Iowa Books

I normally browse and skip sections in books like this but found myself reading word for word. Wonderful photographs, history of the girl's game of basketball and how it evolved. I learned how unique girl's playing the sport really was. I learned Iowa 6 on 6 was covered heavily by media all over the USA. I am wondering if something special was allowed to die with the advent of 5 on 5 girl's basketball. I found that many 6 on 6 players were quite successful playing 5 on 5 college ball. Lot's more to think about the directions we are sometimes led in the name of progress.

This was such an entertaining book, especially for those of us that grew up in Iowa, and fell in love with the game the way it's played there. It brings back memories and conjures up images of many nights spent admiring those high school heroes and hoping to someday join their ranks.

Upon finishing this magnificent book, do I laugh or do I cry? Girls' high school basketball and teaching young girls to play basketball is my life. But what relevance does this book have? This is the history of girls' basketball in a state far away from mine. There are no diagrammed plays or secrets to success. Is it worth the hardcover price? To that question I answer an emphatic " yes! " There are a number of men and women in North America, who like myself, have dedicated themselves to girls' high school basketball. We can give you a dozen reasons why we love girls' basketball and why we have dedicated our lives to it. We can give you another dozen reasons why basketball is so important to the lives of our young female athletes. But still, when all has been said, words cannot adequately capture what the experience means to all those involved. Within the 200 pages of text, this book explains an American phenomenon that has its roots in Iowa and has proceeded to touch the lives of millions of girls, coaches and communities. That is why in reading six-on-six, I sometimes laughed and sometimes was swept up in emotion. This book is a comprehensive history of girls' basketball in the state of Iowa. The research is careful, thorough and disciplined. But in addition to covering the history of girls' basketball in Iowa, the book represents one of the best documentations of the history of basketball ever printed. The photos and interviews take you into the lives of the players -- how they played the game, how they overcame the obstacles of the early years in terms of facilities, equipment and transportation and most importantly, what basketball did for them personally....how they felt about the emerging game of basketball. It also covers how the game changed and why the changes were made. Iowa is unique in girls' basketball. It is the only state that since the 1920s, has continuously sanctioned interscholastic play and it does so with an independent sanctioning body that is separate from the boys. Those of us who live in the big metropolitan areas tend to think of Iowans as down-home conservative people who live a stable uncomplicated life. While their may or may not be some truth to the latter, what is perfectly clear is that Iowa is the most progressive state in the union when it comes to girls' athletics. They implemented Title IX fifty years before it became the law of the land. They appreciate, support, praise and celebrate their high school female athletes. In Iowa, the Iowa girl is queen. How did this develop? Why in Iowa? All of this is explained. But the best part of the book are the interviews that give you a glimpse into the lives of the girls, coaches, superintendents and sport writers that made all this possible.... men and women that had great vision and understood why basketball and sports is so important to the lives of teenage girls. As mentioned, the book is not about strategy or tips but through interviews, I learned some things that have helped me in my coaching. These have to do with the psychology of girls and why certain aspects of the game and experience are so important to girls. And why as a coach, I must respect the girls' wishes. If girls' basketball means a lot to you, read this book. You will be inspired by one of the great success stories of the 20th century.

This is the definitive book of facts about Laura's time in Burr Oak, Iowa. This book tells about how the Ingalls family came to Burr Oak, what their time in Burr Oak was like, as well as providing an account of the restoration of the Master's hotel and information on other Ingalls ties to Iowa. If you want the complete account of Laura's time in Burr Oak, this is the book to read. This is an easily read book, althoigh it is more a collection of facts than entertaining. Old town in the green groves is the story version of Laura's time in Burr Oak. Laura lived in Burr Oak as a nine year old for a year, from the autumn of 1876 to the autumn of 1877. Although Burr Oak was a short period in Laura's life it was an important and interesting one. Laura never wrote about Burr Oak in her Little House books, because of four reasons. The most important of these is that it was not the happiest time for her and her family. Yet the adult Laura still had some fond memories of her time in Burr Oak:''I have thoughts of Burr Oak as a lovely place''. Laura's baby brother ,Charles Frederick Ingalls (Freddie), had just died before they arrived in Burr Oak, at the age of only nine months,and the Ingalls where coming from Walnut Grove, where the grasshopers had destroyed their crops. Thus, their time in Burr Oak was not off to an auspicious beginning. Nor did it get any better: by the time they left in the autumn of 1877 they had moved three times within the town of Burr Oak. One thing they did gain in Burr Oak-Laura's youngest sister Grace Pearl Ingalls was born there on May 23, 1877. Of all the Laura sites today,Burr Oak is probably the one that has changed the least.It is still possible to feel the atomsphere of the town as Laura felt it. Laura's time in Burr Oak was both happy and sad, and although she never wrote of it in her books, the time she spent there was always memorable to her. This book is the best source of facts on Laura's ''lost years''. If you are interested in Laura's time in Burr Oak, this is the place to start. Of course the best thing to do is to actually visit Burr Oak. It is as well worth visting as this book is worth reading. I am Laura's eighth cousin and I was a tour guide in Burr Oak two summers.

