Rating: 
Summary: Romance Will Enter Your Life Unless You're Careful
Review: I was given "How to Talk Minnesotan" by some wonderful friends as a 'welcome to Minnesota' gift back in 1995, and found it instantly hilarious. What was less obvious, though, was how accurate this book was in many ways, most particularly in rural Minnesota. Although I wasn't born in Minnesota, I now love it and consider myself an adopted Minnesotan, but after nine years I am still learning to master the subtle complexities of Minnesota interactions so perfectly defined in this book. Howard Mohr ("Creator of Minnesota Language Systems"), a brilliant writer for 'A Prairie Home Companion,' details all the basics of talking Minnesotan form the viewpoint of a visitor. After reading this book, you will: learn how to refuse food three times before accepting it; learn to reduce anxiety with the all-purpose reaction "it could be worse"; learn proper conduct at Bob's B-17 Park, the Particle Board Pageant, and the Deep Woods Tent Casino; and learn the proper way of accepting a gift from a Minnesotan (hint: never call it a gift). There are wonderful examples of all linguistic areas provided as well as guides to where to go in Minnesota, Minnesota dating etiquette, and an overview of Minnesotan cuisine, including detailed explanations of various hotdish concepts unseen outside Minnesota. This is a wonderful book, with more than a little humor and more than a little truth in it. I love Minnesota, and I love this book. It's a heckuva deal.
Rating:
Summary: Romance Will Enter Your Life Unless You're Careful
Review: I was given "How to Talk Minnesotan" by some wonderful friends as a 'welcome to Minnesota' gift back in 1995, and found it instantly hilarious. What was less obvious, though, was how accurate this book was in many ways, most particularly in rural Minnesota. Although I wasn't born in Minnesota, I now love it and consider myself an adopted Minnesotan, but after nine years I am still learning to master the subtle complexities of Minnesota interactions so perfectly defined in this book. Howard Mohr ("Creator of Minnesota Language Systems"), a brilliant writer for 'A Prairie Home Companion,' details all the basics of talking Minnesotan form the viewpoint of a visitor. After reading this book, you will: learn how to refuse food three times before accepting it; learn to reduce anxiety with the all-purpose reaction "it could be worse"; learn proper conduct at Bob's B-17 Park, the Particle Board Pageant, and the Deep Woods Tent Casino; and learn the proper way of accepting a gift from a Minnesotan (hint: never call it a gift). There are wonderful examples of all linguistic areas provided as well as guides to where to go in Minnesota, Minnesota dating etiquette, and an overview of Minnesotan cuisine, including detailed explanations of various hotdish concepts unseen outside Minnesota. This is a wonderful book, with more than a little humor and more than a little truth in it. I love Minnesota, and I love this book. It's a heckuva deal.
Rating: 
Summary: i just don't get it.....
Review: I've been living in Minnesota for 14 years and consider myself a Minnesotan. I married a Minnesotan, and I know many, many Minnesotans. None of them are the dim-witted, non-expressive, unexitable simpletons that this book makes them out to be. This book is chock full of stereotypes, and I, personally, don't want people from all over the country to think that this is how all Minnesotans are. I found this book insulting.
Rating:
Summary: Real insights into Midwesterners
Review: If you come from the upper Midwest, especially Minnesota, or have moved there, this is far more than a tongue-in-cheeck but accurate guide to language. It uses language to explain a geographic subculture. It's very funny but at the same time it pays tribute to an overall thoughtfulness that characterizes the Midwest. Sure, a lot of the language is indirect but that's aimed at not hurting anyone's feelings. In its own humorous way, this is brilliant. As a former Minnesotan now living in the East, I actually learned a lot from it.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, uh-huh, real good, yep!
Review: So vastly entertaining, words just escape me. If you get it you will laugh til you cry. boo hoo hoo boo hoo hoo.
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