Book reviews

Check out the latest reviews of University of Minnesota Press books.
New Books Network interview with Archie Davies on FOR A NEW GEOGRAPHY
Archie Davies, translator of For a New Geography by Milton Santos, joins New Books in Geography for a discussion of the book.
Alpinist Magazine feature by McKenzie Long
A chapter from McKenzie Long's book THIS CONTESTED LAND is adapted into a feature in the Spring 2023 issue of Alpinist Magazine.
Plug Tone Podcast interview with McKenzie Long
McKenzie Long joins Plug Tone to discuss her book THIS CONTESTED LAND and how we should think about national monuments as stewards of outdoor recreation.
Power Company Climbing Podcast interview with McKenzie Long
McKenzie Long joins the Power Company Climbing Podcast to discuss her book THIS CONTESTED LAND in the interview "Climbing and Our Changing Relationship with Public Lands."
Olivia C. Harrison in Middle East Research and Information Project and KPFA 94.1: "France, a Settler Postcolony?"
Sixty years after French colonial rule ended in Algeria, the idea of decolonization has gained new traction among French anti-racist activists seeking to dismantle the colonial vestiges that still buttress the Republic, from statues and monuments to legal and penitentiary regimes.
Civil Eats: 34 Noteworthy Food and Farming Books for the Summer of 2021
The Perennial Kitchen is a cookbook that manages to be both universal and forward-looking.
Colors of Influence: "An absolute gift of awakening."
Renowned writer and activist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson offers an absolute gift of awakening through “Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies.”
Community Reporter: The Intersectional Feminist of Early 20th Century St. Paul
The onetime honorary president of the Minnesota Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, Francis worked to convince nationally renowned intellectuals such as W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett to campaign for the cause of women’s suffrage in Minnesota.
Curious Minnesota: Where did suburban streetcar lines run and why were they removed?
At its peak, Twin City Rapid Transit had 524 miles of track and car­ried 200 mil­lion rid­ers each year.
Daily Dose of Architecture: Focusing on middle-class American houses.
By honing in on that substantial yet overlooked chunk of society between the rich and the poor, Hubka is setting his book apart from the hundreds, if not thousands, of books on American houses.
Disability Studies Quarterly: "A timely and provocative contribution to the rich literature on biopolitics from which it draws."
At its core, Deadly Biocultures is about challenging binaries using the inherent contradictions found within the myriad manifestations of those binaries in US biocultures.
Edge Effects: The COVID-19 Pandemic and the National Borders of the Imagination
A year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, scientists and medical practitioners have a clearer picture of the virus. Yet one the biggest challenges that this crisis has posed for many of us is, no doubt, the difficulty of making sense of it. From the unclear origin of the virus to the variety of symptoms it presents to its “invisibility,” COVID-19 has kept a majority of us in the dark.
Eye 2 Eye: "An excellent springboard for book group discussion."
If you enjoy an exquisitely drawn natural setting, have an interest in the social mores of the 1920s and the issues of women then and now, pick up a copy of Waterfall. It is a compelling read and will provide an excellent springboard for book group discussion.
Fox 9: New picture book tells inspiring tale of brave kids in refugee camp.
Award-winning Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang is out with a brand new picture book with illustrator Billy Thao. "Yang Warriors" tells the real-life story of a group of young cousins in a refugee camp. The Buzz got a chance to chat with Yang and Thao about their beautiful and inspiring new work.
Jezebel: The Visionary Organizer Who Offered Me a Model for Life
Grace Lee Boggs died in 2015 at the age of 100, having inspired generations of activists and organizers.
KPFA Against the Grain: Community-Level Counterterrorism
“Countering violent extremism” is a U.S. government program aimed at combatting homegrown terrorism. It enlists teachers, service providers, and religious leaders to monitor and report on young people deemed vulnerable to terrorist radicalization. But according to Nicole Nguyen, CVE asks teachers and others to take on policing functions and criminalizes Muslim youth.
Native America Calling: Noopiming is Book of the Month
In “Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies,” seven beings within one entity named Mashkawaji help the narrative along through literary prose, dialogue and poetry.
New Books in European Studies: Conversation with Alison Mountz
The Death of Asylum: Hidden Geographies of the Enforcement Archipelago (University of Minnesota Press, 2020) arrives at an extraordinarily consequential moment for the future of asylum protections.
New Books Network interview: John Hartigan Jr. with Galina Limorenko
Turning away from “thick” description to “thin,” Hartigan moves toward a more observational form of study, focusing on behaviors over interpretations. This vivid approach provides new and important contributions to the study of animal behavior. Ultimately, he comes away with profound, penetrating insights into multispecies interactions and a strong alternative to humancentric ethnographic practices.
NPR: Biden's New Infrastructure Might Begin To Dismantle Racist Urban Planning
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with UCLA historian Eric Avila about the impact of Biden's infrastructure plan on racist urban planning.
NPR: Our Own People
As hate crimes against Asian American Pacific Islanders surge, Throughline reflects on Yuri Kochiyama's ideas around the Asian American struggle, and what solidarity and intersectionality can mean for all struggles.
Oneota Reading Journal highlights two University of Minnesota Press children's books
GRANDMOTHER'S PIGEON, by Louise Erdrich, and THE BIG ISLAND, by Julian May, are featured in the final issue of the Oneota Reading Journal.
Outside Magazine: This Veteran Paddler Says Teenage Girls Need Adventure
Author Natalie Warren wants young women to disregard conventional rites of passage and get lost in the wilderness
10 gifts for birds -- and watchers
Star Tribune includes TWELVE OWLS by Laura Erickson and Betsy Bowen in its gift guide.
100 Women We Love
Go! Magazine features Kelly Cogswell, author of EATING FIRE.
15 with the author: Lake Superior Flavors, just in time for vacation
Teri Knight of KYMN interviews author James Norton.
15 with the Author: Minnesota's Bounty
An interview with Beth Dooley.
15 with the author: Turn Here Sweet Corn interview
Teri Knight of KYMN Radio interviews Atina Diffley.
15 with the Author: Vacationland
In which Sarah Stonich challenges the stale stereotypes of Minnesotans.
1913 hurricane laid a trail of destruction across the Great Lakes
Michael Schumacher talks about the epic storm that is the subject of his book NOVEMBER'S FURY.