Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me

In a new essay collection, Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me, author Dean Robbins offers a unique perspective on the prominent figures—past and present—who have left an indelible mark on the Badger State and beyond.

Drawing on his career as an award-winning journalist and arts critic, Robbins delves into the intriguing true tales of legends and trailblazers with special and sometimes surprising connections.to Wisconsin. Subjects range from state icons such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Chris Farley, Butch Vig, and Orson Welles to world-renowned visitors like the Beatles, Jackie Robinson, Abraham Lincoln, and Joni Mitchell. The book also introduces readers to lesser- known heroes, including pioneering drummer Viola Smith, photographer Pedro Guerrero, suffragist Ada James, and storyteller Mountain Wolf Woman.

Filled with revelatory anecdotes, humorous details, and poignant storytelling, and enhanced by dozens of photographs, Wisconsin Idols brings these reverential stories of musicians, activists, artists, athletes, actors, and great thinkers to life for readers and irrefutably establishes Wisconsin as a crossroads for extraordinary people who changed the world.

Dean Robbins is a journalist, arts critic, and children’s author. He has contributed to USA Today, The New York Daily News, The Village Voice, Space.com, the Grammys magazine, Wisconsin Public Radio, and dozens of other media outlets, along with serving as editor of Isthmus newspaper and On Wisconsin magazine. His nonfiction children’s books—including The Faster Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith! and Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing—have been praised in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal; chosen for best-of-the-year honors by the American Library Association, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and others; adapted for audiobooks and film; and featured in a Smithsonian exhibition. Dean has won both national and state awards for news writing, feature writing, arts writing, and children’s books.

Livestream: Dean Robbins in Conversation with Doug Moe