Madison:: History of a Model City

by Erika Janik

Beginning with the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier and the story of early Native American peoples, Janik narrates the journey of Wisconsin's capital city from the center of the wilderness"? to the "Laboratory of Democracy."? Learn how Madison's citizens responded to the Civil War, industrialization and two world wars, as well as how advances in the rights of workers, women, Native Americans and African Americans made Madison the multifaceted city it is today. Comprehensive, accessible and swift, Madison: History of a Model City offers a fresh take on how Madison and its people came into being."

Genres: History

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2010

About the author

Erika Janik is a freelance writer and a radio producer at Wisconsin Public Radio. She is the author of Apple: A Global History, Madison: A History of a Model City, A Short History of Wisconsin, and Odd Wisconsin: Amusing, Perplexing and Unlikely Stories from Wisconsin’s Past.

Interested in nearly everything, Erika writes on local food and drink, Wisconsin history, medical history, and green living, among other things. Her work has appeared on Smithsonian.com, Mental Floss, Midwest Living, Isthmus, the Wisconsin Magazine of History, the Wisconsin State Journal, The Onion, MyMidwest, Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, and in the book Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin Press, 2007). Her essays have also been featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life.”

Originally from Redmond, Washington, Erika now knows more about Wisconsin history than she ever thought possible. She has a BA in history from Linfield College (2002), an MA in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004), and an MA in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006).

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short book, just over 150 pages, but is a great overview history of Madison. I’m sure there are books that go into more detail on specific subjects, but this is a great quick read for anyone who lives in Madison to get a better understanding of their city, and figure out what specific items they may want to delve further into.

If you live in Madison, or have ties to it, it is a must read!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick cursory overview of the history of Madison. Wish it went in more detail on certain things but overall it was good.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice, concise history of Madison. Unlike Mollenhoff's more detailed and better illustrated book, I was actually able to make it all the way through this one. You don't get to know the main players in Madison's history very well or much of a sense of the historical landmarks, but you get a decent sense of the big picture forces at work in shaping the town.

[T.Kay Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like Madison, and I really like reading about the place I'm living. Local history is something I would love to get into more. This book is a little too poorly/uncompellingly written for me to really get into it. But, at the same time, your writing about a town, how exciting can it be?

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more detail, in particular in how more neighborhoods developed as the city grew. After the early years, the history gets more generic about the history of the city in the context of national events (wars, etc.)....a lot of stuff I already knew about.

[Gail Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

For most of the places I have lived, I have searched to read of it's history. I don't know why I was inclined to now but ... I'm glad I live here. The author presented the city of Madison both individually and as a contributing part of the state, the country and the world.