Read MN 2023: Nonfiction and Memoir
READ MINNESOTA 2023: 30% OFF BOOKS FROM UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS
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All books included are 30% off with code MN90520, good through Jan. 15, 2024.
Note: Please order early and allow three weeks for delivery.
BROWSE BOOKS:
NATURAL HISTORY // ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE WRITING // FICTION
NONFICTION AND MEMOIR // MINNESOTA HISTORY // MUSIC & ARTS
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS AND MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION
NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE AND HISTORY // SCANDINAVIA
RACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE // MYSTERY AND YOUNG ADULT FICTION
COOKBOOKS // GARDENING // SPORTS AND FISHING // ARCHITECTURE
TRAVEL STORIES // TRAVEL GUIDES // RAILROADS // SHIPWRECKS
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A Private Wilderness The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson Sigurd F. Olson 2024 Spring
- The personal diaries of one of America’s best-loved naturalists, revealing his difficult and inspiring path to finding his voice and becoming a writer—now available in paperback
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F. Scott Fitzgerald A Composite Biography Niklas Salmose and David Rennie, Editors 2023 Fall
- A comprehensive study of the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, related in two-year chapters by twenty-three leading writers on the Jazz Age author
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The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sámi Elin Anna Labba 2023 Fall
- The deep and personal story—told through history, poetry, and images—of the forced displacement of the Sámi people from their homeland in northern Norway and Sweden and its reverberations today
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Impermanence Life and Loss on Superior’s South Shore Sue Leaf 2023 Fall
- A personal journey through the ever-changing natural and cultural history of Lake Superior’s South Shore
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Gunflint Falling Blowdown in the Boundary Waters Cary J. Griffith 2023 Fall
- Stories from survivors of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness’s epochal weather disaster
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Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy’s Culinary Capital Eric Dregni 2024 Spring
- The food-obsessed chronicle of an American’s three years in Italy—now available in paperback
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A Wild Path Douglas Wood 2023 Fall
- A soul-satisfying journey through the wilderness that uncovers hope, healing, and the abiding grace of wild things
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The Palace of the Snow Queen Winter Travels in Lapland and Sápmi Barbara Sjoholm 2023 Fall
- An exploration of the winter wonders and entangled histories of Scandinavia’s northernmost landscapes—now back in print with a new afterword by the author
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The Last Bookseller A Life in the Rare Book Trade Gary Goodman 2023 Fall
- A wry, unvarnished chronicle of a career in the rare book trade—now in paperback
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The Last Supper Club A Waiter’s Requiem Matthew Batt 2023 Fall
- A witty and humble tribute to the sometimes profane, sometimes profound world of waiting tables
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The King of Skid Row John Bacich and the Twilight Years of Old Minneapolis James Eli Shiffer 2023 Fall
- The story of a much different Minneapolis, through the words and photographs of one of its most colorful characters—now in paperback
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Trauma Sponges Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response Jeremy Norton 2023 Spring
- Beyond an adrenaline ride or a chronicle of bravura heroics, this unflinching view of a Minneapolis firefighter reveals the significant toll of emergency response
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For the Love of Cod A Father and Son’s Search for Norwegian Happiness Eric Dregni 2023 Spring
- What makes Norwegians so damn happy—and does it translate?
