitting, funny, empathetic. He writes about work, race, religion and family. But it is his craft--music and imagery--that separate him from the pack. This book, unlike most contemporary poetry books, will stay with you after you close the covers. So buy it.

Come on people! I--devotee of Whitman, Stevens, Hart Crane, Kenneth Fearing--have looked high and low for great living American poets. Jim Daniels is definitely one. Daniels is remarkably hard hitting, funny, empathetic. He writes about work, race, religion and family. But it is his craft--music and imagery--that separate him from the pack. This book, unlike most contemporary poetry books, will stay with you after you close the covers. So buy it.

I often cuss the current crop of poets. Many of them seem to be self-infatuated blowhards who are writing in some kind of inbred code that will allow them to congradulate each other on how wise they are. Unless you have an alphabet soup of degrees behind your name, as most of us don't, you can't grasp a blessed word being said.

Daniels, who worked in a Detroit auto plant to pay his way through graduate school, doesn't seem that way at all. His work, though deep, is accessible,and his use of language is down-to-earth. This is something I really admire in a poet-when he writes not to be studied, but to be read.

His inspiration comes from a myriad of sources. His troubled religious faith, his family, his years in the factory followed by years in academia, even the music of the J. Geils Band all provide fodder for him. This book is a synopsis of Daniels' poetic career, allowing us to see him at all phases of his artistic development, and it's all a pleasure to be seen.

The poems even have different structures. Some rhyme, some don't. Some, like "Time, Temperature," are long and meaty, while others, like "The Fall," are quick and concise. None of them slack, no matter what their length, and all are pleasing for a broad cross-section of the reading public to consume.

Despite his luminous c.v., Daniels is a poet of the people, a creator of work that cries out to be read. If you love poetry, grab this book quickly. Even if you don't love poetry, this book will be a worthy investment. Read it often and enjoy!

This is a very enjoyable trip through a difficult time in our history...many memories and very good recipes. I have the other books in the series and refer to them a lot.

This book has older recipes that dont use a lot of artifical or convience foods. Also included are short 1-2 paragraph blurbs or stories of life in the depression years. I found it wonderful reading.

WOW ! Wish I had read this when my parents (born in the 1920s) were alive! What a great lesson in understanding our Senior Citizens. This book is an excellent combination of healthy and clearly written recipes from the 1930s PLUS a lesson in history of what the Great Depression was like and how it affected people during their entire lifetime. Many personal accounts of life from Depression era is in this book. It was easy to keep interested in a subject usually glossed over or boring in lack of personal details in our American history books. Cookbook collectors should have this one ! Anyone having parents who lived through the Depression and WWII should also read this book. The recipes are good ones that many of us will still recognize today as passed down through families in "Mom's best home cooking." Suddenly the light will dawn on understanding older loved ones. I plan on ordering more copies of this cookbook to give as gifts.

At one time an African nation composed of two large tribes has a slaughter, a genocide. The people in power, let's call them Tribe 1, decided to eliminate the Tribe 2. A few years later Tribe 2 has gained power so began the slaughter/genocide of Tribe 1.

In this book Tribe 1 is the Huto, Tribe 2 is the Tutsi. Unfortunately this is a story so often repeated that the names almost do not matter. This could have been any of a number of countries.

And the countries do not have to be in Africa. We had the Holocaust in Germany, Ethnic Clensing in what was left of Yugoslavia. We've had people seemingly going nuts as they did in China's Cultural Revolution. And then there are places like Israel, Northern Ireland and oh so many more.

The story though keeps coming back to Africa. Taking place in the mid 1990's, this is a story of Africa, its leadership, such as it is. And it's a story of Africa before AIDS.

The story in this book is a story of the survival of a Huto woman at the hands of the Tutsi. It's a story of struggle against terrible odds -- and she made it.

I love this book but I am sickened by its content. I'm willing to bet that few people reading "Surviving the Slaughter" have ever had a bad year that adds up to just one day of Marie Beatrice Umutesi's many bad days depicted in this memoir. This is the story of the incredible hardship and endless courage and stamina of a lone woman who, miraculously, lived to tell her tale.

Why didn't we in the USA know more about this genocide? In New York City I am surrounded by the "survivors" of the WTC attack on 9/11/01 and constantly assaulted by their self-serving weeping and wailing. If one half the population of New York City had died on 9/11/01 the numbers would begin to equal the slaughter of this one genocide in Rwanda. Reading this book definitely gives the reader a context within which to judge the relative impact and importance of current events.

Having read my share of translations I must tip my hat to Julia Emerson for bringing this memoir to the attention of the English speaking world by making such a clear, readable and intelligent translation.

This is the tragic and triumphant autobiography of a Rwandan Hutu woman who, after living for a couple of years as an internally displaced person in Rwanda and then surviving the horrific conditions in the camps that were - illegally - set up in by the UN in Zaire within shelling distance of the Rwandan border and further down the road in the death camp at Tingi Tingi, decided, along with tens of thousands of others to try to escape from the murderous attacks of Kagame's RPF, UN bounty hunters and Kabila's troops by taking to the roads in an effort to find a way out of the country. She took around ten children, none of them her own, with her and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to keep them alive during months of trekking through trackless tropical forests during the rainy season, walking barefoot on blistering roads, eating whatever they could scavenge in the deserted villages along the way.

We have heard a lot about the tragedy of the Tutsi genocide in 1994. What we haven't heard, partly because the press has been manipulated by the current Tutsi regime in Rwanda and partly because the U. S. continues to count on Kagame to keep our access open to the minerals in Congo - particularly coltan, which is used in cell phones and computers - is that as many Hutu as Tutsi have been killed both before and after 1994. Books like "We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" by Philip Gourevitch were highly misleading and only served to reinforce the mistaken view that all Hutu were genocidal and all Tutsi innocent victims, and as a result the world has let at least 750,000 innocent Hutu be slaughtered while their killers enjoy impunity. And that is not even counting the 3,000,000 Congolese who have died.