This small book describes the year that Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in Iowa and other ties that she had to Iowa. The year in
Iowa was not included in the books that Laura wrote. We find out that that year was not a happy year, particularly when they were actually "backtracking" east, when they are trying to move on west. We find out more about that year, Mary Ingalls'
time in Vinton, Iowa, and about other friends from Iowa.

The facts presented in this book was very interesting. I am from Iowa and lived in the town where Mary Ingalls went to
school (my grandparents lived right up the road from that school).

If you want to know more about Laura Ingalls wilder, this and The story of the Ingalls are the books to read. William anderson does a great job of giving more details that werent in the books.

Michael Meyerhofer's poems encompass what I most love in poetry: fresh language, unexpected images that have me nodding, "oh, yes!" and the feeling after I've read one that I've been enriched mentally and human-spiritually. This is a fine book, one that I've bought extra copies of, just to pass around to other writing friends.

This collection is an amazing excerpt of life for the ever-exiled middle/lower class. Every moment of this book rings real, but with that, comes beauty. I bought this book on a whim and I couldn't be happier. Beautiful lyric, bold narrative, stunning, accessible content. Put this next to the Bible (or remote control) on your nightstand! You won't be disappointed!

Michael Meyerhofer possesses an amazing command of language and a lovely subtle style that both shocks and lulls. His imagery is delicate and touching, gritty and realistic; each layer is a feast for the mind and makes you reconsider the life of the poor and the necessity of education. Whether that education comes from discovery or from a book.

This collection of poems is an absolute necessity for the post-post-modernist and anyone who feels that poetry needn't be pretentious and can relate truth, even if it isn't our own.

While this book focuses quite openly on the unexpected death of Klaus's wife, there is a voice in here for all grief. As my parents went through an unexpected divorce, I thought often of Klaus's words. They provided much solace, and I asked my parents to read the book, as well.

This is a must-read (both for its content and surface-level beauty) for anyone grieving something/someone, and anyone fascinated by how we become well again after loss.

Similarly to the gentleman from Green Mountain, IA I also just heard the WSUI airing of the 03/28/2006 show with the reading by author Carl Klaus of this book 'Letters to Kate'. I also wept while listening.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Klaus and his late wife Kate in May 2002 and they were very personable and hospitable. I will always remember their kindness.
Mr. Klaus is a skilled writer to say the least....and I certainly will read this entire book of letters.

I was lucky enough to hear Mr. Klaus read this story on a National Public Radio broadcast. This story follows the life of a man, who has recently lost his wife. The story is told through a series of personal and heartfelt letters to her. In the letters, the main character covers many topics, including his dreams about Kate, the pain he feels when he sees the items she left behind, and the anger he feels when he sees an old lady in the supermarket buying a bottle of booze, while he lost his kind and loving wife. Above all else, this is the story of a man trying to cope with his loss. Needless to say, by the time I pulled in the drive way, I was crying my eyes out.

I would recommend this book to anyone!!

George Kizer is truly a remarkable gentleman. I recently attended a Microwave 101 class put on by Mr. Kizer and found that he is not only very intelligent but also a down home individual. He presents the information in his book very well. It starts off with alot of calculus and equations but then gets right to the meat of the matter. This is definately a book for your informational library.

Although this book is a bit dated, it has a lot of useful reference information. The discussion about line-of-sight (LOS) propagation is practical for both analog and digital microwave radio systems. The list of references is extensive. Whether you are working in fixed wireless or interconnecting to it, it is a useful book for your library.

