The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia (review)

In many ways, encyclopedia construction is a thankless job. Involving tremendous coordination among many editors and hundreds of authors, the final product is often judged primarily according to how far it falls short of attaining the impossible goals of overall objectivity, "completeness," and perfect usefulness. Such hazards are only compounded when attempting to create an encyclopedia that focuses on a region that is itself the subject of contending interpretations and boundaries. This ambitious volume, the culmination of nearly ten years of effort by hundreds of scholars, meets these unrealistic expectations head-on by presenting a comprehensive and scholarly treatment of its subject while at the same time challenging the reader's expectations of what an encyclopedia should be.

To even attempt such a daunting task as this requires the marshaling of considerable talent, and the encyclopedia's general editors (Ohio State University political scientist Richard Sisson, Ohio State University, College of Humanities director Christian Zacher, and Miami University historian Andrew Cayton) headed what can only be called an all-star National Editorial Advisory Board. They recruit not only distinguished scholars and university presidents, but also such luminaries as former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove, former U.S. senator Paul Simon, and radio personality Garrison Keillor. Although weighted heavily toward the field of history, the book includes twenty-seven general and senior consulting editors as well as scholars from such diverse fields as geography, art, folklore, linguistics, literature, education, communication, religion, political science, and neurology. The interdisciplinary nature of its many editors and authors makes this encyclopedia noticeably different from most others, which tend to focus exclusively on history.

Perhaps the volume's biggest difference from these other works, though, is reflected in its subtitle: "An Interpretive Encyclopedia." Drawing inspiration from works such as The New Encyclopedia of the American West and Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, the editors note that their work "seeks to explore, interpret, and explain both the Midwest and [its] elusive sense of identity" (xv). As if to cement this goal in the reader's mind, the book begins with various authors' essays of each of the twelve midwestern states covered in the book (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio). These are subjective pieces, reflecting sometimes competing visions of the Midwest by authors who more often than not have no listed academic affiliation (Kurt Vonnegut's portrait of Indiana and the Midwest is particularly noteworthy).

The encyclopedia's interpretive approach might be a bit disconcerting for the casual user. Unlike the alphabetical organization that is standard for most reference works, this volume is organized thematically. Its major sections are "Landscapes and People," "Society and Culture," "Community and Social Life," "Economy and Technology," and "Public Life," with similarly thematic subsections (e.g., "Rural Life," "Small-Town Life," and "Urban and Suburban Life" comprising "Community and Social Life"). Even within subsections of the book, the thematic approach is evident, with articles generally arranged from the general to the specific, although the organization after this varies from section to section. For example, while some subsections have specific entries arranged alphabetically, others maintain the interpretive rubric to the end by listing them chronologically. The comprehensive and user-friendly index allows for alphabetical reference when needed.

Although some readers might balk at the unconventional structure, this arrangement makes the volume significantly more useful for the purposes of placing individual entries in a larger context. Whereas searching for, say, the "Ohio and Erie Canal" in a standard encyclopedia might yield a fine description of it and little more, finding it in "Ohio Canals" in the "Transportation" subsection of The American Midwest gives the reader the opportunity to explore and compare this information with neighboring related articles. Appearing next to "Ohio Canals" are entries on canal systems in other states, transportation along the Ohio River and other riverine systems, the Great Lakes, and midwestern surface routes. The thematic organization thus...