Category Archives: Uncategorized

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017. Audible. B074F3BX79) I’ll confess. Before I listened to this audio version of Ng’s novel, I watched the Hulu series adapted from the book. I’d suggest reading or listening to the story first, then watching … Continue reading →

Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot (2021. Random House. ISBN 978-0-8129-8694-5) Full disclosure: I worked in the area of child protection for the State of Minnesota as a District Court Judge. Every 8 weeks, I did child protection cases as part of … Continue reading →

                                    INTERVIEW WITH JOHN SIMON MM: Though you live in Helsinki, where were you born? Where did you grow up? What’s your ethnic/religious background? JS: I was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1943 and grew up in typically suburban Pleasantville, … Continue reading →

                                                                        FOR MOM Those of you who knew Barbara, or as her Kobe relatives called her, “Jean”, know she was a fastidious woman, always dressed to the nines, always ready for the next big party or event. But there … Continue reading →

Barbara Jean Kobe Munger Tourville, the eldest daughter of John “Jack” Kobe and Eloise “Marie” Barber Kobe, was born on September 21, 1928, in Wadena, Minnesota. Jack, an immigrant from Slovenia, grew up and worked in the iron mines of … Continue reading →

A Promised Land by President Barack Obama (2020. Crown. ISBN 9781524763169) I’ll be upfront. I am a Liberal reviewing a memoir penned by one of my favorite Liberal politicians. But I’m not here to evaluate President Obama’s politics (though I deplore … Continue reading →

                                                            EULOGY FOR SCOTT MORK Longtime friend, Scott Mork, passed away on September 12, 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Many of you likely didn’t know Scott. The first thing I’ll say about Scott is that he was an Eagle Scout, attaining … Continue reading →

MM: Where do you hang your hat, the place you call home? How is that location connected to Finnish American or Finnish culture, heritage, and history? SS: I don’t actually remember being born, but I (never) “grew up” in Palo … Continue reading →

                                    INTERVIEW OF NATALIE SALMINEN RUDE MM: Your last name, Salminen, is definitely Finnish. NR: My Finnish heritage stems from my father. My great-grandfather, Alfred, moved from Vaasa, Finland to Toronto in 1903. He fled Finland as a young husband … Continue reading →

Strangers in a Strange Land by John B. Simon (2019. Hamilton. ISBN 978-0-7618-7149-1) I had never heard of this author or this title until I found myself invited to be part of a panel at this year’s Finn Fest in my … Continue reading →