Book Description

As we begin a new millennium, it is fascinating to look back at how people faced the turn of the last century in this country. It was not "a simpler time" as nostalgia would have us imagine. It was complex, and one needed tenacity and ingenuity to survive. This book is based on twelve journals written by a simple Minnesota farmer, Fred Cummings. Concerns over war, education, and natural disasters are co-mingled with other universal issues such as the health of family members, making a living, and the death of friends.

The first few chapters recount his boyhood memories, with incidents ranging from a trip on a cholera-infected river boat to settling in a new frontier; from early schooling to farm chores. Harvest Journal continues on to recount impressions of the Civil War, marriage and family life, the weather, politics, and current events of that time. Issues of mortality, morality, and faith are explored along with concerns about political corruption, teacher training, and discipline in school-themes that are still relevant today.

Perhaps by looking back at the concerns that we share with people at the turn of the last century and the way they faced progress and adversity, we will be able to face the new century with more confidence in our own ability to deal with the challenges of the future. At the very least, we can learn more about our past and empathize with the hard-working characters who settled in the Midwest, struggling to keep family together while dealing with social and technological changes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Wonderful Suprise
This book had a surprising amount of information and insight. Mr. Cummings followed politics, read newspapers, and wrote poetry, then wrote about these things in his journals. It really gives a look at how hard life was back then, and we like the lead character a lot. I recommend this for anyone who knows someone who grew up on a farm, or who is interested in history. ... Read more

Book Description

This highly illustrated study details Daniel Francis O'Neill's extraordinary career and his crucial role in the preservation and dissemination of Irish traditional music and contains newly discovered information on this unique figure in Irish and Irish-American cultural history. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"God" gave us Kevin Kling . . .
Kevin Kling is a man of great wit, compassion and love. One of his constant quotes is, "God made people because he wanted an endless supply of stories." One can only hope Kevin's experiences, imagination and career are endless.
In this CD, or tape, enjoy tales of squirrel taxidermy, rental house maintainence, genealogical lightning vendettas, Mershing pickles and theatrical censorship in Czechoslovokia. And when you're done, and are howling for more, demand that Amazon.com carry "Stories off the Shallow End" and "Wonderlure."

Hilarious and moving
No one on this Earth is funnier than Kevin Kling. Kling's anecdotes, covering his childhood and adult years, are rich with sidesplitting humor and are also at times very emotionally moving.

Wonderful, riveting group of essays.
My whole family loves this tape-we play it over and over again. Kevin Kling's choice of subject matter and his presentation are as close to perfection as I've ever heard. I'm sure this work would stand up well on the printed page, but don't miss Kling's taped rendition!

The first half of the tape deals with his childhood and the second half with adult experiences. They are all well thought-out essays and Kling's delivery is wonderful, at times hilarious. I especially loved his pieces on Halloween, painting the house, and being struck by lightning.

We first heard Kevin Kling reading "Halloween Pickles" (included on "Home and Away") on NPR while driving and had to pull the car off the road because we were laughing so hard. I hope this guy writes a million more essays and puts them all on tape. ... Read more

Book Description

Moving personal account of frontier women left behind in Minnesota when their husbands went west to prospect for gold in Colorado and Montana in the mid-1800s. ... Read more

Book Description

A stunning introduction to the psychological meaning of rural Nebraska. Every geography emanates from within its own peculiar power of place. The essence of Elkhorn Valley in northeastern Nebraska is captured in this book.