George Kizer discusses analog microwave radio in detail. The review of line-of-sight (LOS) basics is very good in relating theory to practical applications for modern digital microwave systems

Homemaking shows provided valuable information for those who lived on isolated farms, newsy gossip, and some scrumptious recipes. (Just look on eBay sometime and see how much the Kitchen Klatter cookbooks go for these days.) An extension of the broadcasts were the magazines published by these on-air homemakers, which arrived monthly at many a rural route mail box. I have an extensive collection of Kitchen Klatter and Jessie's Homemaker magazines (today a box of JH arrived with all the issues from 1949 - 1980) and can attest to the wonderful writing contained within these pages. These homemakers cared about their audience. They were a Dear Abby, a Heloise's household hints, a financial advisor, a party and club meeting planner (parties and clubs were extrememly important in those days before TV and email, and thrived as social outlets) and spiritual encouragement (churchgoing was no less valued.) Reading this book about these admirable ladies you will learn what a grueling schedule they endured, sometimes running a radio show out of their kitchen as their own family life went on about them, printing their magazines on presses run from their garage. These were ladies like their audience. They knew about hard work and hard times, and making do. And in between they shared news about their children, their vacations, their pets, what they made for supper the night before, and their current craft projects. Wonderful reading, written by an old KMA on air hostess herself. Worth preserving for posterity.

I sent for this unusual and interesting book after hearing its interesting and kind author in a radio interview. Not being a midwesterner I had never heard of Iowa station KMA or its "radio homemakers." The author informs us early on that the station "relied on talented and creative women" from the outset, in 1925. These Iowa women were radio journalists, home economists, and radio personalities - all in one. There were call-in shows. Their communities depended on them for weekly entertainment, information, humor, and continuity. These women and their shows, which had great longevity, were loved by their listeners, who considered them a part of their lives.

This book assembles recipes and life stories with equal ease. The careful stories are of the various women who had shows on the radio, the topics they explored on-air (mostly homey ones of interest to Iowa farm wives), and their effect on their listening community.

The photographs are poignant and wonderful. The recipes are mostly high-fat, high-calorie dishes that should probably be eaten in moderation. They are perfect for any one who longs for typical old-fashioned midwestern American food: meat and more meat, potatoes, hearty casseroles, vegetables cooked in old-fashioned ways, cheese balls and dips, cakes, pies, cookies, and candy. Some did not sound like anything one might like to try - "Chipped Dried Beef Deluxe," "Six-layer Washday Dinner" and (to this reader) improbable party foods such as "Crockpot Chili Dip." Some are downright disturbing to read, such as "Chipped Beef Chicken," which combines creamed cheese, chicken, bacon, and beef. Heart attack!

The main thing, though, is the size and the goodness of the personalities profiled here, along with the picture of a mostly vanished world. It's really not about replicating the food. A very worthwhile read about a group of interesting and truly nice people.

This was one of those 'recommended' books popping up under a cookbook I was ordering. I follow these threads because I've made some delightful finds that way. I'd never have known this book existed, had it not shown up under another book. I consider this the closest thing I can do to browsing in a 'real' store. Thank you, Amazon!

I occasionally come across a book covering something about which I know nothing. Other than hearing of Mary Margaret McBride's show during the Depression, I knew nothing of these local radio pioneers, sending news, advice and recipes to small towns and rural areas alike. Radio is still the most democratic of our media, accessible to anyone for pennies, and still a vital force in many third-world countries. We used to have radio that encompassed far more than just news and talk-radio; people expected more from the radio back then, and they got it.

The book is broken up into chapters covering the careers and recipes of women broadcasting from KMA radio in Iowa. There is no doubt that the part of a farm housewife could be lonely, and these radio programs would have provided good company. We have no true equivalent today; these broadcasters usually knew their audience personally, and vice versa. Into the sixties, these women broadcast their programs from their own homes, often from the kitchen, where they'd make recipes while giving them out over the air. Most of these women had an 'open door' policy where any listener coming through town could stop by their home and have refreshments without notice! Who would, or could, do that nowadays?

The recipes are excellent. I've made a dozen of them and all have worked well. My favorite so far is Jo Freed's carrot cake; unlike many, it's subtle with the spices and makes a large, juicy sheet cake.