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In the Company of Grace A Veterinarian's Memoir of Trauma and Healing Jody Lulich 2022 Fall
- The son of a Black mother and white father overcomes family trauma to find the courage of compassion in veterinary practice
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Making the Carry The Lives of John and Tchi-Ki-Wis Linklater Timothy Cochrane 2022 Fall
- An extraordinary illustrated biography of a Métis man and Anishinaabe woman navigating great changes in their homeland along the U.S.–Canada border in the early twentieth century
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The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself Racial Myths and Our American Narratives David Mura 2022 Fall
- Uncovering the pernicious narratives white people create to justify white supremacy and sustain racist oppression
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Take My Word for It A Dictionary of English Idioms Anatoly Liberman 2022 Fall
- Three centuries of English idioms—their unusual origins and unexpected interpretations
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Break Point Two Minnesota Athletes and the Road to Title IX Sheri Brenden 2022 Fall
- How two teenage girls in Minnesota jump-started a revolution in high school athletics
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Not the Camilla We Knew One Woman’s Path from Small-town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army Rachael Hanel 2022 Fall
- The mystery of how an ordinary Minnesota girl came to be, briefly, one of the most wanted domestic terrorists in the United States
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The Sky Watched Poems of Ojibwe Lives Linda LeGarde Grover 2022 Fall
- A collective memoir in poetry of an Ojibwe family and tribal community, from creation myth to this day, updated with new poems
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Opioid Reckoning Love, Loss, and Redemption in the Rehab State Amy C. Sullivan 2022 Fall
- Examines the complexity and the humanity of the opioid epidemic
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This Contested Land The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments McKenzie Long 2022 Spring
- One woman’s enlightening trek through the natural histories, cultural stories, and present perils of thirteen national monuments, from Maine to Hawaii
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Finding Turtle Farm My Twenty-Acre Adventure in Community-Supported Agriculture Angela Tedesco 2022 Spring
- The story of starting and running an organic farm—told by the woman who owned one of the first Community Supported Agriculture operations in the Upper Midwest
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Seven Aunts Staci Lola Drouillard 2022 Spring
- Part memoir, part cultural history, these memories of seven aunts holding home and family together tell a crucial, often overlooked story of women of the twentieth century
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My Life in the Purple Kingdom BrownMark 2022 Spring
- From the young Black teenager who built a bass guitar in woodshop to the musician building a solo career with Motown Records—Prince’s bassist BrownMark on growing up in Minneapolis, joining Prince and The Revolution, and his life in the purple kingdom
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The Cyclist and His Shadow A Memoir Olivier Haralambon 2022 Spring
- A philosopher and former racing cyclist examines how competitive riders lose their sense of self as they pursue perfect motion and mastery over pain
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The Dylan Tapes Friends, Players, and Lovers Talkin’ Early Bob Dylan Anthony Scaduto 2021 Fall
- The raw material and interviews behind Anthony Scaduto’s iconic biography of Bob Dylan draw an intimate and multifaceted portrait of the singer-songwriter who defined his era
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Hudson Bay Bound Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic Natalie Warren 2022 Spring
- The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay
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After Effects A Memoir of Complicated Grief Andrea Gilats 2021 Fall
- An intensely moving and revelatory memoir of enduring and emerging from exceptional grief
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We Are Meant to Rise Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura, Editors 2021 Fall
- A brilliant and rich gathering of voices on the American experience of this past year and beyond, from Indigenous writers and writers of color from Minnesota
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Gichigami Hearts Stories and Histories from Misaabekong Linda LeGarde Grover 2021 Fall
- Award-winning author Linda LeGarde Grover interweaves family and Ojibwe history with stories from Misaabekong (the place of the giants) on Lake Superior
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A Love Affair with Birds The Life of Thomas Sadler Roberts Sue Leaf 2021 Fall
- The father of Minnesota ornithology, whose life story opens a window on a lost world of nature and conservation in the state’s early days
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Days Like Smoke A Minnesota Boyhood Jon Hassler 2021 Fall
- The memoir of a small-town childhood by one of Minnesota’s favorite writers, now published for the first time
