The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia by Richard Sisson, Christian Zacher, Andrew Cayton

Abstract

166 Michigan Historical Review does not engage historiographical literature but he does seem to understand the general thrust of current scholarship, especially regarding memory, the Great Migration, and the federal government's use of African American celebrities to fight the Cold War. Overall, Triumph is a popular yet balanced and well-crafted book that deserves a broad readership. It is likely to be useful in sports-history survey courses. Brian M. Ingrassia, History Department University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Richard Sisson, Christian Zacher, and Andrew Cayton, eds. TheAmerican Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007. Pp. 1890. Charts. Index. Maps. Photographs. Source notes and further readings. Tables. Cloth, $75.00. The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia is a comprehensive volume that captures the history, cultural diversity, and varied geography of America's heardand. Popular images often portray the twelve-state region as a place where average and hardworking, but often dull Americans live. In their introductory essays to The American Midwest, however, general editors Richard Sisson and Andrew Cayton clearly illustrate that the Midwest is a distinct and complex region, which is occupied by people of varied ethnic and social backgrounds who have played a pivotal role in American history. Organized by topic, The American Midwest begins by exploring the landscapes and people of the region, and by providing geographic and historical overviews of each state: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One particularly important early portion of the encyclopedia is titled "Images of the Midwest." In this section entries detail how images in American popular culture both typify and challenge common notions about the region. Four large additional sections cover society and culture, community and social life, economy and technology, and public life. Within these sections, readers can explore such topics as language, folklore, religion, sports, media, rural life, urban centers, labor movements, science and technology, business, politics, and military culture. Each topical portion includes an introductory essay, followed by more detailed subject entries ranging from 250 to 750 words. Subjects for these Book Reviews 167 entries cover an extremely broad range, from the complex geology and glacial features of the region, to Native Americans and white settlers, to recent biographical sketches and technological advancements. In his introductory essay, general editor Andrew Cayton maintains that the Midwest is a "recognizable" and distinct region that clearly defies popular images of "unbroken sameness" (p. xxiii). The essays and entries in The American Midwest clearly illustrate this point, and they provide thorough, sometimes surprising, information for readers at nearly any level. The book's greatest strength is its organization. Though the encyclopedia includes more than eighteen hundred pages of entries, its topical organization and the book's thorough index make it highly accessible to readers. Each section also includes a separate table of contents that directs readers to specific topics. Carefully selected illustrations, photographs, maps, tables, charts, and sidebars further enhance several of the entries. Finally, because each entry includes citations for sources and further reading, this encyclopedia provides a solid starting point for researchers exploring new topics. The American Midwest was a tremendous undertaking, and the final product is awell-balanced and extremely useful volume for scholars, researchers, and casual readers interested in learning more about all aspects of midwestern geography, history, and culture. Jenny Barker-Devine Iowa State University Margaret Connell Szasz. Scottish Highlanders and Native Americans: Indigenous Education in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007. Pp. 304. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Notes. Cloth, $34.95. This book does not mention Michigan, but its subject matter is relevant to the history of the Native Peoples who lived in what would become the territory and the state. Szasz, a historian of formal education and Native Peoples in North America, has attempted a challenging comparative study. It is based on the records of the Scottish Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SSPCK), which was active in Scotland from 1709 until the later nineteenth century. The records of the society are held in the ...