Rooted in the memory of a young boy, "Sons of the River" recounts the founding, growth and decline of Ewing in the Elkhorn Valley. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Graceful, Strong, and Hopeful
This book is wonderful. It lifted my soul exactly when I needed it. A Nebraska story of simple yet mature friendships, truthful places, and families who with all their shortcomings belong to each other. Buy this book, read it and reflect on how you can become one of the "Sons of the River" with with your family and friends by the grace of God. ... Read more

Book Description

Ellen Steinberg’s Irma, painstakingly crafted out of Irma Rosenthal Frankenstein’s voluminous writings, gives us an inspiring and richly rewarding account of the life and times of an active, socially engaged woman who devoted herself to her family and her community over the course of a long and full life. Irma (1871–1966) was born in Chicago—just before the Chicago Fire—of German Jewish parents who had come to the U.S. shortly after the Civil War. She attended public schools and the University of Chicago, participated energetically in Jewish women’s and social-welfare activities, raised her family, and published one poem and a small book.

Irma’s journals and diaries were private accounts in which she chronicled the rhythm of her days and the shape of her life. She recorded her thoughts and short quotations from her reading, jotted down her own poems and short stories, constructed dinner-party menus, and wrote biographical sketches of her family. Interspersed among the records of what she did when and with whom are a number of lengthy reflections on Chicago history, her early life, religious beliefs, education, her aspirations, disappointments, sorrows, and successes. She documented her family’s activities during the Chicago Fire, the city’s rebuilding, early educational curricula in the city’s schools, what it was like to participate in the suffrage movement and vote for the first time, the effect of the Great Depression on the middle class, and World War II as seen from her perspective.

In each chapter, Ellen Steinberg has set Irma’s contemporary entries and later memoirs against the context of the Chicago history that Irma knew so well. Irma’s story will fascinate those interested in diaries and autobiography, women’s history, and Chicago history. From a plethora of rich source materials—including over half a million words of Irma’s writings alone—Steinberg has created a seamless, fascinating narrative about a Chicago woman who, although "nobody famous" (in her words), lived a vital life in a vibrant city. ... Read more

Book Description

This sweeping survey constitutes the first comprehensive treatment of the forty-seven individuals—forty-six white males and one African American female—who have been chosen to represent Illinois in the United States Senate from 1818 to 2003. David Kenney and Robert E. Hartley underscore nearly two centuries of Illinois history with these biographical and political portraits, compiling an incomparably rich resource for students, scholars, teachers, journalists, historians, politicians, and any Illinoisan interested in the state’s heritage.

An Uncertain Tradition: U. S. Senators from Illinois, 1818–2003 is a fresh and careful study of the shifting set of political issues occurring over time and illuminated by the lives of participants in the politics of choice and service in the Senate. Kenney and Hartley plot the course of the state’s varied senatorial leadership, from the state’s founding and the appearance of political parties, through the Civil War and its aftermath, and into the diverse political climate of the twenty-first century. From the notorious to the heroic, the popular to the pioneering, the senatorial roster includes such luminaries as "The Little Giant" Stephen A. Douglas; Lyman Trumbull, who served three terms in the Civil War era; "Uncle Dick" and "Black Jack," also known as Richard Oglesby and John A. Logan; the "Wizard of Ooze" Everett Dirksen; and modern leaders such as Adlai Stevenson III, Paul Simon, and Carol Moseley-Braun.

Kenney and Hartley offer incisive commentary on the quality of senate service in each case, as well as timeline graphs relating to the succession of individuals in each of the two sequences of service, the geographical distribution of senators within the state, and the variations in party voting for senate candidates. Rigorously documented and supremely readable, this convenient reference volume is enhanced by portraits of many of the senators. ... Read more

Book Description

In What I Think I Did, Larry Woiwode does two things at once: he survives the winter of 1996, the worst in North Dakota's history, and tells the story of his beginnings as a writer, especially the early days at The New Yorker leading up to the publication of his first book, What I'm Going to Do, I Think."Act One" revolves around the purchase, installation, and feeding of a giant wood-burning furnace to heat Woiwode's farm through that winter's record snow and cold. These acts form a central metaphor for exploring the sources of his writer's craft and for pulling together the threads of his boyhood and family life. "Act Two" recounts his university life and early New York days, his beginning a writing career, and his friendship with the young Robert DeNiro.

