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Alumni Association Home > Past Issues > 2009 > January-February 2009   Print View Off the Shelf The Basis of Belief: A Century of Drama and Debate at the University of Minnesota By Steven J. Keillor (B.S. ’74, B.A. ’74, M.A. ’88, Ph.D. ’92) Pogo Press, 2008 Keillor takes an intriguing and fresh approach to the history of the University by considering the ferment underlying selected events and ideas in the past 100 years. He peels away the underlying philosophies of learning and knowledge at work in classrooms and administrative offices with an eye toward illuminating the changing role of religion in the institution’s life. A Hard-Water World: Ice Fishing and Why We Do It By Greg Breining (B.A. ’88) Photographs by Layne Kennedy (B.A. ’88) Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008 Every year more than two million northerners take to the frozen lakes of the northland to indulge a passion for ice fishing. This beautifully wrought book probes and celebrates their quirky world through striking photographs and thoughtful, engaging essays. A fun, informative, and at times meditative read that will hook anglers and non-anglers alike. Hard Work and a Good Deal By Barbara W. Sommer (M.A. ’81) Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008 This timely book raises the voices of the men and boys whose lives were changed by their enrollment in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program that provided hope and a regular paycheck to 77,000 Minnesotans during the Great Depression. Their legacy lives on in the stone buildings, forest paths, and stands of pine that they created in the state’s forests and parks. Oral historian Sommer draws on nearly 100 interviews with enrollees who recall how their experience in the CCC changed their lives. Sixty Years and Sixty Heroes: A Celebration of Minnesota Sports By Ross Bernstein (B.A. ’93) Bernstein Books Publishing, 2008 Bernstein’s latest book is an expanded and updated version of his 1997 book 50 Years, 50 Heroes. Each of the 60 chapters highlights the “greatest moment” in Minnesota sports for the year, along with interviews and profiles of Minnesotans who were there, including numerous Gopher players and coaches. The book contains a foreword by former Gopher basketball great Lindsay Whalen (B.S. ’06). Proceeds from sales benefit the Herb Brooks Foundation. Porthole Views of the World Watercolors by Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler Poems by Elizabeth Weber Nodin Press, 2008 Stoeckeler’s collection of postcard-sized watercolors began as a private visual diary of her world travels. It was after being asked by fellow travelers where they could purchase her works that the University of Minnesota associate professor emerita decided to share them. Stoeckeler includes 42 watercolors from throughout her nearly 60 years of world travel. Weber’s poems give words to the thoughts and emotions the brushstrokes evoke. Willie Walleye: Underwater Adventures By Ed Zottola (Ph.D. ’64) Illustrated by Nancy Scheibe Singing River Publications, 2008 Willie Walleye first came to life in the stories former University food microbiology professor Ed Zottola told his granddaughters. A lifelong fisherman, Zottola (Dr. Z), has created an underwater world where Willie and his friends outsmart predators, fend off pond polluters, and go on other fishy adventures. Along the way, Willie teaches children important lessons about taking care of the environment, working together, and solving problems. Minnesota considers books by or about University of Minnesota alumni or faculty for inclusion in Off the Shelf. Review copies may be sent to: Editor, Minnesota, 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

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