Recent content from Pamela Miller
Review: 'Unsheltered,' by Barbara Kingsolver
FICTION: Two families — one modern, one in the 1870s — watch their American dreams crumble.
Second death is linked to Minneapolis homeless encampment
Wade Redmond, 20, had "a family and a home," but was drawn to the camp.
Review: 'Heart Berries,' by Terese Marie Mailhot
NONFICTION: A strange and powerful memoir of abuse and mental illness.
One of 2 victims in Mpls. alley crash is identified
A 40-year-old Minneapolis man has been identified as one of two people killed in a violent two-vehicle crash in a north Minneapolis alley Friday evening.
Review: 'The Art of the Wasted Day,' by Patricia Hampl
NONFICTION: "The job of being human," writes Patricia Hampl, "is not figuring things out, but getting lost in thought."
Closure of popular University of Minnesota child care center postponed
Kaler says it will still close eventually, but that parents' protests have been heard.
REVIEW: 'Mrs. Osmond,' by John Banville
FICTION: Not only does author John Banville resurrect the original's characters, he flawlessly channels the great writer's ornate style.
Review: 'Sing, Unburied, Sing,' by Jesmyn Ward: Multiracial family's struggle is a powerful metaphor for America
FICTION: Cruel realities — and a few ghosts — haunt three generations in this sad, beautiful novel.
Hwy. 61 bridge's closure means 27-mile detour on North Shore
Northeastern Minnesota residents and Labor Day weekenders will encounter a major delay and detour along heavily traveled Hwy. 61 northeast of Duluth today — and perhaps longer.
REVIEW: 'My Absolute Darling,' by Gabriel Tallent
FICTION: Gabriel Tallent's debut novel is brilliant and terrifying, told in expansive, wild and bold prose.
REVIEW: 'No One Is Coming to Save Us' by Stephanie Powell Watts
REVIEW: A man who has made his fortune returns to his North Carolina hometown to chase an elusive dream of love. Sound familiar? It is, and isn't.
Delano takes on racism with public event tonight; Dayton, targeted family meet
The community is coming together to express support for a black family whose home was burglarized and vandalized with racist slurs.
Review: 'Flock Together: A Love Affair With Extinct Birds,' by B.J. Hollars
NONFICTION: A birder writes of his fascination with extinct species.
Review: 'A Warrior of the People,' by Joe Starita
NONFICTION: A layered, nuanced portrait of this country's first American Indian doctor.
Review: 'The Turtle's Beating Heart,' by Denise Low
NONFICTION: An American Indian grandfather's melancholy silence hid personal and broader stories.
REVIEW: 'Dog Years,' by Melissa Yancy
FICTION: In "Dog Years," defenses grow high against foreshortened lives and dreams.
Review: 'The Jungle Around Us,' by Anne Raeff
FICTION: This prizewinning collection features stories that are complex and tough.
Albert Hofstede, former mayor of Minneapolis, dies at 75
He served as the city's youngest mayor in the 1970s.
Lake Mille Lacs catch-and-release walleye season will end Sept. 6
Local Ojibwe bands had expressed displeasure with Dayton's decision earlier this month to allow the season to continue even though a quota had been surpassed.
Review: 'After the Parade,' by Lori Ostlund
FICTION: The secrets to almost everything about this intense novel's protagonist lie in his Minnesota origins.
St. Paul man charged in shooting death at house party
Brandon Alexander is accused of killing a 19-year-old man after a fight.
Review: 'Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube,' by Blair Braverman
NONFICTION: A young adventurer finds cold and deprivation easier to bear than misogyny.
Brooklyn Park priest on leave pending Pennsylvania investigation
The Rev. Bradley Baldwin of St. Gerard's questioned, but has not been charged.
Review: 'The Lonely City,' by Olivia Laing
NONFICTION: Olivia Laing's genre-bending "The Lonely City" explores the links between loneliness and art.
Book review: 'The Japanese Lover,' by Isabel Allende: Sweet, but insubstantial
FICTION: The sentimental story of a California woman's lifelong passion reads more like a soap opera than grand drama.
Suspect arrested in Brooklyn Park death investigation
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a suspicious death in Brooklyn Park, police said Friday. The 19-year-old woman taken into custody has not…
Review: 'The Lost Landscape'; Joyce Carol Oates memoir illuminates her work
NONFICTION: Prolific writer applies as sharp a pen and intellect to her own life as she does to those of her fictional characters.