The material on the late William Maxwell, of The New Yorker, is riveting. More than almost any other writer, Woiwode has the capacity to astound with his words. In this memoir, he is at the top of his form. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

An interesting look from an old friend
Let me just say that I'm biased about Larry Woiwode's work, since my wife and I know Larry and Carol. We attended the same church when we all lived in the Chicago area in the mid 70's. So it was a fascinating look at their lives, and how their children have grown. But besides all of that, I've always liked his novels, "Beyond the Bedroom Wall" and "Born Brothers." Larry Woiwode writes with a sense of depth that few writers do--he can be profoundly spiritual, yet honest about hard, heart issues. I found "What I think I Did" to be a fascinating look at a period of time before we actually met. I greatly appreciated his relationship with William Maxwell, and to consider some of the process of becoming a published author. To have Maxwell as a mentor was interesting to read about. Onetime, in Chicago, Larry encouraged me to continue writing; I wish he could have mentored me. My daughter(degree in philosophy) considers Woiwode's work to be among the best in modern America--I'm going to give her a copy of this memoir for her birthday. My only criticism of this memoir is that I was sometimes confused by the sudden transitions--were we in North Dakota in 1996, or in New York City in the 60's? But I loved the book and look forward to future musings. He made winter and furnaces interesting!

A great book
Woiwode is one of America's finest prose stylists; folks who remember some of his novels and short stories were looking forward to this book. What I Think I Did has an interesting parallel plot that moves back and forth between a bitterly cold North Dakota winter and Woiwode's early career as a writer for The New Yorker. I was so caught up in the description of a North Dakota blizzard that I forgot I was reading a memoir, and was terrified that the main character was going to freeze to death trying to get back to the house. Things that seem unimportant in other settings (keeping the woodstove going; driving home from the post office or the store) become feats of courage! I also loved the description of Woiwode's early career as a writer in New York. His passion for his work and admiration for William Maxwell (New Yorker editor and novelist) offer a fascinating glimpse into the life of a young writer. Woiwode comes from the same generation of writers as Andre Dubus and John Updike, and is easily their peer; he has a clear and eloquent prose style that makes a lot of today's novels sound klunky. (Hint: If you haven't read Woiwode's earlier books, you might like his family novels, which I love, for their depth and scope; and he writes amazing short stories, too.)

Very good
While I was reading this book I began to think about Henry Miller's Tropic Of Cancer. Although written in prose, Miller's piece is a fantastic poem nearly all the way through. Woiwode's book comes close at parts. You can tell this was written by a true writer.

At times he becomes too embroiled in givng us every detail (such as about how to fix a furnace), but at other times his writing is true insight into the complex facade and machinery that make up the fabric of human awareness. The ending of the book is wonderful: memories bending and folding out of each other . And (for a writer like me) his story's excitement of becoming a contract writer at The New Yorker, is stimulating and inspirational.

A great book. I'm going to buy What I'm Going To Do, I Think right now!

Refreshing!
This was my first exposure to Larry Woiwode. At first, I was leery, his prose seemed so grand. It required time on my part, as this was not a book that could be read superficially.

But instead of drifting away from it as happens so often for me when real work is required, I was drawn in. I was captivated by the his ability to convey the raw, honest love he has for his children. I was compelled by the ongoing battle he has with the new furnace. And the flashbacks served to enrich rather than distract me. The book left me filled with image and emotion. I understand that this may be a memoir in trilogy. I eagerly await further installments.

