Aaron Brown interview: Overburden

Submitted by The Big E on October 14, 2008 - 8:08pm.

I stumbled across Aaron Brown's blog, Minnesota Brown, late last year. As I'm always looking to build up mnblue and help out other bloggers, I struck up a conversation. Now y'all have been reading his insights here at mnblue and hopefully reading his blog as well on a regular basis, but did you know Aaron is also an author?

His book's release is today!

Aaron has written a book that is political, historical and bit autobiographical. For those of us who hear about "Da Range" and vaguely understand that it's importance in our political history, Aaron's book will clarify the history and importance of Minnesota's Iron Range. And clearly delineate where it actually is located. He'll also give you a clear idea of the struggles the region and its people face.

So please help out a fellow blogger, click on the picture and buy his book. I whole-heartedly recommend it.

Read on as I've created an e-interview based upon the email conversation we had about his book ...

Let's start with the obvious, why did you write this book?

Aaron: I wrote this book mostly as a way for my generation of Iron Rangers to begin seeing this unique region in northern Minnesota for what it really is and what it could really become. Anyone who grew up here in the 1980s was probably indoctrinated with the idea that the Iron Range was a place that you left to go somewhere bright, exciting and brimming with success. We watched mines close and our parents worry. Today, there is new opportunity, even more if you consider the possibilities of the Internet and our high quality of life and low cost of living. In truth, the idea that the cities are the only place to succeed is a myth. But like the iron ore under the ground, extracting opportunity and growth from rural Minnesota will require hard work, perseverance and time. The Iron Range knows those things well.

But more than just that, the book became very personal. I had intended for it to be a long format magazine style piece that highlighted the characters and stories of the area. I did some of that, but realized how tightly connected the area and its history have always been. From the time I started writing it (2005) to the time I finished (2008) we had three sons and it dawned on me that I was raising the sixth generation of my family on the Iron Range. We've been here since the very beginning of mining operations. So my family's story and my personal observations became part of the book. Before long, Overburden became a blend of personal, political and and historical essays that mix humor, commentary and a call to arms for a new generation of rural people to step up.

If nothing else, I've documented a deeply important time for the Iron Range and my family and achieved my dream of writing a book and finding a publisher. In my wildest dreams, I hope that Rangers, former Rangers and potential future Rangers read the book and decide to pursue an Iron Range dream of their own. But I think the message applies far beyond the Range, reaching into rural and Rust Belt places all over the country.

Why did you choose the title "Overburden" and what was your thinking behind it?

Aaron: Overburden is a technical term for the other earth that needs to be scraped up to mine a mineral. Overburden is piled up into mine dumps and those dumps are all over the Iron Range. My joke during the writing process was calling the book "Mind Dump," but we opted out of that one.

Most of the Range landscape in this neck of the woods is dominated by overburden piles. I picked that as the title for a few reasons. First, it's a cool word, fun to say. It works on two levels, first the technical mining term and second the sense of a heavy burden from our past. Like the South, the Iron Range's past is woven deeply into the fibers of our present and future.

The subtitle: "Modern Life on the Iron Range" is really the driving force of what I'm trying to do, demonstrate that we're still here and planning to stay.

What did you learn that surprised or shocked you about the Iron Range in the process of writing the book?

Aaron: I was surprised at how much the past really is woven into the fabric of today's culture. It would surprise anyone how much the Iron Range is part of our state, national and global economy. From wood to water to iron ore, we're really integrated with the whole world, and yet remain fiercely independent in our culture.

The surprise for me as a writer was how personal the book became in the end. It's hard to separate yourself from a story about a place where your family has been for so long.

Are there any opinions or biases that you had to rethink because of
where your research took you?

Aaron: Interesting question. I hadn't thought about that.

The line I walked for this book and really all the writing I do is to balance my need to be honest and clear about reality while honoring and protecting my people. To often, writing about the Range either slams the place or grants it excessive praise. I try to be fair. That's hard when your family is so interconnected with the area's history, as are the family's of my friends.

In particular, one essay "Times of War" involves an interview with a family in Hibbing who went through a very tough, personal ordeal during the Vietnam War. Their story was spellbinding and very political, but I struggled with the fact that I've known them a long time and really value my relationship with them. It put pressure on me that wouldn't exist for a outside reporter. At the same time, I had the blessing of being intimately aware of the attitudes and cultural factors they spoke about.

I also tried hard to avoid making this a political book. Politics enters the blog all the time, but I wanted the book to have more of a timeless appeal. So I approach politics with more of an analytical approach, focusing again on the past trends and what the future might bring.

Do any of you have any further questions? Aaron will be checking the comments and answering any questions you might have.

The Big E's blog
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Thanks!

Submitted by Minnesota Brown on October 14, 2008 - 8:23pm.

Thanks, Eric!

And yes, I am happy to answer questions about the book or the Iron Range in general. It's an interesting time in our history, one that will impact the future of the state as a whole.

where is book available in twin cities? when?

Submitted by Chickadee on October 14, 2008 - 11:22pm.

Hi guys,

I look forward to reading the book! My dad's whole side of the family lived on Da Range.

Is the book available now in the Twin Cities? where? if not yet, when?

(online sources say it's not out yet)

Kingfield Chickadee

Da Picture

Submitted by The Big E on October 15, 2008 - 8:11am.

Just click on the picture of the book ... that'll take you right to the B&N page for Overburden.

Eagan first, then the world

Submitted by Minnesota Brown on October 15, 2008 - 7:51am.

The book is available at Barnes and Noble's website now. We are working on Amazon and other online stores. The first store to get the book in the Twin Cities is probably going to be the Eagan Barnes and Noble. I thought they already had it, but I guess they were waiting for BN corporate to list the book online. Others will pick it up in dribbles and drabs. We are going to do a "Second Opening" in the Twin Cities around or just after Christmas once we've assessed the market up north. But online is the best bet if you want it now. Check out my blog at www.minnesotabrown.com for my events. I'll be happy to sign a book at any time when I'm in your neighborhood.