Category Archives: Books

Karelia; A Finnish-American Couple in Stalin’s Russia

Karelia; A Finnish-American Couple in Stalin’s Russia, 1934-1941 by Lawrence and Sylvia Hokkanen with Anita Middleton (North Star Press; 1991, ISBN0-87839-065-0) As an informal student of Finnish history, I have enjoyed writing about the Finn’s immigration to the United States … Continue reading

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Old Friend from Far Away – Review

  Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg (Free Press; 2007, ISBN 978-1-4165-3503-4) I picked up this “how to” manual regarding the writing of memoir at a recent fund raiser for the Lake Superior Writers, of which I once … Continue reading

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The Collected Short Stories – Review

  The Collected Short Stories by Jean Rhys (Norton; 1987, ISBN978-0-393-30625-5) I discovered Jean Rhys’ writing thanks to Poets and Writers magazine. Someone wrote an article about reading her work. I had never heard of her and became interested in … Continue reading

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A Short History of the West Indies – Review

A Short History of the West Indies by J.H. Perry, Philip Sherlock and Anthony Maingot (MacMillan; 1987 (4th Edition), ISBN 978-0-333-40954-1) When I’m out and about, whether it’s inside the U.S. or outside my native country, I like to buy … Continue reading

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The Dream by Harry Bernstein – Review

  The Dream by Harry Bernstein (2009; Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-50389-3) The second in a series of three memoirs by Jewish American author (and near centenarian) , Harry Bernstein,  The Dream takes readers from England to Chicago and New York … Continue reading

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Sea Glass – Review

  Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (Little Brown;  2002. ISBN 0-965-39543-x) I picked up my trade paperback copy of Sea Glass a week ago when I was selling books at the Unitarian Church in Duluth as part of the Treasures … Continue reading

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No Man Knows My History – Review

No Man Knows My History by Fawn M. Brodie (Vintage: 1995, ISBN 978-0-679-73054-5) Cited by many as the greatest study of the origins of Mormonism’s founding prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr., No Man Knows My History remains, sixty-five years after its … Continue reading

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North River by Pete Hamill – Review

North River by Pete Hamill (Audio book: Unabridged. 2007. Recorded Books. ISBN: 978-1-4281-5652-4) Having never read or listened to any Pete Hamill books, and being without a book to dig into on my drive back from a recent ski trip … Continue reading

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Innocent by Scott Turow – Review

Innocent by Scott Turow (Audio book: Unabridged. Hachette> ISBN 978-1-60024-921-1) I use the movie version of Presumed Innocent, the predecessor to Turow’s latest legal tome, as a prompt in my criminal law class at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. I love … Continue reading

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Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman’s Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond – Review

Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman’s Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond by Deborah Laake (Morrow; 1993, ISBN 978-0-688-09304-4) In my research regarding Mormon fundamentalism, I came across this memoir written by a mainstream Mormon woman who was wed at a … Continue reading

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