Review of "Iowa Literacy Heritage Trail," prepared by the Iowa Center for the Book

Review of

Iowa Literacy Heritage Trail, prepared by the Iowa Center for the Book

Five out of five stars

 This book of short biographies of authors that spent significant time in Iowa is different, in that the photos are not of the authors, but of their primary residence when they were in the state. While some of the houses are distinct, many are typical of what you will see if you cruise through the older sections of the towns, both large and small.

 The biographies are interesting, there were some facts about the authors of well-known literary works that I was not aware of. For example, James Norman Hall, the author of “Mutiny on the Bounty,” grew up in Colfax, Iowa. David Morrell, the creator of “Rambo,” the action hero brought to the screen by Sylvester Stallone, was a professor of American literature at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.

 One does not automatically think of Iowa as a literary hotbed, but from this book you learn that it has been for some time.