Finding a New Midwestern History

"In 2015, a group of historians met in Michigan to reinvigorate the study of midwestern history. The result of the meeting was a series of essays published in this engaging volume. Individual essays cover virtually every imaginable topic of the history of the American Midwest. . . . This book could be assigned in advanced undergraduate courses, and any faculty or academic staff whose teaching even remotely deals with the Midwest should read this book."—J. Shelton, Choice
“Engaging, provocative, and cogently argued. . . . This collection provides an insightful, perceptive, smart regional consciousness. This book will make its mark as an important contribution to the intellectual history of the Midwest as well as to the historiography of the region.”—R. Douglas Hurt, professor of history at Purdue University and author of The Big Empty: The Great Plains in the Twentieth Century
"Together the essays offer multiple ways of defining, identifying, understanding, and grappling with the Midwest and its history. They pose crucial questions and suggest some important conversations for the field."—Annette Atkins, Missouri Historical Review
"Finding a New Midwestern History aims to invigorate the field of midwestern history, and its collection of essays succeeds at providing an expansive overview of potential areas of study."—Rachel Boyle, Nebraska History
"Collectively, the book's contributors illuminate the richness and complexity of the field, and they articulate why the Midwest deserves consideration anew in both scholarly research and the popular imagination."—Elizabeth Grennan Browning, Michigan Historical Review
"This new book reflects the laudable strengthening of Midwestern academic studies in recent years and is another important contribution to Midwestern studies by the University of Nebraska Press."—Omaha World-Herald
“The result isn’t comprehensive (even ten such volumes couldn’t claim to be), but the menu is richly varied. . . There is no single ‘Midwest,’ of course, but projects such as this . . . offer a much-needed alternative to disdain and cheerleading alike.”—John Wilson, First Things
 
"This engaging collection of essays examines midwestern history from a wide variety of perspectives, offering valuable insights into the region."—William C. Barnett, Annals of Iowa
 "This is a valuable contribution to a reenergized field of study. Students of midwestern history will need to be familiar with it, and the region’s academic and public libraries will want to add it to their collections."—Robert G. Barrows, Indiana Magazine of History
"Finding a New American History [is] a valiant effort . . . like the area it treats, it's unexpected, intensely satisfying, and full of riches."—Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review