In his latest book, journalist Jay Weiner details the extraordinary life of Professor Hy Berman. Written as an autobiography co-authored by Weiner, Professor Berman: The Last Lecture of Minnesota’s Greatest Public Historian (University of Minnesota Press, 2019) captures the eloquent, profound, and often humorous voice of one of Minnesota’s most influential citizens. Professor Berman, who passed away in 2015, puts his remarkable life experience on display from his humble beginnings as the son of Jewish immigrants in New York, to his important work alongside Hubert Humphrey and two-time Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich. Filled with funny anecdotes and thoughtful wisdom about how and why we study history, this book truly represents “the last lecture of Minnesota’s greatest public historian.”

Jay Weiner spent most his career as a Twin Cities-based journalist, first at the Star Tribune and later at MinnPost, covering sports business issues, the Olympics and, eventually, Minnesota politics. He went on to become the speechwriter for former University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler and now works as the Communications Manager for the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. He is the author of Stadium Games: Fifty Years of Big League Greed and Bush League Boondoggles, and This is Not Florida: How Al Franken Won the Minnesota Senate Recount, which was nominated for a 2011 Minnesota Book Award.

Colin Mustful is the author of four historical novels about Minnesota’s settlement and Native history. He holds an MA in history and an MFA in creative writing. He is the founder and editor of a small independent press called History Through Fiction. You can learn more about Colin and his work at colinmustful.com.

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