1978 publishing date WHAT was Hamlin Garland's Iowa boyhood like? What made Iowa farm boy James Hearst become a poet? How does Phil Stong, author of State Fair, remember his school days in Keosauqua? What were Richard Bissell's rewards for growing up along the Mississippi River in Dubuque? These noted Iowa writers, along with ten others, recall the memories of their childhood in GROWING UP IN IOWA. This collection of essays and selections from autobiographical books gives you a delightful picture of the special joys and tribulations of growing up in Iowa in the last 100 years. The writers grew up in all parts of the state and their experiences are typical of their times-on the farm, in small towns, and in cities. Many of the illustrations are from the personal collections of the writers. You'll read about a wolf hunt in Shelby County, a newsboy's Christmas in Cedar Rapids, life in a western Iowa Danish immigrant settlement, the great feud that rocked Moravia to its roots, and "River City" in the 1930s. These well-chosen words will give you a vivid picture of how creative folk (as distinguished from professional historians) view life in a rural state. Two of the authors whose selections appear in GROWING UP IN IOW A are Pulitzer Prize winners; two others have won major writing awards. In many ways their formative years in lowa shaped their writing patterns, and you'll understand why after you read their selections.

ISBN: 0813819407