History Book Group: The Good Country: A History of the American Midwest, 1800-1900

Decorah Public Library staff are hosting five book discussions in March. The groups are open to the public and newcomers are encouraged to attend. Anyone interested should call the library at 382-3717 to learn more or to reserve a book. Email ktorresdal@decorahlibrary.org to be added to any of the five groups’ email distribution lists. Funds for multiple copy sets were generously provided by Friends of Decorah Public Library.  

The History Book Group will meet on the 2nd floor of the library Thurs. Mar. 20 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss Jon Lauck’s “The Good Country: A History of the American Midwest, 1800-1900.” At the center of American history is a hole—a gap where some scholars’ indifference or disdain has too long stood in for the true story of the American Midwest. A first-ever chronicle of the Midwest’s formative century, “The Good Country” restores this American heartland to its central place in the nation’s history. Jon K. Lauck, the premier historian of the region, puts Midwesterners center stage—an unorthodox approach that leads to surprising conclusions.  

For more information, contact Tricia Gunderson (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.