About the Author: A one-time radio script writer, Howard Mohr has become known as the man who translated Minnesotan for the rest of the world. Early in his career, Mohr wrote for Prairie Home Companion, creating fake radio ads and listener favorites such as Raw Bits. But he's best known as the author of the bestselling book How to Talk Minnesotan. It's a book that when made into a video version won a regional Emmy in Chicago. He even adapted it into a stage musical which received a long-time run at playhouses in the region. Mohr is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and lives with his family on a southwestern Minnesota prairie.
My Thoughts About The Book: I am an avid Garrison Keillor and Prairie Home Companion fan and when I agreed to review this book I was hoping for someone who was like Garrison Keillor. I was disappointed. The book was similar to the dryness of Prairie Home Companion but lacked the full bodied stories Keille shares each week with his radio audience. I found a lot of familiar Minnisotan idioms absent from the book. As a high school teacher I did love his lesson format with a few conversation tips and then examples. I also liked the pronunciation notes. The Power f the Negative lesson was one of my favorite lessons. It is amazing how confusing expressing negatives can be.....in Minnesota. Hotdish was a new concept for me when I visited Minnesota. I assumed it was casserole (southern rendition)...but found it was a bit different....quite a bit. Even though the book was not quite what I thought it would be it was an entertaining read and full of wonderful homilies from Minnesota.
Disclaimer: I was given this book from Net Galley and the Penguin Publishing Group for a fair and honest review. The views expressed are my own.
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