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Rating: 
Summary: A look at us through other eyes
Review: Richard Lord Acton is a member of the House of Lords in London where he spends half the year, and the other half of the year he spends in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where his American wife is a professor of law. His observations of life in general, and Iowa in particular, are the basis of this book.He looks at life in Iowa with an eye full of amazement and wonder. He talks about his difficulty driving on the wrong side of the street, but has settled that problem by driving 5 miles under the speed limit so he has a "margin to think". His favorite bookstore in the whole world is Prairie Lights in Iowa City and he tells us why. He also discusses holidays and his problem with the 4th of July. Part of the book deals with his life in London and I learned a little about British law. Another part deals with his childhood in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). All of it was fascinating. He obviously loves Cedar Rapids and when you read the account of his experience at the post office, you'll understand why. He talks about his visit to the Mall of America, the movie Jurassic Park and "finding America on a Halloween hayride". Now it would be perfect if his wife would write a "companion" book on her 6 months a year in London.
Rating:
Summary: The best Iowa book of the decade!
Review: The great Iowa historian (who, ironically, happens to be a British Lord), has produced an absolutely wonderful Iowa book. All 210 pages will amuse you and delight you. When he's not in London debating in the House of Lords and having tea with the Prime Minister, Lord Acton is a denizen of Iowa City, Iowa, spending his time in the coffee house of Prairie Lights Bookstore or researching Iowa history in the reading room of the State Historical Society Library. This research resulted in the recent Iowa State University Press book, "To Go Free: a Treasury of Iowa's Legal Heritage." But "A Brit..." is a quicker and more personal read. It's dedicated to Patricia, his wife and a University of Iowa law professor. It begins with letters to his brother, Edward, in which Lord Acton relates that Iowa, indeed, is not flat. But Richard learns a lot more about the Hawkeye State after his marriage to Patricia and his move to Cedar Rapids. He writes about his visit to "The Field of Dreams" (outside Dyserville) and he discovers the joys of the Iowa State Fair, where after a day of eating turkey drumsticks and walking through the pig barns, he develops "an acute case of Iowa State Fair sore feet." But it's not all Iowa in this book, as Lord Acton switches to London and includes essays on the joys of riding London's black taxis and relates the history of "White Curly Wigs and Black Stuff Gowns." There's also a wonderful section of the book on the author's childhood in colonial Southern Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe), where Richard grew up with nine siblings. There's a lengthy essay on the dear family friend, the eccentric British writer, Evelyn Waugh, who would journey to Africa to visit the Acton family. From Africa, it's back to London, where Richard relates the story of the downfall of Margaret Thatcher and explains the peculiarity of "The Prime Minister's Question Time." "A Brit..." wraps up with a fine section on various matters Iowan and American, including the author's visit to "The Mall of America" and his frustration with trying to understand American's tolerance of "non-dairy creamer." He delves into the origin of the state's nickname, Hawkeyes, discusses the state's first Thanksgiving and tells the story of the infamous "Cherry Sisters," who took vaudeville to a new low in the early 20th century. And no Iowa historican has gone to such effort to relate the story of Bonnie and Clyde's several forays into the state (although they met their end in Louisiana). There's also an essay in the book about the surreal (and true) story of the mysterious Opal Whiteley, who was the child of an Oregon lumbercamp family, but believed she was Princess Francoise d'Orleans. And for those who may believe the author is the one who came up with the phrase "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," there's an essay in which Lord Acton explains that the words actually came from his great-grandfather, the first Lord Acton, who uttered the famous phrase on April 5, 1887. The book includes a marvelous cover drawing by Iowa City artist Wiley (another parody of Grant Wood's "American Gothic"), the creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon "Non Sequitur." For Iowans, ex-Iowans, British citizens, or anybody else, for that matter, Lord Acton's new book is a fun read and a great way to learn some history in the process. The book is a true joy all the way through. Dennis Reese Iowa Public Radio, WSUI-KSUI
Rating:
Summary: The best Iowa book of the decade!
Review: The great Iowa historian (who, ironically, happens to be a British Lord), has produced an absolutely wonderful Iowa book. All 210 pages will amuse you and delight you. When he's not in London debating in the House of Lords and having tea with the Prime Minister, Lord Acton is a denizen of Iowa City, Iowa, spending his time in the coffee house of Prairie Lights Bookstore or researching Iowa history in the reading room of the State Historical Society Library. This research resulted in the recent Iowa State University Press book, "To Go Free: a Treasury of Iowa's Legal Heritage." But "A Brit..." is a quicker and more personal read. It's dedicated to Patricia, his wife and a University of Iowa law professor. It begins with letters to his brother, Edward, in which Lord Acton relates that Iowa, indeed, is not flat. But Richard learns a lot more about the Hawkeye State after his marriage to Patricia and his move to Cedar Rapids. He writes about his visit to "The Field of Dreams" (outside Dyserville) and he discovers the joys of the Iowa State Fair, where after a day of eating turkey drumsticks and walking through the pig barns, he develops "an acute case of Iowa State Fair sore feet." But it's not all Iowa in this book, as Lord Acton switches to London and includes essays on the joys of riding London's black taxis and relates the history of "White Curly Wigs and Black Stuff Gowns." There's also a wonderful section of the book on the author's childhood in colonial Southern Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe), where Richard grew up with nine siblings. There's a lengthy essay on the dear family friend, the eccentric British writer, Evelyn Waugh, who would journey to Africa to visit the Acton family. From Africa, it's back to London, where Richard relates the story of the downfall of Margaret Thatcher and explains the peculiarity of "The Prime Minister's Question Time." "A Brit..." wraps up with a fine section on various matters Iowan and American, including the author's visit to "The Mall of America" and his frustration with trying to understand American's tolerance of "non-dairy creamer." He delves into the origin of the state's nickname, Hawkeyes, discusses the state's first Thanksgiving and tells the story of the infamous "Cherry Sisters," who took vaudeville to a new low in the early 20th century. And no Iowa historican has gone to such effort to relate the story of Bonnie and Clyde's several forays into the state (although they met their end in Louisiana). There's also an essay in the book about the surreal (and true) story of the mysterious Opal Whiteley, who was the child of an Oregon lumbercamp family, but believed she was Princess Francoise d'Orleans. And for those who may believe the author is the one who came up with the phrase "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," there's an essay in which Lord Acton explains that the words actually came from his great-grandfather, the first Lord Acton, who uttered the famous phrase on April 5, 1887. The book includes a marvelous cover drawing by Iowa City artist Wiley (another parody of Grant Wood's "American Gothic"), the creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon "Non Sequitur." For Iowans, ex-Iowans, British citizens, or anybody else, for that matter, Lord Acton's new book is a fun read and a great way to learn some history in the process. The book is a true joy all the way through. Dennis Reese Iowa Public Radio, WSUI-KSUI
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