Hermann's triumph in 9 A.D. near Detmold "directly connects German-American identity to ancestral homeland history," he writes in Chapter 2. The book brings together nearly 40 essays on German-American history. Few Americans are aware that Minnesota Germans built the second largest Hermann Memorial outside Germany. In 2000, the U.S. Congress designated it as a "national symbol of the contribution of Americans of German heritage."

The Steuben Monument in Washington, DC, is another reminder of the indelible impact German immigration has had on the growth and development of our country, the award-winning author writes, as he takes us from the arrival of the first Germans in the seventeenth century to the present. Topics cover the German heritage of places ranging from the Greater Cincinnati  area; Hermann, Missouri; to New Ulm, Minnesota where he was born. The 200-page volume also features essays on famous German-American iconoclast H.L. Mencken, John A. Roebling who built the Brooklyn Bridge, and John Kay of the band Steppenwolf.

According to Jerry Glenn's foreword, Tolzmann "has little competition for the title 'Mr. German-Americana'."  Some of the essays are rather general, others more narrowly focused. But most emphasize topics that have "broad popular appeal," and "a unifying thread in many of the pieces is a personal touch," writes Glenn, a Professor Emeritus, who taught German Languages and Literatures at the University of Cincinnati.

We learn about the arrival in America of some ten thousand refugees of the failed 1848/49 revolution and their contributions to America. An exciting chapter covers the story of Mary Schwandt who was kidnapped and later set free during the 1862 Sioux Uprising in Minnesota. In 1870, the author’s great-grandparents bought the Schwandt farm, making Mary Schwandt's story an integral part of his family’s history.

By studying eyewitness accounts of the uprising, Tolzmann has become sort of an expert on the subject. He edited the Reverend Alexander Berghold's 1891 book, The Indian Revenge or Days of Horror. A native of Austria, Berghold was the parish priest in New Ulm. Tolzmann translated and edited Rudolf Leonhart’s Memories of New Ulm: My Experiences during the Indian Uprising.

Tolzmann also put into English Jacob Nix's Eyewitness history of The Sioux Uprising in Minnesota, 1862. Nix belonged to the 1848ers mentioned above. He was appointed commandant of New Ulm when the uprising began. His book was published in German 25 years later. Thanks to Tolzmann's translation and introduction, non-German speakers now have access to an important eyewitness account of one of the bloodiest Indian wars in American history.

But because of the German that was spoken at the time, Tolzmann admits to the difficulties of the undertaking. His very readable new book is a welcome addition to a growing body of literature on German-American history at a time when more and more Americans become aware of their heritage.

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