Minnesota Books

An excellent guide for hikes of all different lengths and for all abilities. Good maps and directions. Highly recommended.

Jeffrey Carlson displays a unique and intriguing blend of old fashion Minnesot-ian life in this radiant best-seller. With his old-school charm, he'll draw you into this historical album. So, you think you know all there is to know about Minnesota, eh? Jeff thinks you're wrong! Read this book today. Best historical album, hands down.

This is a 200+ paperback book, with plenty of photos included. The story of Minnesota Bible College (now Crossroads College, Rochester, Minnesota) from its beginnings in 1913 through 2000 is carefully recorded by longtime college Dean, Earl E. Grice. Events leading to and including the move from Minneapolis to Rochester are discussed.

Grice describes the setting for the college in the early 1900's, dreams of the founders and early leaders, obstacles that were overcome, and biographies of many college leaders throughout the years. Graduates for each year are listed. Copies of the school songs are also included.

Alumni/ae and anyone interested in the Stone-Campbell religious heritage will want to purchase this book, which is available from Crossroads College.

This interesting book was actually written as a Master's thesis, and was first published in 1938. The book begins with a history of the Mennonites, and then slides into a history of Mountain Lake, Minnesota from its beginnings to 1938. After that, the reader is treated with three chapters that discuss the development of Mountain lake in terms of economics, religion, and political/social changes.

Overall, I found this to be a very well written book, and surprisingly interesting. (You would expect a master's thesis to be a tediously boring read, and doubly so for something from 1938!) So, if you are interested in the history of the Russian Mennonites who came to this country, or just in the history of Mountain Lake, Minnesota, then you will find this to be a very informative book.

white pine i would like yo know all there is to know about white pine and the price of white pine and the price per foot

Art history teacher Fred W. Peterson presents Homes in the Heartland: Balloon Frame Farmhouses of the Upper Midwest, the true story of the architectural phenomenon of balloon frame house construction that pervaded Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin from 1850 to 1920, which allowed settlers to establish affordable permanent frontier homes. Homes in the Heartland examines the social, economic, and aesthetic aspects of these homes, including their impact both on architectural history and on the lives of the people who lived in them. Enhanced with more than 150 black-and-white illustrations such as vintage photographs and house plans, as well as brand new preface for its paperback edition, Homes in the Heartland is a welcome addition to college library and American architectural history shelves.

An inventive look at localist twists and practices in cinema, literature, urban space, within contexts of transnational porousness and neo-nationalism. A poetics of distraction and late capitalist bemusement, useful and the mall and in the movies and poesy too.

"Honoring the Grandmothers" is a slim book, barely bigger than your average sized pamphlet. Edited by Sarah Penman, a video and radio commentator living in Minnesota, the book is a collection of musings by four Dakota/Lakota grandmothers about traditional Indian knowledge and customs and how they relate to today's fast paced world. Penman captured the stories on tape over a period of years, working hard to overcome many obstacles to get the stories to us, the reader. There is little commentary on the stories; Penman allows them to speak for themselves. Two of the grandmothers have since passed away, but their words do continue to speak about maintaining dignity and culture in a world that likes to forget about the Indians and their way of life.

Celane Not Help Him is the first speaker presented in the book. Celane did not have an easy life; she lived in poverty for most of her life, with little formal education. Her family lost their property when the United States Air Force confiscated it during WWII for use as an artillery range. Celane is the granddaughter of Iron Hail, a Lakota who survived the Battle of Little Big Horn and the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890. Celane provides an oral history of Wounded Knee that is both enlightening in historical terms and depressing in an emotional sense. It is hard to read Celane's account, as her speaking skills do not land easily on an English-speaking ear. It is best to read the account straight through, and then think about it for a time. When this is done, Celane comes across as clear as a star in the sky.

The next set of stories comes from Stella Pretty Sounding Flute, a Wahpekute-Hunkpati Dakota. The Dakota people, like most Indians, had difficulties dealing with the burgeoning white population of America in the 19th century. After years of declining fortunes, an 1862 uprising in Minnesota brought down every bit of force the American government could muster on the Dakotas. The Dakota did not disappear, but scattered throughout Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Stella does not concern herself with these events as much as she does with the traditions she learned from her own grandparents. Her grandmother passed on skills and knowledge that no school can teach. Stella discusses the loss of the Black Hills, the traditions of pipe carrying, and spiritual beliefs.

The third storyteller is Cecilia Hernandez Montgomery. Cecilia is part Mexican, part Oglala Sioux, and part firecracker. This is one tough dame. Cecilia spent time in a Catholic school (back when they REALLY used the ruler), studied music, and worked herself dizzy at a series of low paying jobs. Cecilia really came into her own when she started a career as an activist in South Dakota, working hard to improve the living conditions of poor people (all poor people, not just Indians). She sits on many boards, committees, and still pounds the pavement when problems arise. She did all of this into her seventies and beyond, not only exploding the myth of the lazy Indian but also causing irreparable harm to the conception that old people cannot do anything of value.

The last narrative comes from Iola Columbus, a Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota. Like many other Indians, Columbus spent time in an Indian boarding school, where military discipline combined with strict adherence to corporeal punishment attempted to erase the "Indian" from the Indians. Columbus's story is different from the others because she went on to become the first woman elected to tribal chair in the state of Minnesota. She later founded a grandmother's society, where women elders can gather to share traditional knowledge with new generations.

"Honoring the Grandmothers" is really a book about the elderly and their marginalized role in American society. This is occurring not only in white society but in Indian society as well. A couple of the grandmothers lament the fact that their knowledge is not passed on, but disappearing as older members of Indian tribes pass away. In short, the same mentality (of the doddering old fool who is well past his/her prime) that leads whites to toss the elderly into nursing homes happens in Indian society as well. The elderly are rich sources of knowledge and culture in every society. We ignore them at our own peril.

On the heels of his chilling first novel Where Evil Hides, Dean Hovey's second novel Hooker is further testimony of marvelous new talent in the murder mystery genre. Like the first, Hooker weaves a nailbiting web of suspense surrounding a grizzly crime in a northern Minnesota small town. Many suspects abound and you find yourself unable to put the book down until the surprising finale. Hovey's scientific background, knowledge of forensics, and brilliant story writing ability all come together to take you into the world of criminology in a rural sheriff's department. A must for mystery / suspense readers.

This is a must for all "true" Minnesotans! The book covers everything about Minnesota from A-Z!