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Lake Superior Magazine
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Superior Reviews
Books, Music and Video Reviews from the Lake Superior Region
June/July 2009
 North of the Port
by Anthony Bukoski
Southern Methodist University Press
ISBN: 978-0-87074-521-2
$22.50 Hardcover
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 Twelve Below Zero
by Anthony Bukoski
Holy Cow! Press
ISBN: 978-0-9779458-7-0
$14.95 Softcover
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 Tales of the Road, Highway 61
by Cathy Wurzer
Minnesota Historical Society Press
ISBN: 978-0-87351-626-6
$24.95 Hardcover
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North of the Port
For those of us raised in the ports of Superior and Duluth,
the stories of Tony Bukoski ring familiar. His settings are firmly our
hometowns, his backdrop is the lake.
His characters, too, remind us of home; their lives revolve
around family, neighborhood, church and work, much of it generated by
the proximity of the Big Lake. For those not from here, familiarity
arises from the life situations explored: desires, loneliness,
anxieties, family obligations commonly shared and a need for love.
Characters emerge by peeling away layers (or by adding them)
rather than in a plot from A to B. In this close neighborhood, lives
intermingle; a young man met in one tale appears as a minor character
in another. A view from one family in one story changes to their
neighbors in the next.
It’s not easy to watch these fractured lives play out, but
through them, you will know more about the place where you live and,
perhaps, your place in it.
- Konnie LeMay
Twelve Below Zero
This new edition of Tony Bukoski’s first collection of
short stories, which adds four tales, comes at a great time to compare
it to his latest work. The stories in his newest book (reviewed above)
unfold more like a turning kaleidoscope; you must interpret the
fractured pieces. His earlier stories, march forward more plainly.
Both books focus on internal desires of love and belonging
against external forces thwarting fulfillment. “When it’s twelve below
zero, there’s little hope for a friendless man,” Tony writes in the
title story.
The well-being of these fictional people depends on
finding friends to keep them alive - literally and figuratively - and
perhaps no less urgently than Jack London’s short-story character’s
need to build a fire.
– Konnie LeMay
Tales of the Road, Highway 61
Cathy Wurzer’s stories about Minnesota’s historic Highway 61 are a real pleasure to explore.
From Pigeon River south to La Crescent, this book tells of
significant places, buildings, bridges and the people who made them. It
combines history and travel, mixes in nostalgia and is told in the
easy-going style that makes Cathy so effective on Morning Edition (MPR) and Almanac (Twin Cities Public TV).
Cathy’s book will spur fond memories for past honeymooners at
the Colonial Inn or those who ate at its once-elegant dining room at
Little Marais. The inn sits deserted today, but other featured
landmarks thrive: Naniboujou Lodge, Lutsen Resort, Russ Kendall’s
Smokehouse, the Aerial Lift Bridge and Tobies Restaurant and Bakery in
Hinckley.
Images from bygone eras, such as Stickney Store in Schroeder
(1929) and Split Rock Trading Post (1960s), liven the book. These
vignettes make you want to jump in the car and start driving.
- Bob Berg
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