LITMIR.BIZ

Beginning in the 1850s, thousands of immigrants from Nordic countries settled in Minnesota and quickly established themselves in the political life of their new home. These Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Finns, and Icelanders first sowed their political seeds at the local level&mdash;as town clerks, city councilmen, county commissioners, sheriffs&mdash;and then broadened their sights to the state and national realm. Nordic immigrants served as governors, as Minnesota state senators and representatives, as U.S. congressmen, and as vice presidents of the United States. Many came to this country for political reasons and became radicals and activists in Minnesota. Others served as key leaders within the state&#39;s political parties.<br /><br />In <em>Scandinavians in the State House</em>, Klas Bergman explores who these immigrant politicians were and what drove them to become civically involved so soon after arriving in Minnesota. Profiling the individuals and movements at the forefront of this political activity, at the state and local level, Bergman examines the diverse political philosophies of the immigrant communities and reveals the lasting legacy of Scandinavian politicians in the creation of modern Minnesota&mdash;from Nelson and Olson, to Andersen and Carlson, to Humphrey and Mondale.

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They were brothers from Norway&#39;s &quot;Red County.&quot; One was a guerrilla leader, the other a president of a singing association. One emigrated to America, the other stayed home to fight for Norwegian independence. Both had an impact on their nation&#39;s history. This is the story of the one who left.<br /><br />Olaf Martin Oleson was among the hundreds of thousands of Norwegians who emigrated to the United States during the nineteenth century. With strongly rooted connections to the homeland, Oleson settled in the Midwest and became a successful businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He also helped form influential organizations in his new land, including the Norwegian-American Historical Association and the Norwegian Singers&#39; Association of America. With the choir group, Oleson shared songs of his native Norway throughout North America&mdash;while raising money to support the illegal army and new political party forming back home in the fight for liberation from Sweden.<br /><br />In <em>They Sang for Norway</em>, Ane-Charlotte Five Aarset tells the story of O. M. Oleson&mdash;her great-grand-uncle&mdash;and his contributions to the politics and culture of two nations. It is an immigrant&#39;s tale, an exploration of Norwegian-American life, and the story of music&#39;s importance to a community and people.

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With his years of expertise in Russian studies, Dr. Matthew Crosston gives readers a close look at the many facets of the strained foreign relations between the United States of America and the Russian Federation. While acknowledging the pragmatism, self-interest, and unethical aspects of Russia's foreign policy, Crosston argues that this ever-tense situation is best viewed through an amoral, apolitical, and unbiased lens – a controversial approach in a country whose citizens have viewed Russia, the Former Soviet Union, as a black-and-white, clear-cut villain for decades. But with extensive research from the last few years, Crosston offers Americans a fresh perspective, and breaks up the current political and media narratives with a voice of hope and reason.

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The history of the Philippines is a long and complex one but the stories and reflections in Dark Days of Authoritarianism, from remarkable individuals who were willing to stake their lives for freedom, shed light on life under the martial law instituted by President Ferdinand Marcos from 1972 to 1981, and up to the peaceful popular uprising of 1986. This book not only covers the social, economic and political conditions across the country during martial law but also how those conditions affected ordinary people personally and spiritually. Many of the contributions illustrate the strength and determination of Philippine women to create a better society despite being met by great adversity and the importance of Christian faith for sustaining the lives of those who suffered and survived this tumultuous period. This book provides important lessons for a new generation facing the menace of authoritarianism today, wherever they are, to fight for democracy and resist any attempts to diminish people’s freedom.

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For a long time African history has been dominated by western perspectives through predominantly male accounts of colonial governments and missionaries. In contrast, Dr Emily Onyango provides an African history of mission, education development and women’s roles in Kenya. Based on archival research and interviews of primary sources this book explores the relationship of these areas of history with each other, focusing on the Luo culture and the period of 1895 to 2000.
With the pre-colonial African context as the foundation for understanding and writing history, Dr Onyango uses gender to analyze the role of Christian missionaries in the development of women’s education and their position in Kenyan society. The result of this well-researched study is not only a challenge to the traditional understanding of history, but also a counternarrative to the common view that to be liberated African women must disregard Christianity. Rather she looks at the importance Christianity plays in helping women establish themselves economically, politically and socially, in Kenyan society. This research is a vital contribution to women’s history and the history of Christianity in Africa.

