|
|
|
|
1999 Notable Authors
Mountain
Wolf Woman
Mountain
Wolf Woman, 1884-1960 Mountain Wolf Woman was born in 1884, in East Fork River, Wisconsin, to a large Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) family. Her autobiography covers childhood activities such as berry picking, brief years of education, an unhappy arranged first marriage and lengthy second marriage, her role as a mother of eight and grandmother of over thirty, participation in traditional tribal activities and religious beliefs. She lived in various locations in Wisconsin, Nebraska and South Dakota, spending much of her life in the Black River Falls area, dying there on November 9, 1960. This autobiography is the story of a real woman whose eventful life covered the age of horses to the age of airplanes. It is the story of a culture in transition, but is also the story of one unique, confident, outgoing woman valuing her people’s traditions and adapting to change as needed. Individuals may also want to read Crashing Thunder (1920), her brother’s autobiography, for a different perspective or to see Jocelyn Riley’s 1990 video Mountain Wolf Woman, 1884-1960, which includes still photos and Mountain Wolf Woman’s words spoken by her granddaughter, Naomi Russell. Paul
Boyer, 1935- Boyer’s Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft presented new information and new theories on the development of witchcraft in Massachusetts. He showed how the friction of social and economic rivalries might have been at the cause of the Salem witch hunt. His book, When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture, examines the role of apocalypticism in American life and thought with special emphasis on why it has come to play a major role in public opinion and, eventually, public policy. Boyer won the Banta Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for this work. Most recently, his book, Fallout: A Historian Reflects on America’s Half-Century Encounter With Nuclear Weapons, is a cummulation of essays in which Boyer discusses the powerful and wide-ranging impact that the nuclear bomb has had on American thought and life since Hiroshima. Professor Boyer is now editor-in-chief of the Oxford Companion to American History. He cites the supportive and cultural environment of Madison for help in his career as a writer and historian. Selected Bibliography: Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft (with S. Nissebaum), Harvard University Press, 1974 Urban Masses and Moral Order in America, 1820-1920, Harvard University Press, 1978 By the Bomb’s Early Light: American Thought and Culture at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, Pantheon, 1985 When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture, Harvard University Press, 1992 Fallout: A Historian Reflects on America’s Half-Century Encounter With Nuclear Weapons, Ohio State University Press, 1998 Nathan
Aaseng, 1953- This was the first of more than 145 books published to date. Nathan Aaseng was born in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and spent most of his growing up years in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. “In Manitowoc, where my wife had a teaching job, I worked as a microbiologist. I started writing while my wife was teaching third grade. Early on in my career, she was a great help in editing, helping me write non-fiction in language that children could understand.” ”Since a writer can live anywhere, we went city shopping. We chose Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as the place to raise our family.” Most of the 18 years as a full-time writer has been spent in this city Mr. Aaseng has two favorite books. At the time they were written, the subjects had been overlooked: Navajo Code Talkers, Walker, 1992, and Athletes, Facts on File, 1995 (Subject: Native American Athletes). ”Most people can only name Jim Thorpe, but at the time he excelled, American professional sports was dominated by Native Americans in the same way that African Americans dominate today. But the athletes themselves viewed the sport business as hostile to Native Americans and discouraged their youth from entering into that arena.” Still today, Indian nicknames are the prevailing evidence that the problem still exists. In choosing Nathan Aaseng as a Wisconsin Notable Author, the Children’s Book Award Committee cited his work in non-fiction as unfailingly accurate, written in a style interesting for children (and adults), and often dealing with subjects not well covered prior to his books on the subject. Where an author gets his ideas is a commonly asked question. “Early in my career, I studied how one gets ideas and taught myself ways of encouraging them. For many years, I’ve never had a problem finding a subject to write about.” A selected bibliography reflects the diversity of his subject matter and interests from sports, science and current events: The
Titanic, Lucent Press, 1999 1999
WLA Literary Awards Committee Members
|
| Readers Home Page| LAC Home| WLA Units | WLA Home | WLA Home | A to Z | Search
Please send Committee
questions to:
Chair
|