Publisher's Note

This summer the Minnesota Historical Society sends readers on a quest featuring MNHS Press cookbooks.

Here's what's cooking at MNHS Press! In advance of the September 27 opening at the Minnesota History Center of Julia Child: A Recipe for Life—an exhibit exploring the extraordinary life and legacy of the woman who transformed the way America cooks—this summer MNHS Press cookbooks are part of an engaging activity that encourages readers to learn more about Minnesota's foodways. A Recipe for Adventure is an interactive guide to exploring the Minnesota Historical Society's sites and museums. Each page of this cookbook highlights one of MNHS's locations and a recipe related to Minnesota history—but the recipe card itself is missing! To complete the pages, readers will need to visit our sites and museums. They may collect 8 or more recipe cards for a chance to earn a prize.

Including material from the MNHS Press books Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden by Gilbert L. Wilson, The Good Berry Cookbook by Tashia Hart, and True North Cabin Cookbook by Stephanie Hansen, A Recipe for Adventure also features instructions for baking the signature bread served at Historic Fort Snelling and preserving strawberries using the family recipe of the James J. Hill House, among many other quintessentially Minnesotan dishes. In addition, a related MNHS Press cookbook will be highlighted at each of the shops of the participating sites: 

Charles Lindbergh House and Museum, Little Falls
Forest History Center, Grand Rapids
Historic Forestville, Preston
Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul
James J. Hill House, St. Paul
Jeffers Petroglyphs, Comfrey
Mill City Museum, Minneapolis
Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, Onamia
Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul
Oliver Kelley Farm, Elk River
Snake River Fur Post, Pine City
Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors

Through rare photographs, videos, interactive displays, and personal artifacts, Julia Child: A Recipe for Life traces Julia’s journey from California schoolgirl to beloved author and television personality. An exclusive section featuring vintage cookbooks from the Minnesota Historical Society’s collection offers a glimpse into the culinary past. These well-worn pages reveal not only what people cooked but who they were. Running from September 27, 2025, to May 31, 2026, this exhibit is a flavorful experience that celebrates food, culture, and the joy of learning something new at any age.

New Releases

In May we published two timely volumes that highlight lesser-known aspects of recent history. 

Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota during World War II 

Ka F. Wong
Drawing on personal interviews, archival sources, and historical literature, scholar and professor Ka F. Wong explores the courageous struggles of trailblazers who left the incarceration camps in the West and rebuilt their lives in the North Star State, overcoming hostility and hardship along the way.

“A powerful account of the wartime battle against both the Axis powers and racial prejudice, highlighting those in the forefront of that fight and the Minnesota allies who joined them in their struggle.”
—Andrew Aoki, M. Anita Gay Hawthorne Professor of Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies, Augsburg University

Rewind: Lessons from Fifty Years of Activism

T Williams with David Lawrence Grant
An accomplished activist’s valuable stories and insights on navigating crises, building networks, and maintaining a commitment to community—from the foment of the 1960s to today—remind us of our history and put contemporary events in context.

“T Williams brilliantly reveals the story of his life and accomplishments in this compelling autobiography. If you’re curious about the evolution of racial and social justice in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, if you’re curious about the organizations that moved us forward, there is no better read. Williams was at the heart of much that transpired, and he takes us inside the building of organizations and the work with corporate and political leaders. . . . This personal and intimate story is a historical masterpiece.” —Alexs D. Pate, author of Amistad

Events

Twin Cities Metro

7/16/2025, 7:00 PM: T Williams, Rewind: Lessons from Fifty Years of Activism at Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis

8/4/2025, 7:00 PM: Patrick Strait, Home Club: Up-and-Comers and Comebacks at Acme Comedy Company at Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis 

8/9/2025, 10:30 AM: David LaRochelle and Colleen Muske, How to Draw a Tree, at Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul

Greater Minnesota

7/12/2025, 1:30 PM: Molly Beth Griffin, Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing at Historic Forestville, Preston

7/12/2025, 6:00 PM: Greg Gaut, The War at Home: Minnesota during the Great War, 1914-1920 at Charles Lindbergh House and Museum, Little Falls

7/19/2025, 1:00 PM: Molly Beth Griffin, Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing at Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors

7/20/2025, 12:00 PM: Molly Beth Griffin, Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing at The Bookstore at Fitger's, Duluth

National

7/15/2025, 7:00 PM: Frank Bures, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories at Pulpit Rock Brewing, Decorah, IA

In the Media

Frank Bures, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories, "The 2025 Sweat Science Summer Book List," Outside Magazine Online. 