Beyond self-conscious memories
If Larry Woiwode lived in New York, would his books still be in print? Shame on Farrar Straus Giroux for not keeping classics BEYOND THE BEDROOM WALL and BORN BROTHERS, two great novels of the twentieth century, on their backlists. (The small press Greywolf now publishes BEYOND THE BEDROOM WALL in paperback.) In Woiwode's quiet memoir, a minor classic (though it doesn't compare with his fiction), Woiwode describes his life in North Dakota--which consists of feeding a cantankerous wood-burning stove, raising children (whom his wife homeschools), and struggling to balance work on the farm with writing. Parts of the memoir describe Woiwode's life in New York in the 1960s as a fledgling actor who appeared in a play with Robert DeNiro (his friend). At the same time, Woiwode's first stories apeared in THE NEW YORKER, edited by William Maxwell, a friend of one of Woiwode's professors at the University of Illinois Urbana. WHAT I THINK I DID, the first of a projected trilogy of memoirs, is worth owning--but all of us should lobby to get Woiwode's fiction and poetry back in print. He's a great American writer, a unique voice, not a quick read.

He is an excellent reader, by the way. Although he moved back to North Dakota in 1978, he still has an actor's stage presence. We had an opportunity to hear him recently, and were impressed with the integration of his recitation of poetry with sections of his memoir. He is also generous about answering the audience's questions--not a guy with his eye on his watch. ... Read more

Book Description

Written in 1894 and recently recovered from the archives of the University of Minnesota, this incredible autobiography tells the story of a Chippewa-Scots French woman from Madeline Island in Lake Superior. The child and grandchild of fur traders, Eliza Morrison tells of a difficult and beautiful life carved out of the wilderness-the "starving time" with her husband John on a homestead in northern Wisconsin; her travels by boat, dog sled, and on foot; and the joy of making maple syrup in the spring. Generously illustrated with photographs, drawings, and maps, Métis culture comes alive as Native American lore and history are blended with homesteading stories in true mixed-blood fashion, giving a 19th-century woman's view of the Wisconsin Death March, the Dream Dance, and the Chippewa-Dakota War as well as a personal look at the daily life of a fur trading family. Also included is a glossary of Chippewa words. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Painstakenly Researched Work
Although an almost lifetime resident of Wisconsin, I had no idea until I read this book that Indians and European had intermarried to such a great extent in the state, and the ensuing Metis, or mixed, culture that sprang up as a result. As the years went by, most of the Metis became absorbed into the "mainstream" American society, although some chose to live with the Indians on the reservations. Some of this absorption happened naturally, some of it was forced when the government forced them to make choices.

This book has a format that I have not encountered yet, but it works very well. It consists of authentic letters between Eliza and an acquaintance of the family, explaining what was happening in her life at the time, as well as bringing in other aspects of the area's culture and history. Victoria Brehm has only modified the letters where necessary to assist in comprehenstion with items such as sentence notation and paragraph placement since some of the text was apparently very long and run-on. She has even kept in tact many of the spelling errors.

What a person absolutely must do when they read this book, is to immediately refer to the backnotes when one sees the annotation in the letter text. Ms. Brehm has done an absolutely impeccable job of putting historical reference around the letters, with her sources noted in case one wants to research with further detail. Putting context around the events Eliza is writing about makes her letters even more powerful. Eliza writes very simply, but from her heart. You can feel her pain and anguish when she writes about the accidental death of one of her children, and her frustrations pertaining to the goverment treatment of Indians and Metis.

If you are at all interested in the history of Wisconsin, or the Great Lakes area Native American or Metis culture, this book is a must read. ... Read more

Book Description

HARVEST JOURNAL, PART I (1846-1903), introduced Fred Cummings and his family. Adopted by an aunt and uncle when his mother died, Fred moved to Minnesota from Vermont in 1855. They built a home, cleared land, and survived by farming, bartering, and exchanging labor with neighbors. By 1880, Fred's accounting records showed how he supported a family on an annual income of $100.

Fred's early journals recorded the politics of presidential elections, local news including floods and tornadoes, and international news such as the Prussian war. He also recorded his own feelings in poems marking the loss of an infant, visions of angels, and his love of the land. His children grew and started families of their own, two of them homesteading land near Lake Itasca at the turn of the century.