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The Republic of Suriname has a long and rich heritage of Bible translation spanning more than 250 years, yet very little has been published on its history. In this book Dr Franklin Jabini, a Surinamer as well as a translator himself, provides the reader with a detailed survey of the history of Bible translation across the many language groups of Suriname. Illustrating the difficult and complicated process of Bible translation, the book furnishes brief biographies of translators, both national and foreign, as well as the denominations and parachurch organizations involved. This book is not just a historical account, but provides important insight into the efforts of reaching all tribes, tongues and nations with God’s word.

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Hans Keller is highly intelligent—so much so that he places little value inhis studies or in religion. But after a chance meeting with the charismatic Josef Goebbels, a leader of the burgeoning Nazi Party, atheistic Hans is offered a key role in shaping the future of the Nazis’ new Germany: providing influence within the Catholic Church. As his thoughts become more clouded and his morals crumble, Hans finds himself immersed in a shadowy role of manipulation and deceit; he is becoming Hitler’s priest. Author and former priest S. J. Tagliareni offers an astounding amount of historical research, highly attuned cultural notes, and a varied and fascinating cast of characters in his new thriller. In addition, <i>Hitler’s Priest</i> offers a rare window into the psychological and moral conflicts raised by Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.

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Through her husband’s letters from Southeast Asia about his combat missions in Vietnam and over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos in 1971 and 1972, Marge Hansen shares a gripping journey into one of the most divisive and turbulent periods in the nation’s history. <i>Brave Warriors, Humble Heroes: A Vietnam War Story</i> captures in a flier’s words the conflict, drama, frustration, heroism, and longing for home and family that mark combat missions. Through meticulous research and compelling narrative, Marge brings to readers a chance to understand what may have been only an ongoing headline in the news for those at home or a distant episode in American history for younger readers. In her voice and Charlie’s, she captures the experience of those who serve and those who support them. For Marge and Charlie, the war was immediate and personal and has not ended; both were impacted by the legacy of Agent Orange—he from his assignment to front-line bases and she from her visit to him at one of those bases. <i>Brave Warriors, Humble Heroes</i> recounts the story of one war, one hero, one marriage, and one family. This book stands for all those whose voices have not been heard.

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In the four years of the Korean War, America lost almost 54,000 men, roughly the same number who lost their lives in Vietnam, yet this war has almost disappeared into American history as the “Forgotten War.” <i>George-3-7th Marines</i> recounts the bloody Marine infantry campaigns fought in the deadly mountain ranges of Korea. It is a story told by the men who fought—and died anonymously—in a little-known yet bloody war. These never-before-told tales of the battle-hardened Marines of G-3-7 have been collected and recorded by one of their own. Described by those who experienced the action firsthand, these accounts blend the shocking details of savage, bloody killing with gentle, almost heartbreaking prose seldom seen in a chronicle of war. Jim Nicholson paints a brutally accurate picture of America and the Valhalla culture that shaped the toughness of soldiers in the fifties. He examines the events and mistakes that led to a collision of the free world with the rapidly expanding Communist military machine. He reminds us that the sacrifice of young American boys saved the South Koreans, who now live freely in their beautiful “Land of the morning calm.” Awarded the Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal.

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The morning of September 11, 2001, began like any other morning for police Sergeant Frank Marra. He woke up early, brewed his coffee, and got his son Anthony ready for kindergarten. That was until the image of the South Tower engulfed in flames and smoke interrupted televised broadcasts nationwide. <i>From Landfill to Hallowed Ground</i> follows the footsteps of Sergeant Frank Marra and the people whose lives were irrevocably changed in the aftermath of September 11. Marra and co-author Maria Bellia Abbate take readers to the Staten Island Landfill, where the largest moveable crime scene in America was combed and searched for those buried beneath the twisted metal, steel, and cement. Step into the landfill mire with the New York City Police Department and the volunteers who searched tirelessly, often at great cost to themselves, for the remains of those silenced forever in the ashes. This heartrending story gives readers a never-before-seen glimpse of the days and months following the attack on September 11, and the stories that echo from “The Hill”—the hallowed ground of those who perished on that fateful day.

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