Muddy Boots and Ragged Aprons: Images of Working-Class Detroit, 1900-1930 Book

This history of Minnesota and some of the surrounding region was written originally in 1945 by radical writer, Meridel Le Sueur. In it, she tells the story of Minnesota from the bottom up, somewhat reminiscent of the works of Howard Zinn (though he may have written his histories after this one). We hear of none of Minnesota's political leaders by name, and few of its business leaders; instead, we hear about the lives of workers, farmers, Native Americans, and others as they dealt with what history threw their way. It reads more like a novel, than a history book, but for those of us who have lived here in this state for many years, it gives a good picture of the social underpinnings of our state. A good history of Minnesota that tells its story in a new way, though the book was written about seventy years ago.