In HARVEST JOURNAL, PART II (1904-1937), we rejoin Fred, Rose, their children, and grandchildren. Even with the advent of electricity, automobiles, and telephones, life on a farm is difficult and an extended family is essential to survive. In addition to area events, Fred's journals document the turmoil leading up to World War I, the economic hardships of the Depression, and the shock of the Lindbergh kidnapping. In his later years, Fred struggles to deal with his own frailty and mortality. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

My favorite, my absolute favorite
I've been thinking about this, and I've decided this is my favorite book, at least my favorite that I have read in the past 5 or 10 years.

It's pretty hard to say why, but let me give it a shot: the way his writing conveys his affection for his near family and his ancestors without losing his sense of humour about them. (Ian Frazier started out as a humor writer.) His beautiful descriptions of the countryside he travels through, country you might otherwise think was much worth looking at. His wonderful details about his family history make you feel like everyone's family is important.

Since I first read this book, I have developed a true genealogy fixation, trying to recapture the feeling Frazier invokes in this wonderful book. I wish he would write more.

A full year's reading and worth it.
Ian Frazier's Family is not a book that one reads at a sitting, but it is rather something to be savored over a long read. I have put nearly six months into reading it so far and am not the least bit bothered at my pace. While the book is ostensibly about Mr. Frazier's family, it is safer to say that it is really about the nature of family, particularly the American family. It is also a fascinating history of the country as seen through the lives of this family. Mr. Frazier has spent much time in gathering simply every piece of information that he can possible find about his family. There are more names in this book than one can hope to ever handle. But the tone, the flavor, and the rhythm of this piece make it an irresistable read.

A People's History of the United States
Frazier's gifts as a writer shine in this climb through his family tree. Deadpan, folksy, soulful, urbane, Frazier captures the complexities of his family's unique history within the context of our country's history. Lots of real people and their small eccentricities. The negative editorial reviews reflect a collective missing of the boat. "On the Rez" is another great Frazier book.

A must read for anyone who grew up in the Midwest.
This wonderful book reminds me of some of the best writing by E.B. White. Beautifully written, with a gentle charm that invites you to explore the lives of the author's Midwestern ancestors. Especially relevant for anyone who grew up in northeastern Ohio, as I did.

A complex, fascinating read
I loved the style of this book. Each paragraph is incredibly packed with meaning and information. This book is history of the most enjoyable kind---the little stories that make up a person's life. Through seeing the patterns of the lives of the author's ancestors, both recent and far distant, we see patterns in history---especially religious history. We also see the history of small towns in the midwest, and of childbearing and rearing, and of education. The most enjoyable part of the book for me was the author's own nuclear family's tale. His parents are complex and very interesting people. I am a fast reader, but this book was impossible to read fast---you really have to slow and listen and enjoy it. Highly, highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

A charming diary of an Illinois farm girl detailing life on the prairie from September through June, during the late nineteenth century, using dated entries by months. ... Read more

Book Description

Grand Eccentrics is a group biography of a half dozen inventors, entrepreneurs and eccentrics—Orville and Wilbur Wright, Charles Kettering, John H. Patterson, Arthur Morgan, and James Cox—who explored those new possibilities. They did much to create the American 20th century that is now yielding to the rise of the electronic technologies and a global marketplace. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Men who Made a Difference
Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, James Cox, John Patterson, James Ritty, and other men have brought many great inventions and insight into the world of business, politics, and science. These guys are known mostly for their contributions to human progress but they also have one more thing in common: they all grew up and/or lived in the city of Dayton, Ohio, when they achieved greatness. Author Mike Bernstein wrote this book in 1996 to commemorate the bicentennial of the city of Dayton and to celebrate the many native men who helped change the world.

Much of this book is spent talking about John Patterson, the former head of NCR (known as National Cash Register in those days), and his business practices and personal conduct that thrust him into the national spotlight. The Wright Brothers also get extensive coverage in this book, with Bernstein talking about not only the invention of powered flight, but also the personalities that made the Wright Brothers unique. You complete your reading feeling like you know about them as people and not just as two guys who were good mechanics.

