Minstrel

the long version

When he was the first journalist in the country to call the 1960 presidential race in favor of John F. Kennedy, Jim Klobuchar was a scrappy kid from Minnesota's Iron Range. Minstrel is his memoir, the stunning story of politics, sports, the newsroom, and ordinary people he calls "heroes." Klobuchar sees himself as a minstrel, a journalist-adventurer and teller of stories a witness to his world. The main requirement in that role, he says, is "good peripheral vision and skill at escape.". Minstrel describes Klobuchar's upbringing in the ethnic broth of the Iron Range and his start in daily journalism in Bismarck, North Dakota. He explores the personalities he met in politics, athletics, the outdoors, and across Minnesota - from Dear Abby to Fran Tarkenton to Minnesota Fats. Klobuchar recalls the rough-and-tumble first seasons of the Minnesota Vikings and the quirky political world of former Governor Rudy Perpich. Recounting the details of election nights and lockerroom fights, Klobuchar writes in the style that won him a loyal audience in thirty years as a columnist.