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Brave Enough Jessie Diggins 2021 Fall
- Travel with Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins on her compelling journey from America’s heartland to international sports history, navigating challenges and triumphs with rugged grit and a splash of glitter
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Lemon Jail On the Road with the Replacements Bill Sullivan 2021 Fall
- A tour diary of life on the road with one of Minnesota’s greatest bands—with nearly 100 never-before-seen photographs
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Skiing into the Bright Open My Solo Journey to the South Pole Liv Arnesen 2021 Spring
- The first woman to ski solo to the South Pole tells the story of what it took to get there
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Letters from Tove Tove Jansson 2021 Fall
- A virtual memoir in letters by the beloved creator of the Moomins
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Got to Be Something Here The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound Andrea Swensson 2021 Spring
- The story, from start to superstardom, of the musicians who shaped the Minneapolis Sound
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Watershed Attending to Body and Earth in Distress Ranae Lenor Hanson 2021 Spring
- A personal health crisis, stories from environmental refugees, and our climate in danger prompt a meditation on intimate connections between the health of the body and the health of the ecosystem
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Nellie Francis Fighting for Racial Justice and Women’s Equality in Minnesota William D. Green 2020 Fall
- The life and work of an African American suffragist and activist devoted to equality and freedom
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Fear and Loving in South Minneapolis Jim Walsh 2020 Fall
- A veteran Twin Cities journalist and raconteur summons the life of the city after reporting and recording its stories for more than thirty years
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Wolf Island Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal L. David Mech 2020 Fall
- The world’s leading wolf expert describes the first years of a major study that transformed our understanding of one of nature’s most iconic creatures
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The Wedding Heard ’Round the World America’s First Gay Marriage Michael McConnell 2020 Fall
- Forty-four years after two men married in a legal ceremony in Minnesota, the Supreme Court has decided the question first raised by these gay pioneers
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Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify Essays Carolyn Holbrook 2020 Spring
- The compassionate and redemptive story of a prominent Black woman in the Twin Cities literary community
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Minnesota’s Geologist The Life of Newton Horace Winchell Sue Leaf 2020 Spring
- The story of the scientist who first mapped Minnesota’s geology, set against the backdrop of early scientific inquiry in the state
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Professor Berman The Last Lecture of Minnesota’s Greatest Public Historian Hy Berman 2019 Fall
- Behind the scenes of Minnesota history, by way of the engaging life story of the state’s best-known and beloved political observer
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What God Is Honored Here? Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang, Editors 2019 Fall
- Native women and women of color poignantly share their pain, revelations, and hope after experiencing the traumas of miscarriage and infant loss
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Gunflint Burning Fire in the Boundary Waters Cary J. Griffith 2019 Spring
- The story of the Ham Lake fire, at the time the most destructive wildfire in modern Minnesota history—the blaze, the firefighters’ battle, the human toll
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No Horizon Is So Far Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft 2019 Spring
- The extraordinary story of the first two women to cross Antarctica
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Homemade Finnish Rye, Feed Sack Fashion, and Other Simple Ingredients from My Life in Food Beatrice Ojakangas 2018 Spring
- A celebrated cook’s recipes and reflections on growing up in a big Finnish family in northern Minnesota
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Fawn Island Douglas Wood 2018 Spring
- Join the beloved author of Old Turtle as he embarks on journeys large and small
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The Great Lakes at Ten Miles an Hour One Cyclist’s Journey along the Shores of the Inland Seas Thomas Shevory 2017 Fall
- A chronicle of travels by bicycle around the Great Lakes, combining personal observations with reflections on the geology, ecology, history, and culture of the region
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Onigamiising Seasons of an Ojibwe Year Linda LeGarde Grover 2017 Fall
- Fifty short essays evoke the four seasons of the year, and of life, for the Ojibwe in northeastern Minnesota
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We Know How This Ends Living while Dying Bruce H. Kramer 2017 Fall
- Surprising lessons in finding joy and personal growth in the last months of life
