Abandoned Southern Minnesota


Book Description

Join author Julie Bronson on a nostalgic journey to the farmhouses, barns, and other outbuildings of yesteryear. Each structure is unique in character and was carefully constructed to stand the test of time, until they're abandoned. Julie shows us, through her sensitive photojournalism, the progression of their inevitable deterioration. Her photos demonstrate the beauty of structures we don't normally notice, as we speed past them from 55 to 70 miles-per-hour. Whenever possible, she will take us inside the houses, barns, sheds, and sometimes silos to see what lies hidden in them. She investigates places others might miss and finds beautiful craftsmanship in all corners. She takes her time during these visits, in order to honor those who went before, by depicting the love and care that went into creating these long-forgotten homes. She patiently listens to the whispers of the wind making its way through the broken windows and doors, hoping to hear laughter or perhaps a voice from the past. Step back in time with Julie and join her on an adventure through Abandoned Southern Minnesota.




Mni Sota Makoce


Book Description

An intricate narrative of the Dakota people over the centuries in their traditional homelands, the stories behind the profound connections that hold true today.




Pale Horse at Plum Run


Book Description

Minnesota Book Award Winner! Now in paperback. The smoke had just cleared from the last volley of musketry at Gettysburg. Nearly 70 percent of the First Minnesota regiment lay dead or dying on the field--one of the greatest losses of any unit engaged in the Civil War. The significance of this July 2, 1863, battle at Gettysburg is widely known, but the harrowing details of the First's heroic stand that stopped a furious rebel assault have long been buried. In Pale Horse at Plum Run Brian Leehan brings the full story of the First at Gettysburg to light as he examines personal accounts, eyewitness reports, and official records to construct a remarkably detailed and compelling narrative. "Brian Leehan's account of the First Minnesota on Cemetery Ridge is the most detailed and complete I have read. His exhaustive research and compelling narrative are impressive and offer a much fuller understanding of the regiment's extraordinary feats." -- Richard Moe, author of The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers




While the Locust Slept


Book Description

As a teenager, he makes two failed attempts to run away from the orphanage."




The Land of Dreams


Book Description

Winner of the Riverton Prize for best Norwegian crime novel and named by Dagbladet as one of the top twenty-five Norwegian crime novels of all time, The Land of Dreams is the chilling first installment in Vidar Sundstøl’s critically acclaimed Minnesota Trilogy, set on the rugged north shore of Lake Superior and in the region’s small towns and deep forests. The grandson of Norwegian immigrants, Lance Hansen is a U.S. Forest Service officer and has a nearly all-consuming passion for local genealogy and history. But his quiet routines are shattered one morning when he comes upon a Norwegian tourist brutally murdered near a stone cross on the shore of Lake Superior. Another Norwegian man is nearby; covered in blood and staring out across the lake, he can only utter the word kjærlighet. Love. FBI agent Bob Lecuyer is assigned to the case, as is Norwegian detective Eirik Nyland, who is immediately flown in from Oslo. As the investigation progresses, Lance begins to make shocking discoveries—including one that involves the murder of an Ojibwe man on the very same site more than one hundred years ago. As Lance digs into two murders separated by a century, he finds the clues may in fact lead toward someone much closer to home than he could have imagined. The Land of Dreams is the opening chapter in a sweeping chronicle from one of Norway’s leading crime writers—a portrait of an extraordinary landscape, an exploration of hidden traumas and paths of silence that trouble history, and a haunting study in guilt and the bonds of blood.




History of Wolves


Book Description

A teenage girl comes of age amid hidden dangers and family secrets in the Minnesota woods in this “beautiful, icy [and] electrifying debut” novel (NPR). Teenage Linda lives with her parents in the austere woods of northern Minnesota, where their nearly abandoned commune stands as a last vestige of a counter-culture world. Isolated at home and an outsider at school, Linda is drawn to the new history teacher Mr. Grierson. But his shocking arrested for child pornography leaves Linda adrift as she wrestles with her own fledgling desires. When the young Gardner family moves in across the lake, Linda finds herself welcomed into their home as a babysitter for their little boy. But this new sense of belonging comes with secrets and expectations she doesn’t understand. Over the course of a summer, Linda will have to make choices that reverberate throughout her life. Finalist for the Man Booker Award One of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2017




Schoolhouses of Minnesota


Book Description

Stunning photographs by the popular Ohman and short tales by award-winning storyteller Heynen combine in this rich showcase of Minnesota's vintage schoolhouses.




For Love of Lakes


Book Description

America has more than 130,000 lakes of significant size. Ninety percent of all Americans live within fifty miles of a lake, and our 1.8 billion trips to watery places make them our top vacation choice. Yet despite this striking popularity, more than 45 percent of surveyed lakes and 80 percent of urban lakes do not meet water quality standards. For Love of Lakes weaves a delightful tapestry of history, science, emotion, and poetry for all who love lakes or enjoy nature writing. For Love of Lakes is an affectionate account documenting our species’ long relationship with lakes—their glacial origins, Thoreau and his environmental message, and the major perceptual shifts and advances in our understanding of lake ecology. This is a necessary and thoughtful book that addresses the stewardship void while providing improved understanding of our most treasured natural feature.







Rusting Relics of Minnesota


Book Description

Discover the current condition of many of the old cars, trucks, and other motorized vehicles across the state of Minnesota. Through her photography, author Julie Bronson takes readers on a journey to some of the rusting relics stationed at various locations in the North Star State. Many only see beautiful old cars after they have been restored, and fail to realize that many weren't as fortunate. It is rare for one of these relics to be refurbished and able to travel the highways once more. Most are left to "rust in peace." In Rusting Relics of Minnesota: Evading the Crusher, discover the nuanced beauty hidden in back lots and other out-of-the-way locations.