Remembrance in Stone: Recommended Reading

The pages devoted to individual monuments provide references pertaining to them. Here, too, are a few more general works that help us reflect on the historical monuments of our region.

Gjerde, Jon. The Minds of the West: Ethnocultural Evolution in the Rural Middle West, 1830-1917. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. Many of our regional monuments are expressions of ethnic identity. Gjerde's book is the one best treatment of the evolution of ethnic identity in the region.

Glassberg, David. Sense of History: The Place of the Past in American Life. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2001. A perceptive and accessible work making the point that the public has the capacity to take the initiative in historical memory and interpretation. In addition, Glassberg's recognition of the importance of place enlightens our understanding of monuments.

Kammen, Michael G. Mystic Chords of Memory: The Transformation of Tradition in American Culture. New York: Knopf, 1991. Kammen's book is regarded as a foundational work in the recognition of collective memory as a force in American history.

Savage, Kirk. "History, Memory, and Monuments: An Overview of the Scholarly Literature on Commemoration," National Park Service, http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/resedu/savage.htm. This commissioned piece is a wonderful introduction to the subjects of remembrance and memory; it cites much of the more extensive literature.

Savage, Kirk. Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves: Race, War, and Monuments in Nineteenth-Century America. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997. One of the outstanding works treating how monuments carry both makers' intentions and unintended meanings.

Thomas, Christopher. The Lincoln Memorial and American Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002. Ambiguity and evolution are hallmarks of the meaning attributed to this great American monument.

Remembrance in Stone / Center for Heritage Renewal