February Is "I Love to Read Month!" ...So Buy And Read Dean Urdahl's Book!
by Pam Steinle
In honor of "I Love to Read Month," PIM staff reviewed Rep. Dean Urdahl's (R-Grove City) book, Uprising. Urdahl weaves a tale of historic relevance and torrid romance... well, perhaps not the torrid romance part.
"The romance is very mild," Urdahl said, referring to the conservative, yet suggestive ending to chapter 24 (We, along with Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis), are curious about what happens after the lights go out).
His explanation? "I'm Norwegian."
True to his Norwegian heritage, Urdahl's writing style is honest and practical with little fluff. The storyline is steeped in historical fact with minimal literary license, so much so that one could use the book as a teaching tool in the classroom. Despite the G-rated love scenes, the demand for Urdahl's novel continues to exceed expectations. The publisher quickly ran off 200 books after the initial 1200 ran out just before Christmas, and Urdahl expects a third order will soon be necessary.
Set in Minnesota in 1862, Urdahl weaves the story of undercover Confederate soldier Nathan Thomas and his role in the U.S.-Dakota Conflict. Thomas travels to Minnesota with instructions to encourage a Dakota Uprising to divert Union resources from the Civil War. Although the possibility of Confederate involvement in the conflict is mentioned in historical documents, the novel's main premise is mostly a product of Urdahl's imagination. However, the setting in which Thomas' story is played out is factual, complete with the historical characters of Dakota Chief Little Crow and U.S. Col. Henry Hastings Sibley.
One of the book's literary highlights is Urdahl's depiction of the violent incident that began the Dakota conflict. He expertly creates a scene that pulls the reader through the horrific murder of five settlers, but balances despair with contrasting stories of survivors who persevered through tremendous odds.
What happened in Minnesota was big, Urdahl said. But because it happened during the Civil War, little attention has been paid to the state's role during the decades of Dakota conflict.
"Fort Ridgely is largely forgotten or ignored by history," Urdahl said. "My goal is to bring it to the forefront."
The author has strong personal connections to the novel. Urdahl grew up hearing his mother tell stories about his great-great-grandfather, who helped build the stockade in Forest City during the conflict. The country church he attended as a youth had a monument erected to the first five people killed. And for years, Urdahl was an American History teacher, requiring him to research U.S.-Dakota conflict material for his classes. Urdahl explained that it took 30 years, or 6 months, to write this book, depending on how you look at it.
Urdahl is about 80 pages into Uprising's sequel, although he said writing might be put on hold until the end of session. No, the sequel won't continue the lives of Nathan and Emily; instead, Urdahl has chosen to delve deeper into the last few chapters of Uprising. The book will be from the captives' point of view, dealing more intimately with the Mankato trials and executions, and subsequent events such as Sibley's campaign into the Dakotas.
In addition to great book sales and demand for a sequel, Urdahl has been consulting with the Minnesota Film Board about a possible movie of Uprising. When asked how he feels about the success of his novel, Urdahl said he was "happy." When PIM teased him about his lack of excitement, he quipped back:
"I'm Norwegian. This is as excited as I get."
For those who would like to obtain a copy, check it out at Barnes and Noble, Amazon or email udurdahls@hotmail.com.
[Publisher's Note: I concur with PIM staff. Urdahl's book is a great read, particularly if you like the historical fiction genre. No self-respecting Minnesota historian can miss it. As far as sex scenes go, Urdahl might want consult with Minnesota Public Radio's Kerri Miller. In her novel, Dead Air, about an intrepid broadcast journalist, Miller delivers only a half-page sex scene, but if memory serves, it wasn't of the Norwegian variety. It was steamy.]
In honor of "I Love to Read Month," PIM staff reviewed Rep. Dean Urdahl's (R-Grove City) book, Uprising. Urdahl weaves a tale of historic relevance and torrid romance... well, perhaps not the torrid romance part.
"The romance is very mild," Urdahl said, referring to the conservative, yet suggestive ending to chapter 24 (We, along with Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis), are curious about what happens after the lights go out).
His explanation? "I'm Norwegian."
True to his Norwegian heritage, Urdahl's writing style is honest and practical with little fluff. The storyline is steeped in historical fact with minimal literary license, so much so that one could use the book as a teaching tool in the classroom. Despite the G-rated love scenes, the demand for Urdahl's novel continues to exceed expectations. The publisher quickly ran off 200 books after the initial 1200 ran out just before Christmas, and Urdahl expects a third order will soon be necessary.
Set in Minnesota in 1862, Urdahl weaves the story of undercover Confederate soldier Nathan Thomas and his role in the U.S.-Dakota Conflict. Thomas travels to Minnesota with instructions to encourage a Dakota Uprising to divert Union resources from the Civil War. Although the possibility of Confederate involvement in the conflict is mentioned in historical documents, the novel's main premise is mostly a product of Urdahl's imagination. However, the setting in which Thomas' story is played out is factual, complete with the historical characters of Dakota Chief Little Crow and U.S. Col. Henry Hastings Sibley.
One of the book's literary highlights is Urdahl's depiction of the violent incident that began the Dakota conflict. He expertly creates a scene that pulls the reader through the horrific murder of five settlers, but balances despair with contrasting stories of survivors who persevered through tremendous odds.
What happened in Minnesota was big, Urdahl said. But because it happened during the Civil War, little attention has been paid to the state's role during the decades of Dakota conflict.
"Fort Ridgely is largely forgotten or ignored by history," Urdahl said. "My goal is to bring it to the forefront."
The author has strong personal connections to the novel. Urdahl grew up hearing his mother tell stories about his great-great-grandfather, who helped build the stockade in Forest City during the conflict. The country church he attended as a youth had a monument erected to the first five people killed. And for years, Urdahl was an American History teacher, requiring him to research U.S.-Dakota conflict material for his classes. Urdahl explained that it took 30 years, or 6 months, to write this book, depending on how you look at it.
Urdahl is about 80 pages into Uprising's sequel, although he said writing might be put on hold until the end of session. No, the sequel won't continue the lives of Nathan and Emily; instead, Urdahl has chosen to delve deeper into the last few chapters of Uprising. The book will be from the captives' point of view, dealing more intimately with the Mankato trials and executions, and subsequent events such as Sibley's campaign into the Dakotas.
In addition to great book sales and demand for a sequel, Urdahl has been consulting with the Minnesota Film Board about a possible movie of Uprising. When asked how he feels about the success of his novel, Urdahl said he was "happy." When PIM teased him about his lack of excitement, he quipped back:
"I'm Norwegian. This is as excited as I get."
For those who would like to obtain a copy, check it out at Barnes and Noble, Amazon or email udurdahls@hotmail.com.
[Publisher's Note: I concur with PIM staff. Urdahl's book is a great read, particularly if you like the historical fiction genre. No self-respecting Minnesota historian can miss it. As far as sex scenes go, Urdahl might want consult with Minnesota Public Radio's Kerri Miller. In her novel, Dead Air, about an intrepid broadcast journalist, Miller delivers only a half-page sex scene, but if memory serves, it wasn't of the Norwegian variety. It was steamy.]
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