A once-in-a-lifetime book. -St. Paul Pioneer Press

For six months, residents of St. Paul gathered at a dozen public libraries and shared their memories, anecdotes, and histories with four outstanding Minnesota writers. The result of this nationally unique collaborative project is a beautifully realized book that weaves the (mostly) true stories into (mostly) fictional ones, spans the century, and captures the spirit of a city and its people. The 12 chapters, grown from the stories told at the 12 branch libraries, are as diverse in style and content as the community from which they sprang-from war to friendship and fire to fertility, these stories are tied together by the urban landscape itself.