Minnesota in the Late 20th Century to the Present
Clifford E. Clark, ed., Minnesota in a Century of Change: The State and Its People Since 1900 (1986) -- compilation of articles by noted scholars on the state in the 20th century with much detail on the last 30 years of Minnesota's economic, political and social changes.
Charles L. Garretson, Hubert H. Humphrey: The Politics of Joy (1993) -- this study focuses on Humphrey's congressional career, his influence on legislation, and how the federal-state relationship was altered in the 20th century.
Steven Gillon, The Democrats Dilemma: Walter Mondale and the Liberal Legacy (1992) -- analysis of the decline of the liberal "big government" tradition in the last decades of the century with focus on one of the most prominent Minnesota leaders of that tradition.
Tom Hauser, Inside the Ropes With Jesse Ventura (2002) -- an interesting look at Governor Ventura's term in office, written by a Twin Cities political repoter. The book is made up of near-equal measures of serious political analysis and juicy tidbits about Ventura and his followers.
Larry Millett, Lost Twin Cities (1992) -- a richly illustrated account of the architectural history of the Twin cities, noting significant structures that have been destroyed and on-going efforts to save buildings that are still standing.
Schier, Mary Lahr, Take Your Victories As They Come: The Carlson Years in Minnesota Politics (1998) -- a decent summary of Carlson's years as governor in the 1990s, of Minnesota, written by a writer had and inside perspective of the administration.
Rod Searle, Minnesota Standoff: The Politics of Deadlock (1990) -- incisive look at the 1978-80 Minnesota legislature when the House of Representatives was equally divided by the two major parties, written by one of its members.
Ashley Shelby, Red River Rising (2003) -- published by the Minnesota Historical Society, this account of the devastating 1997 flood of the Red River covers events both in Minnesota and North Dakota. While it focuses primarily on Grand Forks in North Dakota, it contains useful information on how the governments of both states reacted to the flooding.
Barbara Stuhler, No Regrets: Minnesota Women and the Joan Growe Senatorial Campaign (1986) -- account of Joan Growe's campaign for the U. S. Senate in 1984 and what the campaign revealed about the cost and demands of modern political campaigns.
Jesse Ventura, I Ain't Got Time to Bleed: Rebuilding the Body Politic From the Bottom Up (1999) -- autobiography of Minnesota's late 1990s governor, this book is less useful for understanding the reform political movement than for glimpses of the thoughts of this professional wrestler turned politician.