Book Log 2006 #43: Denison, Iowa by Dale Maharidge and Michael Z. Williamson

Denison is the home town of Donna Reed, and they've taken "It's a wonderful life" as the town motto. Not all is wonderful in Denison, though, as the town struggles with both economic problems and a growing Latino population. Maharidge and Williamson spent a year in Denison, interacting with locals and documenting these problems.

It's a pretty interesting book, as the local views of economic, security, and immigration issues add depth to the usual arguments trotted out by politicians and the like. There's also a very interesting comparison of the new Latino population to the influx of German immigrants to Denison in the early 20th century.

Outside of these major themes, there's also a number of smaller insights on small town life and the occasional venality of local government officials.

Maharidge and Williamson have written on this sort of topic before, and their interest and experience is obvious. So is their left-of-center political orientation, which may prove irritating at times. But if you're interested in this sort of thing, I'd recommend it.