Bernstein includes many black and white photos throughout the book, showing some of the factories, the people, and the inventions that put Dayton, Ohio, on the national map. He doesn't include any color photos. He gives the book an historic feel by including photos exactly as they were taken in the early part of the twentieth century.

Dayton, Ohio is still known by many as the birthplace of aviation. But it was also a hotbed of other activities and inventions. Author Mike Bernstein explains these complex men and the ambition and drive that propelled each of them to national prominence. These men were all unique and important to the progress of mankind. But most of all, they were "grand eccentrics"- men who were out of the ordinary and who didn't allow conventional thinking to stand in the way of innovation. This book describes them well, showing how the combination of determination and zeal led these inventors to accomplish so many great things.

Fascinating Review of Turn of the Century American Ingenuity
Mr. Bernstein does a great job bringing to life the interactions among the Wright Brothers, Boss Kettering, and John Patterson in turn of the century Dayton, Ohio. Did you know John Patterson (founder of National Cash Register)invented the canned sales pitch and direct mail marketing? And the way the book covers the five year period it took the Wright Brothers to concur flight is spellbinding. I have purchased five copies of this book to give to various friends, all of whom loved it. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a hilarious memoir of growing up in a small rural northern Wisconsin town in the 1950s.

VERY FUNNY!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very humorous biography about teenage boys in the 50s.
Jackpine Savages is a very humorous biography about the life of teenage boys in the 1950s.It will bring back memories for men especially who were growing up in the 50s in a small town or rural area, this taking place innorthern Wisconsin. The writing consists of chapters focused on topics ofinterest including school, sports, getting a job, and skinnydipping in thenorth woods. Interspersed in the humor are some valuable life lessons whichadults can appreciate and from which youth can benefit.Because many oftoday's teenagers are interested in life in the 50's, they shouldespecially enjoy this 170 page book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent reading
My husband and I enjoyed this book very much.It was very informative and very enlightening.I have recommended it to all of our friends who are interested in Chicago history.

Thank you. ... Read more

Book Description

Anna Plus: Tales From a Town Called Wells is a series of Award-winning memoirs of the years 1915 through 1945.Rural School teaching, the Great Depression, drought, dust storms, all show the very human changes in education, transportation, medicine, communication and social mores. The Roosevelt Era shows how the war was fought on the home front by those characterized in Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

For anyone who's ever lived in a small town
Somehow Anna captures that peculiar feeling of knowing that your hometown is special and unique. This memoir reads like the best kind of novel - absorbing, enlightening and believable, never trite or sentimental. Reading this book to my kids was a great experience - they really got how things were in the "olden days": the day-to-day realities of living without electricity and indoor plumbing and the timeless importance of family and community.

That's right, people from Wells are smarter!
For those of us born during the Great Depression of the 30's or World War 2, Anna's tales show us one small town in Middle America as our parents and grandparents experienced it. The poignant--and sometimes, comical--details of family and community life are recounted in the context of events on the national and international stage. My mother was Anna's friend, classmate, and neighbor. As she read each chapter, she exclaimed again and again, "She got it exactly right!" ... Read more

Book Description

"When I was eleven the world was filled with birds," writes Lisa Knopp of her girlhood in Burlington, Iowa. Picking up where she left off in her rst book, Field of Vision, Knopp knits together sections of her life story through a pattern of images drawn from nature. The most prevalent of these unifying themes are metaphors of flight--birds, wind, moving upward and outward and across the midwestern landscape from Nebraska and Iowa to southern Illinois.

Reminiscent of Thoreau's introspective nature writing and Dillard's taut, personal prose, each chapter in Flight Dreams stands alone as a distinct narrative, yet each is linked by profoundly personal descriptions of dreams, the natural world, defining experiences, and chance encounters with people that later prove to be fateful. Part Eastern meditation, part dream sequence, part historical reconstruction, Flight Dreams testifies to a deep understanding of how the natural world--its visible and invisible elements--guides our destinies. ... Read more