The Indiana Way: A State History

by James H. Madison

Book Overview

"This is a splendid example of how to write well balanced, highly readable state history." --The Old Northwest

"Madison has succeeded as have few other authors of state histories in blending modern scholarly concerns with the traditional narrative historiography of his state. This book is in many ways a model state history." --Choice

"Neither too detailed and provincial, nor too broad and comparative, The Indiana Way adopts an integrated...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 025320609X
• ISBN13: 9780253206091
• Release Date: August 1990
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Good read

Those that are looking for a general overview of history, in the state of Indiana, will get what they are looking for. Well written and researched. I would have liked to have seen more individual accounts, but that is only a personal preference.

Great book for those of us not originally from Indiana

For those of you non-native Hoosiers (such as myself), this book will help explain why things are the way they are here in Indiana. Why don't we observe daylight savings time? It's "the Indiana way". Why are we more conservative than our fellow midwesterners? It's "the Indiana way".

Great State History Reference

As a local history buff, I was pleased to encounter this book at the bookstore. Professor Madison does a nice job outlining Indiana's history in a way that the average arm-chair historian can understand without any difficulty whatsoever. The first section is devoted to the land and the early people who inhabited the land. He does a great job getting the geographical history down in a concise manner. It's easy to ramble about the topic, but Madison does a nice job of being brief, but also impeccable with content. He covers all the bases. I particulary enjoy the social history, which talks about race-relations and also about people who helped form the State. Most major events in American History are taken from the Hoosier perspective as well. While reading, you can tell that Madison has a particular love for the State of Indiana. He writes about it in such a way that demonstrates his admiration for the early settlers, but also he looks at them from a realistic point of view. He does not write history from rose-colored glasses, and writes in a honest and refreshing sort of way. My only complaint would be that there needs to be more pictures. I do have to add that the photos included are obviously carefully selected, as they make silent statements in themselves. For example, the one of Klan members exiting a church in rural Knox, Indiana, or the one of a one-room delapitated school house in northern Clinton Co. He did a great job in selecting appropriate photos... I only wish there were more.