In a story that is simultaneously soldier's diary, legal thriller, psychological study, and historical novel, Don Robinson gives us a novel that is right for our time. -- J. Michael Laidlaw from the Foreword -An upstart coffee shop with a revolutionary ambiance sucks in doughnut-loving locals and long-haired collegians alike.-A young boy engages in a merciless slaying of women and children, then disappears into the jungles of Viet Nam, prompting his neglectful father to embark on a dangerous and illegal quest.-A cowardly ...
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In a story that is simultaneously soldier's diary, legal thriller, psychological study, and historical novel, Don Robinson gives us a novel that is right for our time. -- J. Michael Laidlaw from the Foreword -An upstart coffee shop with a revolutionary ambiance sucks in doughnut-loving locals and long-haired collegians alike.-A young boy engages in a merciless slaying of women and children, then disappears into the jungles of Viet Nam, prompting his neglectful father to embark on a dangerous and illegal quest.-A cowardly local disc jockey breaks out of his prison of self-preservation to lead an exodus.-Mothers foolishly sacrifice their sons to warmongers and then cruelly seek to sacrifice other mothers' sons in order to preserve their misguided sense of patriotic honor.-A sleazy county attorney in league with a power-grasping judge targets a young, non-subservient lawyer doing his best to defend an unjustly accused man.-A strip club exotic dancer exemplifies the enduring value of sexual commitment.Tom Land, recent college grad with a useless degree in history, finds a measure of 1969-flavored contentment as a small-town disc jockey spinning vinyl and philosophizing at the downstairs coffee shop. Through a quirky combination of a couple's lunch hour tryst and bureaucratic oversight, Tom becomes immune to the military draft. But when he hears a gruesome tale of pure evil and a bomb exploding at the back door of the bank flings a beheaded body onto the alley asphalt, Tom is forced to come to grips with his cowardice, and is pushed to find a sufferable stance to the lunacy of the war. As the story's setting shifts among the war in Vietnam, a racist and corrupt legal establishment, the Woodstock music festival, and potential sanctuary in Canada, Tom gathers an ensemble of characters who become key players in a quest involving understanding, unraveling, renewal, integrity, and personal worth.Through Tom's pilgrimage in Leaving Iowa, the viability of the human experiment is called into question. Is human romantic love enough to save us, as one of the characters concludes? Through crisp, fast-paced narrative and dialogue, the novel leads the reader to see that much of today's issues and chaos sprang out of an earlier time. Had we done better then, would we be doing better now? The true-to-life multi-layered characters grasp and inspire us as they tell a cautionary tale of hope and despair.
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Add this copy of Leaving Iowa: a Novel to cart. $11.49, good condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Independently Published.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Paperback This item shows wear from consistent use but remains in good readable condition. It may have marks on or in it, and may show other signs of previous use or shelf wear. May have minor creases or signs of wear on dust jacket. Packed with care, shipped promptly.
Add this copy of Leaving Iowa: a Novel to cart. $36.59, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Independently published.
