Iowa History Book Club

The State Historical Society of Iowa invites you to join Annals of Iowa editor Andrew Klumpp to explore Iowa’s past with the Iowa History Book Club. Each quarter, the club will gather online to hear a discussion about a different book related to Iowa history, with insights from Klumpp and the book's author or another Iowa historian. Participants are encouraged to submit questions during meeting and, ideally, convene their own local book-club discussions afterward with additional questions and resources provided by the State Historical Society of Iowa.

Registration is free but required for each event. Questions may be submitted with the online registration form or during the event itself. Participants are encouraged but not required to read the book before the meeting. All of the books can be purchased online or borrowed from most libraries.

7 p.m. Thursday, September 22
American Dreamer: A Life of Henry A. Wallace by John C. Culver and John Hyde
Hosted by Andrew Klumpp and Tim Walch
Register

Henry Agard Wallace was a trailblazing politician, agriculturalist, economist, author and businessman—loved and reviled, and finally revealed in this first full biography. To tell the remarkable story of the Iowa-born vice president and authentic American dreamer, former U.S. Senator John C. Culver and journalist John Hyde combed through thousands of document pages, letters, diaries and family papers, as well as previously unavailable files sealed within the archives of the Soviet Union. The book club discussion will be led Andrew Klumpp, editor of the Annals of Iowa, and Tim Walch, director emeritus of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.

7 p.m. Thursday, December 1
Dakota in Exile by Linda Clemmons
Hosted by Andrew Klumpp and Linda Clemmons
Register

Robert Hopkins was a man caught between two worlds. As a member of the Dakota Nation, he was accused of taking up arms against U.S. soldiers when war broke out with the Dakota in 1862. However, as a Christian convert and preacher, Hopkins’ allegiance was often questioned by his fellow Dakota. His personal and professional connections spared him from execution after the 1862 dispute, but he was unfairly imprisoned in Davenport, Iowa, while his family was forced onto a reservation in Dakota Territory. To tell this difficult chapter of American history, Illinois State University professor of history Linda Clemmons examined personal letters, newspaper accounts and federal documents that create a multifaceted account that complicates our understanding of the Midwest and serves as a testament to the resilience of the Dakota and other indigenous people.

Past Programs

February 3
Storm Lake: Change, Resilience and Hope in America’s Heartland by Art Cullen
Hosted by Andrew Klumpp and Art Cullen
Watch the webinar

April 14
Mormons at the Missouri, 1846-1852 by Richard Bennett
Hosted by Andrew Klumpp and Richard Bennett