Perpich: A Minnesota Original by Ben Schierer and Rewind: Lessons from Fifty Years of Activism by T Williams with David Lawrence Grant, "A Guide to the Summer Reads of 2025," Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

Ka F. Wong, Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota during World War II, "Enmity and Empathy: Professor’s new book explores Japanese American history in Minnesota following WWII," St. Olaf College News.

Ben Schierer, Perpich: A Minnesota Original, Mesabi Tribune.

Patrick Strait, Home Club: Up-and-Comers and Comebacks at Acme Comedy Company, "The story of Acme Comedy, the ‘Home Club,’" WDIO-TV The Lift.  

Patrick Strait, Home Club: Up-and-Comers and Comebacks at Acme Comedy Company, "MN Reads: 'Home Club' by Patrick Strait," The North 103.3.

Noteworthy

Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing StoryWalks®  are on display at select MNHS sites this summer and fall! Enjoy them at Historic Forestville until July 19, at the Oliver Kelley Farm until August 30, at Snake River Fur Post until September 27, and at Historic Forestville until October 4. With text by Molly Beth Griffin and illustrations by Claudia McGehee, Rings of Heartwood was recently honored with a starred review by School Library Journal: "This beautifully executed package might be used for the enjoyment of poetry, to introduce related books, or to encourage the observation of creatures seen in backyards, parks, or other settings."

New in MNopedia

St. Peter and St. Paul Russian Orthodox Church, Bramble

Active only from 1918 until 1932, St. Peter and St. Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Bramble served a small number of farming families who had ventured north from Chisholm to claim homesteads. The church received a new lease on life in 1968 when it was “discovered” by Paul Berg, an Episcopal priest from Grand Rapids. Berg’s restoration efforts led to a renewed interest in the church, which has continued to inspire the religious and artistic imagination of the region.

1975 Minneapolis Non-Discrimination Ordinance

In December of 1975, the Minneapolis City Council passed the first non-discrimination protections covering trans and gender-non-conforming people in American history. Approved with little fanfare as a slight change to the city’s existing gay rights ordinance, it reflected collaboration among moderate and radical gay rights activists, transsexual women, and legislators across the political spectrum.

Forthcoming Releases

How to Draw a Tree 

Story by David LaRochelle, illustrations by Colleen Muske
Every tree is unique, and there are many different kinds. The pages of How to Draw a Tree show a wide array of species, with the name for each tucked into the illustrations, encouraging readers to slow down, appreciate, and learn.

Through direct questions and lively examples, award-winning children’s book author David LaRochelle invites readers to explore their natural surroundings. Colleen Muske’s whimsical, vibrant illustrations help readers see trees in a new light. Drawing a tree involves getting to know your subject before even picking up a pencil. The more you look, the more you see. Beyond an art or science lesson, this book encourages young artists to go outside and spend time in nature, exploring firsthand what they plan to draw.

Pub date: August 5, 2025; book launch, August 9, 10:30 AM, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul

Martin Sabo: The Making of the Modern Legislature

Lori Sturdevant
Minnesota has long been acknowledged as the state that works. Its government has been celebrated, if occasionally contested, and has been emulated by other states for decades. But today’s modern, professional state legislature was not inevitable. In the late 1960s–early 1970s Minnesota took a giant step toward a state government that fairly represents all the state’s regions and populations, one that operates in public view. 

At the center of those changes was a modest young man from tiny Alkabo, North Dakota, Martin Olav Sabo. Sabo demonstrated an understanding of representative democracy and a quality of leadership that made him a highly effective catalyst for positive change. He spent his entire adult life in public service, but it was during his years as DFL minority leader and as speaker of the Minnesota House that he did his most transformative and enduring work—remaking legislatures for the better. 

Pub date: August 19, 2025; book launch, September 11, 6:00 PM, Hagfors Center, Augsburg University, Minneapolis

Did you know MNHS has a podcast?

Bestselling Backlist

Baking with the St. Paul Bread Club by Kim Ode	Untamed Mushrooms by Michael Karns, Dennis Becker, Lisa Golden Schroeder	A Prairie Kitchen by Rae Katherine Eighmey