The first chapters of the book give an overview of the history Rwanda and life in the camps, and the rest of it deals with Umutesi's trek across Zaire. It is even handed, understated, immensely powerful and very timely. It was published in French, Spanish, Catalan and Dutch before being translated into English.

Read the first review. It covers more than I could think to say at this point. I am about to read the book for a second time. What I expected, and what I got upon reading were two different things. The author has what one calls a real gift for words. Each story is an emotional trip. Some left me laughing, but several left me exhausted from my journey. I can't wait to read it again!

TOKEN CREEK is a gem. The book's structure is simple enough: a collage of short stories about family and friends in a Wisconsin farm town at a time before most of us were born. But beware, the simple description is deceptive. Beneath a smoothly crafted surface you'll find a rich and subtle read. Each of the stories is gracefully rendered, each standing alone as a tale worth telling. Woven together, they form a broad and comforting picture of a community whose people I grew to like and respect. Several of the stories are especially strong. My personal favorite, "The Token Creek Land Company" is haunting, almost Chekhovian in its bittersweet exploration of sunshine dreams in the clutch of a northern winter. Or "Bird Dog," warm and funny, about the power of man's best friend to redirect Second Cousin LeRoy from the road to booze and sloth. Another winner is "The Big Dipper," with its measured and evocative description of Uncle Dillard's fall into an unsuspected tunnel, carved beneath his barn to shelter runaway slaves. Then there's the one about the pig. . . There is a lot of variety here. You'll be able to pick a favorite of your own.Riedner has a gift shared with the first tier of American short story writers. His words are crisp and bright. They are combined with wit and subtlety into rhythmic clusters of image-rich prose. His voice is sure, humane and loving, but never for a moment sentimental. The stories of TOKEN CREEK belie their half century ago setting. They are a completely modern look at the varying burdens and joys of living among those we care for, of being part of family and community. TOKEN CREEK is about people worth knowing. It is a book to be savored, shared and saved to read again.

Each of the stories in this book is beautifully written, elegantly conceived, and full of interesting and colorful characters. I look forward to reading the stories outloud to my children.

It only seems as if Jerry Apps has written a couple hundred books, but it has to be at least a couple dozen by now, on subjects including beer and barns, circus and one-room schools. He's even written a couple of fine children's books.
It took him a long time to get around to writing a novel, but it was worth the wait. The Travels of Increase Joseph depicts a make-believe rural preacher in the real world of Wisconsin from pre Civil War days to the turn of the Century, and it grabs and holds your interest all the way.
Like all of Jerry's books, Travels is steeped in meticulous research, but this time Jerry has let his imagination have at the facts.
We follow the career of Increase Joseph Link from the time he gets drummed out of theology school until his death. His calling to preach comes in the form of a literal lightning bolt and leads him to form the church of the Standalone Fellowship, based on teachings contained in a mysterious red book the preacher keeps with him at all times and never lets anyone else read.
When not preaching a gospel of God, man, and the land, pastor Link peddles a cure-all tonic (the recipe also remains his secret, but I'm betting on a high alcohol content) that sells for "50 cents, or two for a dollar."
It's a wonderful read and an education in Wisconsin history and the formation of America. I highly recommend it.
Marshall J. Cook
Madison, Wisconsin

The Travels Of Increase Joseph by Jerry Apps is a superbly crafted historical novel of a pioneer preacher who came to the wildlands of Wisconsin in 1852 with his small gathering of followers, the Standalone Fellowship. Supporting the Fellowship by selling his special curative tonic, and delivering oratory and with powerful messages that are nothing short of spellbinding, Joseph Link dared to speak out as he journeyed and his words and ideas made an impression that stayed. The Travels Of Increase Joseph is a most thoughtful and wonderfully entertaining read. Jerry Apps writes with vibrant character and has a penchant for making Wisconsin history come alive.

Increase Joseph Link, an itinerant preacher, arrives in the wilds of central Wisconsin in 1852. A small band of followers who call themselves the Standalone Fellowship come with him. They take up farming near Link Lake, named for their revered spiritual leader.

The Standalone Fellowship almost immediately falls on difficult times. To earn money for the Fellowship, Increase Joseph takes his message of "listening to the land" to nearby towns where he preaches in a round tent and sells a special curative tonic for fifty cents a bottle.

Increase Joseph's preaching becomes known throughout the region for its content and especially for his powerful manner of delivery. His spellbinding oratory is based on the mysterious Red Book that Increase Joseph carries with him everywhere and allows no one to see, not even his immediate family. He takes on wheat farmers, lumber barons and those who accept technology without questioning it. He speaks against war and Slavery and the Fellowship becomes a part of the Underground Railroad.

With a cast of characters, real and fictional, Apps tells a fast moving story that examines human progress in a new light. The story of Increase Joseph Link is nuanced with philosophy and history, and told with humor and Apps' special story telling flair.

This book offers a comprehensive guide to all the major trout streams in the Wisconsin/Minnesota area. Well written with fantastic advice.

This book is fantastic. The author literally fished almost every stream and wrote about them. The book is filled with photos and maps to help get a visual on what he is describing about each stream. I also found helpful the places to stay and eat he suggested. Make notes of your own next to each stream he wrote about. A must have when scouting new trout streams.

I am a guide and fly fisherman in SE Minnersota and still refer to this book when I explore new water. Almost as good as having a guide with you. Mel Hayner MINNESOTAFLYFISHING.COM