Truly, though, it's the stories of the women working as 'radio homemakers' that makes the book. Most of these women were working because they had to, and mainstream broadcasting was still unheard of for women. Therefore, these women made successful careers appealing to women.

The author was herself a well-known broadcaster and brings personal knowledge of the other radio pioneers to add texture and substance to the book. It is beautifully written in a straightforward and informal style.

I appreciate the author documenting a small, but important, part of American history before all the radio homemakers are gone. Her book is valuable and engaging reading, even without the excellent recipes.

This guide is excellent! The organization is easy - just choose an area or a type of trip. Then read the detailed description, including mileage, landmarks, nature/scenery, camping, and excellent resources. The description of each trip includes contact telephone numbers and websites for camping, rentals, water level, and more. Finally, the maps include essential details.

Paddling Iowa: 96 Great Trips By Canoe And Kayak by canoing and kayaking expert Nate Hoogeveen is a straightforward guide specially designed for Iowa water sports enthusiasts wanting to engage themselves in canoeing and kayaking Iowa's challenging river systems. Each two-page spread features a map of a suggested river on one side, and on the other side, detailing extensive information concerning nearby camps or canoe rentals, shuttle routs to the water, gradient, extensive description, tips, tricks, and techniques specific to the route, and more. An excellently organized and easy-to-use resource for planning great canoe and kayak trips, Paddling Iowa is primarily a specialized travel guide and does presume that the reader already knows how to safely and effectively operate a canoe or kayak.

This is a fantastic guidebook. Every paddler and every library in Iowa and surrounding states should have a copy.

Nate Hoogeveen knows and loves Iowa rivers. He has found the best places to experience the beauty of Iowa. He has come to know the history of those places and tells the fascinating stories associated with them in ways that enhance one's appreciation of the rivers.

I am very impressed with the love and effort that went into this book. Nate has gotten to know the local experts who know all the secrets of the river, and has travelled every mile with an eye to giving us an accurate and useful description of what we can anticipate finding when we take our own journeys.

One of the most helpful feature of the book is the maps of rivers and roads. Each section has a map with detail that provides exactly what is needed to get on and off the river. I have no idea how the maps were made, I only know that they replace a bookshelf full of atlases and guide books that just don't provide the information that Nate Hoogeveen provides in one amazingly helpful volume.

In short, Nate Hoogeveen has given those of us who paddle on Iowa rivers a whole lifetime of beautiful places to discover for ourselves. Those who have wanted to get down to an Iowa river, from anywhere in the state, will have all the information they need to find a wonderful stretch of river. Paddlers, get a copy now. Librarians, the young people of your town (and the young at heart) will thank you for putting this guidebook on your library shelves.

Iowa is the Beautiful Land, our rivers are the most beautiful places of all. Come discover Iowa's river treasures with Paddling Iowa by Nate Hoogeveen.

This book is great! Its a great coffee table book or a nice piece to briefly cover the topic of sustainability in Minnesota. It gives brief overviews of individuals and families that are incorporating community building and sustainability into their lives, business practices, business models, and architecture. My hat's off to the authors of this book and to the people whom made this book possible, the many subjects of this book.

I purchased every volume of this directory and found them all to be very useful to me at one point or the other. The information is very fresh and up to date. Thank You - Balil

Very complete information. Extremely helpful. Let's of sources and contact information. Definite must buy!

This book is fun..besides getting a glimpse into a nicer time, you get an insight of the man who took this amazing spontaneous photos. Also some facts. I hope there is another book published with more photos.

This is a wonderful book to evoke those bygone memories. The pictures bring back so many memories from my own childhood years. The writing just ties it all together and transports you back in time. It stimulates thoughts and feelings from a simpler and slower paced time. Very enjoyable. Makes for good conversation with family and friends from the past! Loved It!!!!!!!!!

