Storm Lake by Art Cullen

I picked up STORM LAKE by Art Cullen in part because of its subtitle: “a chronicle of change, resilience, and hope from a heartland newspaper,” and I continued reading because Art Cullen is such a terrific storyteller.  After all, he won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for Editorial Writing about taking on corporate agribusiness for polluting the state's water and soil.  In STORM LAKE he describes his decision to join his brother in starting a local Iowa paper.  Almost immediately, I was picturing him trying to persuade his wife that this was a good career decision for their family of two young children. I also wanted to continue reading in order to learn more in response to questions like: What is happening “on the ground” in Iowa? How do you make a difference in your community? What impact does local journalism have and how does it relate to the “American Dream,” especially for immigrants trying to assimilate?

I started doing some quick research and found the statistics about the loss of local newspapers to be truly astounding.  Academics, national and international publications have been lamenting the change and noting the potential impacts on polarization, democracy, health care and investigative reporting.   

Here are just a few examples with links to additional studies and data:

Nov. 19, 2018: “Political polarization increases after local newspapers close” (Journalist’s Resource)

June 22, 2018: “Civic engagement declines when local newspapers shut down” (Journalist’s Resource)

June 5, 2018: “Fading local press raises fears for city democracy” (by subscription at Financial Times)

April 11, 2018: “The Crisis in Journalism has become a Crisis of Democracy” (Washington Post)

Plus, the University of North Carolina, in conjunction with The Knight Foundation, has compiled a comprehensive database and report on The Expanding News Desert which looks at newspaper closings since 2004 and who is filling the void.  

Interested? Plan to pick up STORM LAKE which will be on our shelves soon (or read a short excerpt here). This title should have appeal for faculty and students from a variety of areas and disciplines (Journalism and Senior Writing classes, Integrated Global Studies School, US History, American Studies, Civics and Junior Theme). Cullen’s STORM LAKE received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

The newly US-published The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by debut Swedish author Katarina Bivald is a gentle read focusing on Sara Lindqvist who has come to small town Iowa from Sweden to visit Amy Harris, her pen pal. Things don’t go quite as planned and, instead, Sara is “adopted” by the town (population 637) and a strong, mutual warmth and friendliness develops as the story progresses.

With numerous references to book titles, authors and literary characters, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend will be a favorite for bibliophiles.  Referring to her attempts to promote reading and books, Sara says, “If someone else takes them, then at least they’ll be appreciated. And if you love a book, you want to share it with others.”

I found the opening third of this novel to be rather slow even though it was important to take time to develop the characters of the town’s somewhat unconventional inhabitants. These include: Grace, a feisty, strong women who runs the diner and Caroline, with a strong practical streak who organizes the town activities, or Andy, who manages the local bar with his partner, Carl.   The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend more actively grabbed my interest once the scheming began about how Sara might be able to stay longer and hints of romance were introduced. That’s when one character mused: “let people laugh [at you]. It just means we are living more interesting lives than they are.” The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend will likely have strong appeal for book groups and includes a series of discussion questions.

Called touching, quaint, and charming in various professional reviews, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend received a starred review from Library Journal and was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month for January 2016.