Wisconsin: The Story of the Badger State

Rating:
Summary: This author keeps his promise...
Review: The author keeps his promise to provide the reader with a "popular" history of Wisconsin. For those looking for an interesting, fairly comprehensive story of Wisconsin, this is the right book. The author spins a concise and fascinating tale of the Badger State. Keeping in mind its purpose, the author does a good job of balancing history with readability (although I believe that the two can and should go hand in hand).

I must admit, however, that I was somewhat disappointed with the author's discussion of Wisconsin since the progressive era. I never get the sense of how Wisconsin moved away from its 19th Century collection of immigrant groups loyal to their old-world culture and reliant on a rural-agrarian economy to the mid to late 20th Century composition of Wisconsin (In comparison, the book does an excellent job of transitioning from 17th and 18th centuries into 19th century Wisconsin).

The ending of the book (covering the last 50 years or so) is also a disappointment, as it's really just an afterthought to the book. However, I can't blame the author for that, as surely recent Wisconsin events require more perspective before they can be incorporated into an otherwise fine work.

One of the things about this book that I appreciated is that, unlike some other books that purport to be "popular" history (regardless of the subject), the author does not employ emotional, u-rah-rah, hyperbole about his subject. This is not a book that pushes a perfect image of a state. The author does an excellent job of questioning popular understandings, myths, and conceptions of Wisconsin history (his treatment of Bob LaFollete, the sacred cow of Wisconsin, and Joe McCarthy are good examples). The author does bring the voice of a scholar to this popular history.

All in all, this is a good book. All but the most serious scholars of Wisconsin history will find something interesting and worthwhile in this book, even if the book just serves as a refresher course in Wisconsin history. 3.5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: This author keeps his promise...
Review: The author keeps his promise to provide the reader with a "popular" history of Wisconsin. For those looking for an interesting, fairly comprehensive story of Wisconsin, this is the right book. The author spins a concise and fascinating tale of the Badger State. Keeping in mind its purpose, the author does a good job of balancing history with readability (although I believe that the two can and should go hand in hand).

I must admit, however, that I was somewhat disappointed with the author's discussion of Wisconsin since the progressive era. I never get the sense of how Wisconsin moved away from its 19th Century collection of immigrant groups loyal to their old-world culture and reliant on a rural-agrarian economy to the mid to late 20th Century composition of Wisconsin (In comparison, the book does an excellent job of transitioning from 17th and 18th centuries into 19th century Wisconsin).

The ending of the book (covering the last 50 years or so) is also a disappointment, as it's really just an afterthought to the book. However, I can't blame the author for that, as surely recent Wisconsin events require more perspective before they can be incorporated into an otherwise fine work.

One of the things about this book that I appreciated is that, unlike some other books that purport to be "popular" history (regardless of the subject), the author does not employ emotional, u-rah-rah, hyperbole about his subject. This is not a book that pushes a perfect image of a state. The author does an excellent job of questioning popular understandings, myths, and conceptions of Wisconsin history (his treatment of Bob LaFollete, the sacred cow of Wisconsin, and Joe McCarthy are good examples). The author does bring the voice of a scholar to this popular history.

All in all, this is a good book. All but the most serious scholars of Wisconsin history will find something interesting and worthwhile in this book, even if the book just serves as a refresher course in Wisconsin history. 3.5 stars.