Leora Wilson dreams of the day she and husband Clabe can have a home of their own where their children can thrive, and all seven earn high school diplomas.

But in the undertow of the Great Depression years, those dreams are jeopardized by the struggle just to survive. Tenant farmers, the Wilsons are faced with a heartless landlord, threats of sickness, and relentless unemployment. These true stories were lived out by a real family.

As the Wilsons slowly slide into poverty, Leora must find a way to keep her dreams alive while making a haven for her flock in one run-down house after another.

Beaverdale Books is Des Moines’ independent bookstore (515-279-5400
beaverdalebooks@gmail.com). They will ship autographed paperback copies.

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Amazon offers Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression as a paperback, a hardback, and as an ebook.

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Joy Neal Kidney, the oldest granddaughter of the book’s heroine, is the keeper of family letters, photos, clippings, and stories. Married to a Vietnam Air Force veteran, Joy lives in central Iowa. Her nonfiction has been published in The Des Moines Register, other media, and broadcast over “Our American Stories.” 

She’s also the author of Leora’s Letters: The Love and Loss For an Iowa Family During World War II and Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots.

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An hour-long program about Leora’s Dexter Stories for Earlham, Iowa’s Bricker-Price Block Senior Speaker Series. The sound improves after the first four minutes or so. Allissa is a one-woman manager there!

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Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression was reviewed by John Busbee in the Nov./Dec. 2021 issue of Iowa History Journal. John Busbee also wrote the Foreword to the book.