Buffalo Commons

If you haven't made time to read Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, now is the time. Rich imagery, compelling themes and language, prairie imagery resonating hints of Cather and Stegner make it a memorable read. If you happen to love Western landscapes, sensuous little savages, education, Latin roots, or stories with a good dog this is a must. The positives outweigh any plot weaknesses.

I checked it out of the library, but this one begs to be purchased: preferably first edition, signed.

Karen Madorin

Labels: Book review

I read Debra Marquart’s book, The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere, and I think she is a tease. Snatches of her story reveal the sexual thoughts of teenage girls not normally told to strangers (even though we did think them); the sensuousness of fingerfeeding calves from a milkbucket; and visions of beautiful, young, creamy-thighed girl cousins owning a small town. This rock musician/author/university professor is not your typical academic. Her live-on-the-radio interview (Hear It Now, North Dakota Public Radio) did nothing to deter my opinion, as she just happened to sneak in a mention about how good she looks in leather and spandex. Teaser! And then, her reading at Zandbroz on the night of September 15, 2006, secured the appropriateness of the label. Her selections included the sensual side of castrating (firmly pressed thighs and all); being pulled out of bed in her white nightie; and a warning about the farm boys’ touch and their proclivity for planting seeds. A guest at my table remarked, “It sure is hot in here.” However, in her reading to the enthralled audience of at least thirty, she did not just tease; she delivered. Smiles and nods encouraged her to go on as she spoke knowledgeably of hauling hay, plucking chickens, and all other nasty farm chores. The audience empathized with Marquart’s experiences in the outside world, where people have to touch the first person they ever met from North Dakota, and then they went home satisfied, with autographed books under the arms.

In my Plains Folk weblog, "Travel on the Gravel," I've begun blogging some images from Eastend, Saskatchewan, boyhood home of Wallace Stegner. I've posted photos of the grave of Corky Jones, Stegner's mentor, and will post others pertaining to Wolf Willow in the next few days.

Here are a couple of literary events worth noting.

At 7 pm Friday, September 15, Deb Marquart will read from Horizontal World at the Zandbroz. This new book is getting quite a bit of buzz. I'm about 2/3 through it and will review it in my radio feature, Plains Folk. A review of it also will appear in this blog.

At 7:00 pm Wednesday, September 20, Leif Enger will read from Peace Like a River at the Fargo Theatre.

Both these readings deserve coverage in this blog, and so we hope to line up reviewers of the events.

I really have to say I not only enjoyed this book the most, but I also enjoyed this discussion more. Perhaps because it delved a bit into Stegner's life and made me wonder about how things connected as far as the memories were concerned. I think it exemplifies the quote, "it's not always what we keep, but what we choose to toss that defines us." I think he left much out...but really didn't need to include it. I enjoyed the book as it was. It certainly offered moments of contemplation. The insights about his family were extremely interesting, and in retrospect, made me contemplate how things really might have been for Stegner. Was it painful to return?
I think the way he incorported the use of senses in his writing was great. I think the title is rather cool in that I do agree the sense of smell is one of the strongest in invoking our memories.
Enjoyed the book and the discussion...I think I'll be looking for more classes along this line. Thank you for offering it! Laurene

One of our discussion threads led us to wonder about teacher certification--just what did those young teachers know when they had graduated from 8th grade? From an 1895 document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salinas Journal, here are just a few questions (of about 50) from the final exam:

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. A wagonbox is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
4. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is its worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
5. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
6. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
7. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
9. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
10. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals.
11. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
12. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
13. Describe the mountains of America.
14. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall, and Orinoco.
15. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

The exam also required a 150-word composition, and the students were allowed five hours to finish. Care to share any comments?

What I enjoyed about discussion was the insight provided by Dr. Isern about Stegner as an author. The details about the locality and the pictures seemed to bring alive the book for me moreso than without the images. I think the rest of the audience enjoyed this, as well.

I had wondered how the book was technically classified--simply a memoire? However, after Dr. Isern told us of his other discussions and our dissecting Stegner's sly prose and his opinions in the last chapter, it made me think that his opinions had a more profound impact on the book than I previously thought. For example, nobody would want to read a book where the author ends on a negative note, yet the attitude that pervaded seemed that of negativism. The discussion really helped me wrestle with that idea, even though I don't know which has yet won!

Renae Arnston