The Pioneer-Republican of Iowa County from Marengo, Iowa • M12

I is clear in her new book, Coming Clean, that Grinnell author Betty comes by her storytelling honestly. in the blood of her kin, passed down from father to son to daugh- ter and through cousins and neighbors aplenty. But more to sto- rytelling than relaying a good yarn during a Sunday gathering at the family farm. dry humor takes the silver threads of her family and community nar- ratives and them into gold. In its strength of story-crafting, Com- ing Clean joins company with Harry A Childhood and other such rural memoirs in which small-town-space breaks down red and blue labels into com- plex, contradictory people making their place in the world with whatever material been handed.

Coming Clean has few of the dramatic moments that typi- cally signpost a contemporary memoir: deaths or poisonous loves or terrible se- crets or other trauma. It does not need them. The book sings with the and often more of meaning-making that compose all the days and nights in between our major dra- ma. merely as the indi- vidual narratives of Coming Clean are rich with scene and other tools of yet follow the author-as-narrator through the full course of her life thus far. Mean- while, the opening stories take us back through the generations of fa- family, before she was born.

At ev- ery age, our observant narrator moves around her world with equal parts rever- ence and skepticism. Her prose revels in the profound of the small kind- nesses and silly pranks that make and the a joy and full of mean- ing. The question of how much of each sto- ry is true and how much is crafted be- comes irrelevant. The stories tell truths, be it the ways societal pressures on the body can shape a teenage career in or the complicated forms of love and generosity and family that a group of individuals can build in The Way It At the end of a story that tackles the gray area between authenticity and posturing (what the author might call phony-ism), addresses the reader directly, questioning the line between reality and story: the between writ- ten and lived If you live it, how do you get out of it, end a chapter, close the book? How much energy and courage does it take to live that some- thing made up? To outlast the skeptics? To them a piece of your own Whereafter I closed the book and took a long, hard think at my own lived exis- tence. Overall, stories about life in small-town North Carolina and Iowa show the full complications of many lives, yet highlight, above all, the goodness in people of all places, rural and beyond.

The book leaves with the feelings of opti- mism and playfulness, two emotions al- ways needed. BOOK REVIEW is storytelling honestly Readings for Coming Clean, by Grin- nell author Betty Moffett: Oct. 9 Pioneer Bookshop, 5 p.m. (time approximate). Oct.

11 Carmen Center, Mayflower, 7 p.m. Oct. 12 Beaverdale, TBA Oct. 15 Knoxville library, 1:30 p.m. Nov.

11 Art Center, 4 p.m. Nov. 27-Dec. 4 Albuquerque, N.M., TBA Staff Reports 12M WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 THE PIONEER-REPUBLICAN sponsored by boat angel outreach centers STOP CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN www.boatangel.com Free Donate A Boat or Car Today! 800 700 BOAT-- (2628) ARTS Crafts SHOW LARGEST ADM. Just $6.00 (10 under free) 3-day re-entry stamp FREE PARKING Free Shuttle Bus Service from North Parking Lot on both Fri.

Sat. Over 300Exhibitors A Fantastic shopping event. "Where You Can Buy That Quality, Handmade Product September 28-30 VARIED INDUSTRIES BLDG. IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS DES MOINES, IOWA Fri. 5-9; Sat.

9-5; Sun. 10-4 Bring This Ad to Show For $1 Off Adm. To Purchase Discounted Advance Admission Tickets and For A Chance To Win $50 Gift Certificates Visit Our Facebook Page At Callahan Promotions, Inc. Chicken, ham dinner planned St. Bridget Catholic Church, Victor, is hosting its chicken and ham sup- per Sunday, Sept.

16, at the church, 104 Third St. Serving is from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the church basement. Besides the two main entrees, the menu includes mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, green beans, Amana bread, apple sal- ad, pie and other desserts, and bever- age. Donations are being daken $12 for adult and $6 for children 10 and under.

Carry-out meals are available. VICTOR BRIEFS Thursday, Sept. 6 4:15 p.m.: JH VB home vs. Mon- tezuma. 4:30 p.m.: FB home vs.

Iowa Valley. Friday, Sept. 7 7 p.m.: FB home vs. Lone Tree. Saturday, Sept.

8 9 a.m.: VB at East Marshall In- vitational. Monday, Sept. 10 4:30 p.m.: FB home vs. Montezuma. 5:30 p.m.: VB home vs.

Lynnville-Sully. Tuesday, Sept. 11 4:30 p.m.: at English Valleys Invitational. 6 p.m.: PHT meeting. Wednesday, Sept.

12 School photos. 5 p.m.: HLV School Board meeting. HLV SCHOOL CALENDAR Victor Lions in parade Victor Lions Club members Ivan and Jean Riggle prepare to throw candy from the back of member Scott truck at the recent Ladora 150th celebration parade. COURTESY THE PIONEER-REPUBLICAN PO Box 208 100 W. Main Marengo, IA 52301 To subscribe today call 319-642-5506 or 1-800-414-5506 PASS TIME IN LINE.

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