Charges: Hired painter, cohort killed 90-year-old Carver County man
A tip from a citizen led to the arrests of the two men in the death of Earl Olander, found bound and beaten in his ransacked farmhouse.
Life sentence in slaying of Brooklyn Center man whose burned body was found near Mpls. dumpster
A 24-year-old Minneapolis man received an automatic life sentence Friday after a Hennepin County District Court jury found him guilty of killing a Brooklyn Center…
Review: 'Shame and the Captives,' by Thomas Keneally
FICTION: Australian novelist Keneally's work of historical fiction explores the bloody absurdity of fanaticism.
Review: 'Prudence,' by David Treuer
FICTION: David Treuer's melancholy novel is set in northern Minnesota.
Coon Rapids man dies in 3-car crash in Rice County
A 39-year-old Coon Rapids man died late Sunday in a three-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 35 in Rice County. Mach B. Kuel was killed in…
Review: 'Carthage,' by Joyce Carol Oates
FICTION: "Carthage" is about the damage individuals inflict on one another and the repercussions of war in a small American town.
REVIEW: 'Ripper,' by Isabel Allende
FICTION: "Ripper" features a cast of eccentrics, one of whom is a psychopath. Guessing who makes for creepy fun.
Obituary: Wendy Cammins, travel agent, generous spirit
Wendy Cammins, who shared her passion for seeing the far corners of the world with countless clients during a 42-year career as a travel…
Obituary: Ian Barbour, pioneer in integrating faith and science
Ian Barbour, a theologian and physicist who was an internationally revered pioneer in inspiring dialogue between scientists and people of faith, died Dec. 24 at…
Coon Rapids woman pleads guilty in drug death of ex-husband
Hennepin County District Judge Daniel Mabley also issued her a fine, ordered her to continue drug treatment and subjected her to random drug testing.
REVIEW: "Men We Reaped," by Jesmyn Ward
NONFICTION: Memories of an impoverished childhood in Mississippi are interspersed with eulogies for five young men who died long before their time.
'Pilgrim's Wilderness' a spellbinding story of wayward family
NONFICTION: At first, the rustic newcomer charmed his neighbors. But soon they sensed that something was off. And then things got chilling.
Second teen in Minnesota dies of flu in 10 days
Carly Christenson, a ninth-grader at St. Louis Park High School, had been hospitalized since Dec. 24. The virus has killed five people and hospitalized at least 600 in the state since October.
REVIEW: 'Maya's Notebook,' by Isabel Allende
A wayward American teenager regains her health and soul on a remote Chilean island.
3 Minnesotans find needles in sandwiches on Delta flights
Three Minnesotans aboard two Delta Air Lines flights from Amsterdam on Sunday bit into turkey sandwiches that contained inch-long needles, prompting an international investigation led by the FBI.
Obituary: Jorgen Viltoft, Danish resistance fighter who became prominent Minnesota businessman
Jorgen Viltoft, who as a teenager fought the Nazis with the Danish resistance and as an adult emigrated to America and became a successful…
Obituary: Robert T. Smith was an old-fashioned storyteller
During the 21 years Robert T. Smith wrote columns for the Minneapolis Tribune, the paper received many letters about him.
Obituary: Lawyer Paul Bergstrom driven by curiosity, caring
Paul Bergstrom, whose tenacity, compassion and broad curiosity about the world were partly shaped by a year as combat medic in Vietnam, died of complications from cancer and other ailments Friday at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis. The longtime St. Paul resident was 64.
Winter drops in to snarl Minnesota traffic, delight skiers, snowmobilers
Two deaths were attributed to storm, which led to hundreds of crashes and towed cars and quite a few happy outdoor enthusiasts.
Welcome back, winter! Minnesota clobbered by 16 inches of snow
The storm brought beauty, but also many accidents, including one fatal crash. Snow emergencies declared.
Obituary: 'Dotty' Burns loved the hunt for old treasure
Obituary: Dorothy "Dotty" Burns, 71, of Minneapolis.
FICTION: "Flight Behavior," by Barbara Kingsolver.
A Tennessee family struggles to comprehend a butterfly invasion that some see as a blessing, others as a warning and still others as a chance to make some money.
Obituary: R.K. Anderson was 'gentle giant' in animal medicine
R.K. Anderson's innovations and inventions made the world better for both animals and people, say those who knew him.
Man killed in hit-and-run was student at Augsburg
Minneapolis police are seeking public's help in finding driver and vehicle in incident early Saturday.