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Deep Woods, Wild Waters A Memoir Douglas Wood 2017 Spring
- The author of Old Turtle and a longtime wilderness guide charts a journey through the wilds of nature and the twists and turns of daily life
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It Won’t Be Easy An Exceedingly Honest (and Slightly Unprofessional) Love Letter to Teaching Tom Rademacher 2017 Spring
- A frank and funny behind-the-scenes look at teaching from a hard-working and highly entertaining Teacher of the Year
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Flying Funny My Life without a Net Dudley Riggs 2017 Spring
- The fun of storytelling with the wry insights and observations of growing up in show business
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The War Came Home with Him A Daughter’s Memoir Catherine Madison 2016 Fall
- A poignant look at the suppressed grief and thwarted love that forever alter a family when a soldier brings his war home
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The Senator Next Door A Memoir from the Heartland Amy Klobuchar 2017 Spring
- "The Senator Next Door is both a desperately needed wake-up call to our politicians and a delightful memoir that will inspire everyone. Buy one for yourself and give one to an elected official."—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin
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Portage A Family, a Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life Sue Leaf 2015 Fall
- North American waterways by canoe: a memoir of family and nature, history and culture, along the rivers
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The Meaning of Wilderness Essential Articles and Speeches Sigurd F. Olson David Backes, Editor 2015 Fall
- An indispensable collection of Olson’s rarest writings—at last in paperback
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Water and What We Know Following the Roots of a Northern Life Karen Babine 2015 Spring
- Personal essays exploring the link between natural history and memory, landscape and identity, place and meaning
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No Saints around Here A Caregiver’s Days Susan Allen Toth 2014 Spring
- A moment-by-moment memoir of the difficulty and dedication of caregiving
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The Thoughtbook of F. Scott Fitzgerald A Secret Boyhood Diary F. Scott Fitzgerald 2013 Fall
- Brings to light F. Scott Fitzgerald’s boyhood St. Paul diary
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Turn Here Sweet Corn Organic Farming Works Atina Diffley 2013 Fall
- A master class in organic farming, a lesson in entrepreneurship, a love story, and a legal thriller
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We’ll Be the Last Ones to Let You Down Memoir of a Gravedigger’s Daughter Rachael Hanel 2013 Spring
- Growing up among cemeteries and finding faith and resilience amid sorrowful loss
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Thirty Rooms to Hide In Insanity, Addiction, and Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Shadow of the Mayo Clinic Luke Longstreet Sullivan 2014 Spring
- The remarkable story of six brothers growing up in the ’50s and ’60s as their father—a highly respected Mayo Clinic surgeon—slowly goes insane
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In Cod We Trust Living the Norwegian Dream Eric Dregni 2011 Fall
- A vivid portrayal of modern Norway through the eyes of a fourth-generation Norwegian American from Minnesota
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Memory of Trees A Daughter’s Story of a Family Farm Gayla Marty 2013 Spring
- An evocative memoir of life on a dairy farm in Minnesota’s St. Croix Valley
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Carew Rod Carew and Ira Berkow 2010 Spring
- The candid and compelling memoir of Rod Carew, one of baseball’s greatest players
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Island Folk The People of Isle Royale Peter Oikarinen 2008 Spring
- Experience the arresting beauty and charm of Isle Royale
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Staying the Course A Runner’s Toughest Race Dick Beardsley and Maureen Anderson 2005 Spring
- The gripping memoir of a record-holding marathoner
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Spirit of the North The Quotable Sigurd F. Olson Sigurd F. Olson David Backes, Editor 2004 Spring
- An accessible and inspiring collection of Olson’s most enlightening words
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Root Beer Lady The Story of Dorothy Molter Bob Cary 2002 Spring
- An ice-cold glass of root beer and a warm welcome greeted thousands of weary paddlers who stopped at the Isle of Pines to meet Dorothy Molter, the courageous, independent woman who became a North Woods legend. Bob Cary, Dorothy’s longtime friend, captures her life and spirit in Root Beer Lady.
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A Wilderness Within The Life of Sigurd F. Olson David Backes 1999 Fall
- The critically acclaimed biography of this venerable naturalist and writer.
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Of Time and Place Sigurd F. Olson 1998 Fall
- Olson’s final work, available in paperback for the first time.
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Listening Point Sigurd F. Olson 1997 Fall
- Poetic meditations about Olson’s cabin and his life there.