Each day leading up to the 30th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony, we’ll be featuring an exclusive interview with one of our 36 finalists. Learn more about these incredible local writers and gear up to see the winners announced live in person April 21.
Interview with Elaine Tyler May, author of
Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned Democracy
Category: General Nonfiction, sponsored by College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University
I am thrilled to be a finalist for the MN Book Awards. It is an honor to be in such good company of outstanding authors whose work I admire, and who inspire me. I have always hoped to reach readers beyond an academic audience, and I feel so gratified to be included in this group of authors who are read by readers of all ages and backgrounds. It is a real privilege!
What does writing mean to you?
Writing is communication. It is a way of making connections with people, and sharing ideas and findings. As a historian, I see my writing as detective work and storytelling. There is a question – who dunnit? And how? Historians dig around to find the answers to questions that intrigue them, and then write stories about what they discovered. It is a way of understanding our world by looking to our past to help explain the present.
Why are stories important for our communities?
We learn about ourselves from our stories. We also learn about people who are part of our communities who have had different experiences. And if we look to history we learn about people who lived far away and long ago. This broader perspective helps broaden our vision, helps increase our understanding, and helps us recognize the humanity in all of us. Stories build empathy and help us see ourselves as citizens of a large, connected world.
Tell us something people might not know about you.
I grew up in Los Angeles, so Minnesota winters are challenging for me. But I have lived in Minnesota for 40 years now, so I feel like a Minnesotan. My husband, historian Lary May, also taught at the University in American Studies and History. We have three children and two grandchildren. I love living in Minnesota – except when it’s really cold!
What do you love about libraries?
Libraries are historians’ paradise! The world of the past and present are alive in the books and archives housed in libraries. We could not do our work without libraries. What I love most about libraries is browsing. I love wandering in the stacks and finding things on the shelf that spark my curiosity. Like all historians, I am fascinated by primary source materials of all kinds – old books and magazines, and a wide variety of documents. Libraries hold the answers to the questions we ask about our past.
More about Elaine Tyler May:
Elaine Tyler May is Regents Professor of American Studies and History, and Chair of the Department of History, at the University of Minnesota. She is past president of the Organization of American Historians, and the American Studies Association. She is the author of six books including America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation (2010); and Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era (4th edition 2017). She has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune, among others. She is a recent recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guggenheim Foundation.
See the winners announced live at the 30th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony!