Like its namesake, "Butter" is rich and heavy
This finely wrought coming-of-age novel is set in a beautifully imagined Minnesota town in the 1970s.
Obituary: Lisa Breecher worked hard, always with a smile
Lisa Breecher, whose wide smile and fervent work ethic endeared her to shoppers at the Apple Valley Wal-Mart and the former Dayton's in Burnsville, died of abdominal cancer Oct. 19 at her group home in Rosemount. She was 52.
Obituary: Rev. James Habiger was a voice of wisdom and compassion
The Rev. James Habiger advocated on behalf of the poor and marginalized both as a priest and lobbyist.
NONFICTION: "Island of Bones," by Joy Castro.
Those who don't fit anywhere are freer to shape their own destinies, says a writer who has spent her life doing just that.
Obituary: Runner Kelly Lund loved life, even as it ebbed
Kelly Lund, who loved running so much that he finished the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon despite terminal brain cancer, died Oct. 4 at his Eden Prairie home. He was 54, and before his diagnosis two years ago had worked as chief anesthetist at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina.
Obituary: Chun-Jo Liu nurtured ties between China, U.S.
Chun-Jo "CJ" Liu, a longtime professor at the University of Minnesota who spent much of her life building bridges between China and the United States, died of congestive heart failure Sept. 24 at a Minneapolis care facility. She was 90, and had lived in Minneapolis for decades.
Intelligence and wit were Vera Schletzer's forte
Vera Schletzer was a professor and activist on behalf of women's rights well before the movement was widespread.
Obituary: St. Thomas loses Rev. James Lavin, mentor and booster
The Rev. James Lavin nurtured generations of students with peanut butter and prayer.
Army sergeant who attended college in Mankato killed in Afghanistan
The Indiana native had studied civil engineering before enlisting in 2008. He was based in Italy.
Richard Winkelmann was pioneer in skin research
With his ever-present microscope, he did pioneering research on skin diseases.
Obituary: Harry Drake's generosity to the arts bloomed over lifetime
Despite lifelong deafness, St. Paul native was highly social, and used his privilege and talents to benefit many people and institutions.
Obituary: Michael Baynes of St. Kate's challenged students
Michael Baynes, 55, was much loved on the university's Minneapolis campus.
Samuil Zabezhinsky: Music was valued thread in long life
Child prodigy Samuil Zabezhinsky survived World War II and turmoil in the Soviet Union to spend his final years in Minnesota.
Criminal profiler was tough as nails
An expert in criminal-behavior profiling, she was tough enough to deal with cops and criminals and compassionate enough to set young crime victims at ease, coworkers said.
Alphonse Bolden Sr.: 'Music was his love and his life'
As "One Man, One Band," Alphonse Bolden Sr. brightened the Minneapolis Farmers Market and other urban venues.
Obituary: Lawyer Melvin Mooty devoted life to firm, family
Melvin Mooty brought wisdom and class to the Minneapolis law office he helped build, Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett.
Obituary: John G. Ordway Jr.'s first love was St. Paul
He never lost his strong love for his hometown, St. Paul, and did much to improve its economic and cultural life.
Ron Burton was a businessman and a gentleman
The longtime Twin Cities businessman was friendly, hard-working and tenacious, family and friends said.
Relic from tomb of apostle St. Paul is coming to namesake cathedral
A stone from the Roman sarcophagus venerated as that of the early missionary will go on display May 20.
Lesser-known treasures of Vancouver Island
Beyond Victoria, our correspondent discovers the lesser-known treasures and remote wilderness of British Columbia's most celebrated island.
Obituary: Jennifer Engh was a passionate fighter for fairness
In a career characterized by rare skills and strong ethics, she helped shape tax and other policies in Minnesota and sought to improve the state's quality of life for all.
Patricia Anfinson dies: Newspaper columnist and Snickerdoodle Lady
Patricia Roth Anfinson, matriarch of a western Minnesota newspaper family and originator of the snickerdoodle cookie, died Wednesday at the Swift County-Benson Hospital in Benson, Minn. She was 89.
Obituary: Faith moved the Rev. Curtis Herron to social action
His social activism was fueled by his deep Christian faith, friends said.
MEMOIR: "My Mother is Now Earth," by Mark Anthony Rolo
Ojibwe writer Mark Rolo explores his gritty childhood with an unsparing but wise eye, and in doing so greatly honors his family, and readers.
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