“Dive into these pages and experience adventures akin to Little House on the Prairie meets Our Town.”  –John Busbee, Founder of The Culture Buzz

The oldest of 10 children, Leora Goff developed the tenacity, optimism, and hope to endure many family moves, great losses, an influenza pandemic, brothers sent off to the Great War, marriage, and the births of seven children of her own.

The foreword was written by Lee Habeeb, founder and host of Our American Stories, a talk radio executive, and Newsweek essayist.

The poem “Morrisburg Cemetery” was written by Guthrie Center native, Nicholas Dowd.

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

Amazon offers Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots as a paperback, hardback, and ebook.

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 Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression.

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Interview with Max & Amy on WHO-Radio about Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots