Minnesota Books

Zempel's work in compiling and translating this book of letters is a tribute to the Norwegian immigrant experience. Through these letters one discovers the great hardship and great joy brought to these individuals who in many circumstances travelled great distances on their own. Thank you for bringing insight to my own families experience through the voices of those who had the courage to venture before.

The Independence Party And The Future Of Third-Party Politics: Adventures And Opinions Of An IP Senate Candidate is the memoir and personal testimony of William McGaughey, who ran for the U.S. Senate on behalf of the same party that backed Minnesota's former governor, Jesse Ventura. Very highly recommended reading for Political Science students, as well as political activists of all parties and reform movements, The Independence Party And The Future Of Third-Party Politics offers a thoughtful and thought-provoking "insider view" of the wheels of contemporary American politics and offers a persuasive rationale behind the motivational struggle for political change.

This was a great book and everything! I bet everybody would like this book. I loved every single part in it. This book had alot of funny parts in it and some parts are mystrious & mischeivess. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Research report writer Kathy Davis Graves contributed to the creation of an up-to-date fifth edition of Elizabeth Ebott's solid reference, Indians in Minnesota, a fact-filled reference guide for researchers and professionals of all walks who need to twenty-first century demographics concerning Minnesota's Native American population of more than fifty-four thousand. Indians in Minnesota draws from hundreds of interviews from tribal members, data from the 2000 Minnesota Census, federal and state reports, and more. Covering both historical and contemporary understand of Minnesota's Native Americans, living on and off reservations, and addressing the significant changes and challenges of the twenty-first century, Indians of Minnesota is a highly accessible, informative, and insightful compendium. "With tribes rapidly increasing their powers and abilities to control their own environments, it is important that non-Indians understand and accept differing views of how to deal with natural resources. As one Indian leader said, 'We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we rent it from our children.'"

I taught this book in a senior seminar (4th-yr undergraduate) Environmental Anthropology course in 2003-04. I was a little worried about assigning it b/c the theory can be very dense, but it turned out to be one of the more popular books in the course, full of ideas that students kept referring back to and using in their term papers. Because each of the chapters looks at the idea of the "forest" (and the processes through which it has been produced) from a range of perspectives, it's a fun book to teach in a seminar setting -- it can be approached from a lot of different angles, and is almost inherently provocative of debate. And it has great illustrations -- all of my students were "fooled" by the pseudo-satellite photos that Braun presents and goes on to deconstruct brilliantly.

This book does a wonderful job of illustrating the Minnesota iron mining scene of 1910 or so. It focuses primarily on the mines of the Mesabi Range, but also touches on the Vermilion and Cuyuna. I have found it an invaluable resource in getting a better idea of old mining practices. One word of caution: this book is devoted entirely to the technical engineering aspects, and has nothing to offer as far as the social aspect of the mines. But if you are researching this rich period of Minnesota's mining history, or have more than a slight interest in it, I would highly recommend this book. The price tends to be a little high, but in my opinion it's well worth it.

The Laurentian divide is Northern Minnesota's invisible hill - a long hump of land that stretches a hundred miles through the Northeastern corner of the state. On the eastern slope is a large uplift. The Ojibwe Indians called it Mesabi, meaning sleeping Giant. The discovery in the 1890's of mammoth deposits of iron ore in the Mesabi range brought untold numbers of immigrants seeking the "red gold": Croatians, Serbians, Slovenians, Italians, Scandinavians, and Finns. "Da Range" was born. Fueled by cheap labor and an abundance of iron ore, towns sprang up like beads on a string: Coleraine, Nashwauk, Chisholm, Mountain Iron, Eveleth, Virginia, Biwabik, and Hibbing. The ore for the iron that built the nation during the first part of the century came from the sweat of the free-spirited Minnesota prospectors. A proud, hard-working bunch, none worked harder than Anton Debevec, a laborer who immigrated from Slovenia in 1903 with his wife Agnes to work in the mines and raise a family. The Iron Ore Minor's Son is the memior of Joseph J. DeBevec, one of seven lanky Debevec kids who grew up in the shadow of the Mesabi. Energetic and enterprising, Joe worked his way to the top of his form in the retail business managing stores for the J. C. Penney Company in rural Midwest towns, his success driven by the idea that: "there must be a better way!" He married into the Macks of Virginia, Minnesota and later the Gills of Toronto, Canada. He is father to two families, and has gained enough blessings in life to be a great grandfather. --- from book's dustjacket

At the close of active life (well, near the close - Arne will turn 90 in Jan.2002!) Norwegian eco-political philosopher Arne Naess is interviewed by spry young American academic David Rothenberg.

Subjects span Arne's entire life consciousness. In easy-to-read, question-and-answer format, this slim volume tells the lay reader many fascinating personal details. Rothenberg & Naess discuss -- inter alia -- Arne's rejection of his mother, childhood obsession with tiny things, the financial help from his older wealthy businessman brothers that freed Arne to live a charmed "thinking" life, and Arne's subversive leadership in the WWII Norwegian Resistance.

Why are this old Norwegian man's memories so important? Although many in the USA do not yet know him, Arne Naess is considered the father of "Deep Ecology" - a philosophy of articulate ecological beliefs, which works to shape ecological dialog with non-ecological forces.

Today's ecological thinkers will find these interviews highly educational. It is intriguing to see how the 20th century movement called Deep Ecology was shaped not only by Naess' work in ethics and communication theory, but also by his spiritual communion with non-human intelligence, and his "Panzercharakter" defensive shell.

These personal interviews reveal that the spiritually transcendent militancy of Gandhi's "satyagraha" - which Naess has made so key to modern ecological activism - appealed to him emotionally as well as philosophically. Most importantly they confirm that the emotional life of the leading ecological philosopher of the 20th century, has been equally as influential as his intellectual power.

this is the best book of life i mean this is a lot better than mas oyama way of life and it teaches good manners!!!

The author, Peter Oikarinen, is a lifelong resident of the Copper Country and is intimately associated with Isle Royale and its people, past & present.

It's a fabulous look at Island Life before the takeover by the National Park system, centering on its commercial fishing history & families.

This book has been long out-of-print, however, it is now available again via the University of Minnesota Press in a better format that contains additional material.

I just returned from Isle Royale as Pete's assistant, he having been hired there as a contractor; as such, I was able to see the Island like very few people can, priviliged to tag along with the finest mentor around, Pete Oikarinen.

From the time we shipped off from Houghton, MI aboard the Ranger III (with everyone ashore yelling at Pete "Did ya bring your keppu?") to the time we returned to Copper Harbor on the Isle Royale Queen (courtesy Capt. Don Kilpela), I was amazed not only by the size of the Island but the friendliness/helpfulness of the National Park staff, the frequent moose sightings, the opportunity to fish for lakers in such fantastic, unspoiled settings and yes, the ability to lay eyes on some of scenes as described in this book, Island Folk.

Do like I did and read this fine tome, then sail the Big Lake to Isle Royale ... satisfaction guaranteed.