I received this book as a Fathers Day gift and once I opened it, I did not put it down until I read it and looked at all the pictures.
Since I was born in 1929 in a small Pennsylvania town, I couldn't help remembering seeing and playing with similar people that were depicted in the book. During that era, in the early forties, I delivered meats and groceries on a bicycle for the local store. The food prices reflected in the pictures, brought back memories of the cost of those groceries. A family of five, was able to live on $10 to $15 dollars a week food bill.
This book is a legacy to the life of Everett Kuntz
Jack Vax

A passionate home cook that has been honing her cooking skills for the last 25 years, concentrating on Italian cooking for the last 10 years, writes this review. My favorite cookbooks are "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute and "Culinary Artistry". With more than 500 cookbooks in my collection I am usually disappointed in my recent cookbook acquisitions. This particular book is on loan from an Austrian friend, whose two brothers are chefs in Austria.

The book is outlines as follows:
1. Introduction: Katarina Schratt
2. Cookbook, 1905
3. Notes
4. Bring Vienna to your table.

Before I review the book, I must say that if you are on a diet, this is not the book for you. I think that you could gain weight just reading this book. However, if you are a fan of good food, especially desserts, WOW what a book!

The first chapter tells about the life of actress Katarina Schratt and her 32-year relationship with the married Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria and King of Hungary that was arranged by the king's wife. I had never heard of Katarina Schratt, but her life story is fascinating, and well worth a read.

The 1905 Cookbook belonged to Katarina Schratt for use in her own home, and was never meant to be published as a cookbook. If you are a very accomplished cook, you could follow her recipes. Otherwise, just move to the last chapter where the directions are much more detailed.

The modernized versions of the recipes from 1905 cookbook begin on page 132 of the book. These recipes are subdivided as follows:

Hors d'Oeuvres
Soups
Vegetables
Main Dishes
Egg Dishes
Desserts and Pastries

The directions in the modernized recipes are good enough to reproduce reasonable facsimiles of Austrian recipes even without a good knowledge of Austrian cooking. My exposure to Austrian cooking is based mostly on my knowledge of the cooking of Trieste in Italy (which was part of Austrian until 1920). Even with this limited knowledge of Austrian cooking I find the recipes easy to follow.

The book provides recipes for the standards: Spaetzle, Snowballs, Vanilla Crescent Cookies, Gugelhupf, Linzer Torte, Strudel,and Sacher Torte to name a few classics.

Reading this book makes me hungry. The dessert recipes, although a cardiologist's nightmare, are a gastronomic delight.

Overall, I would recommend adding this book to your cooking library if you love good food, history or biography's. The stories about Katarina's life make for a fascinating read. The recipes that she used in 1905 are a nice look into the past. Finally, if you love good food, and particularly dessert, you can't go wrong by adding this book to your cookbook library. I borrowed this book from a friend, but I will be adding a copy to my own library of cookbooks.

This book is fun to read on three levels. First it has a short biography of Katharina Schratt, the close friend and confidant of Emperor Franz Josef in 19th Century Vienna for over 30 years. This is a great story of a relationship that is legendary and inspirational - the original story of the Emperor and the actress. Following this are two completely different but complimentary cookbooks on 19th Century Viennese cooking. One is a translation of recipes used by Schratt and hand-copied into a notebook in 1905. These are brief and somewhat difficult for the modern reader to understand because they were never intended for publication and they are from a different time and place. To help the modern reader 13 pages of notes bring these recipes to life. Yet still, they will challenge all but the most experienced Austrian cooks. The second cookbook is called Bring Vienna to Your Table! and includes modern versions of many of the classic recipes of Old Vienna. In this section you will find all the famous dishes that make Viennese cooking world-renowned: strudel, Linzer torte, gugelhupf, stuffed cabbage, creamed spinach, rice sausages, goulash, tafelspitz, dumplings, spaetzle, and croustades. All the recipes are easy to follow. These are the real thing and not for those on a diet. Treat yourself to a little of Old Vienna and read this book. You may find yourself in the kitchen like I did with my mouth watering and ready to cook.

While lots of the cooking recepies outdated, the baking recepies still alive. I do not agree with the listings of so many gulash recepies, there are a lot bigger variety of the astro-hungarian cooking. Anyway I do love the book, there are many old treasures can be revived and used in the every day cooking. The baking is an other story. From the cresent recepie I was able to recreate my Grandmother's chesnut filled cresents, which she used to make for every Christmas. The walnut filling is missing some presoaked raisins, or without it the filling will be too dry. The linzer recepie will need more sour cream too, or the dough will be too dry. These are wonderfull old recepies, all should be treasured by all of us.