Iowa plays an outsize role in national politics. Iowa introduced Barack Obama and voted bigly for Donald Trump. But is it a bellwether for America, a harbinger of its future? Art Cullen’s answer is complicated and honest.

In truth, Iowa is losing ground. The Trump trade wars are hammering farmers and manufacturers. Health insurance premiums and drug prices are soaring. That’s what Iowans are dealing with, and the problems they face are the problems of the heartland.

In this candid and timely audiobook, Art Cullen - the Storm Lake Times newspaperman who won a Pulitzer Prize for taking on big corporate agri-industry and its poisoning of local rivers - describes how the heartland has changed dramatically over his career. In a story where politics, agriculture, the environment, and immigration all converge, Cullen offers an unsentimental ode to rural America and to the resilient people of a vibrant community of 15,000 in Northwest Iowa, as much survivors as their town.

Listening Length

10 hours and 37 minutes
Author

Art Cullen
Narrator

Chris Henry Coffey
Audible release date

Oct. 2 2018
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Audio
ASIN

B07H8JWT1N
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

Your complimentary audiobook is waiting

Free trial includes 1 credit in your first month good for any title of your choice, yours to keep.
Plus, you can enjoy unlimited listening to The Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
You'll unlock exclusive member-only sales, as well as 30% off your purchases of any additional titles.
After 30 days Audible is $14.95/month + applicable taxes. Renews automatically.

Learn more about membership

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

List Price: $35.09

You Save: $4.39 (13%)

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Related to this topic

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
James Clear
135,801
in Business Processes & Infrastructure

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Spare
Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
68,855
in Memoirs

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
Jordan B. Peterson
72,490
in Ethics & Morality

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Greenlights
Matthew McConaughey
61,585
in Biographies of the Rich & Famous

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Peter Attia MD
2,326
in Anatomy

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Product details

Listening Length	10 hours and 37 minutes
Author	Art Cullen
Narrator	Chris Henry Coffey
Audible.ca Release Date	October 02 2018
Publisher	Penguin Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07H8JWT1N
Best Sellers Rank	#262,566 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #265 in Ecology of Aquatic Life (Books) #273 in Lake & Pond Ecosystems #703 in Rural Communities

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

196 global ratings

5 star		71%
4 star		20%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Top review from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Carol Shea

Storm Lake: a well written book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 27, 2023

Verified Purchase

Storm Lake is well written, informative, and dare I say charming. Art Cullen shows his Iowa roots, his journalist skills and a profound understanding of the complexities of a changing world. I grew up in the area he writes about. While I have been gone from the state for 57 years, I am still have ties there and appreciate a descriptions of the changes. Some changes make me sad, some exciting, some depressing, some painful; Art Cullen captures them all. A grateful thank you from an always "Iowa farm girl"

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

D. Hearn

Tough Realities and True Compassion Meet in Storm Lake

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

Storm Lake is part autobiography, part pastoral ode to rural Iowa, and partly an unblinking look at the politics of the changing landscape of agriculture in the fertile Midwest. Written by Art Cullen, the editor of the Storm Lake Times, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing, the book has wit, pathos, political judgments and a broad cast of fascinating characters, all wound into a flowing narrative that leaves the reader wanting more.

The autobiographical writing is hugely interesting, and the passages about local Iowans are laced with insight and humor. The politics are deftly implied, except in the fearsome explanation of the political water-rights battle that Art and his paper exposed. The general theme of the book is stewardship of the land and water that make up Iowa, and the environmental and societal impact of rapidly changing farming ownership and methodology. Art comes down on the side of the small lakes and rivers that define the Storm Lake, of course. He also extolls the literal groundbreaking science of sustainable agriculture in a way anyone can read and understand. Less is more, sometimes.

We get to meet the immigrants that have come to Storm Lake and made their homes there. We also meet Congressman Steve King, (R-Iowa) who would like to send them all back to places where they were starving, brutalized and disenfranchised. The argument for the immigrants coming to Storm Lake is powerful. They are really not that different than the whiter people that originally settled Storm Lake. They do the jobs softer white Americans won't do. They run for office! Sometimes they win!

As the Pulitzer signals, the writing is graceful and sharp at the same time. Cullen has paid his dues as a newspaperman, but this book is the work of a skilled long-form writer. Still, the very best passages are lifted from the newspaper column Art publishes without fail every Tuesday in his family's newspaper. Iowans will recognize the political figures he aims at. Outsiders will love the intrigue even if they know nothing about the actual people.

Storm Lake is a beautiful read. It borders on the poetic, without losing narrative. It tells an internationally important story by focusing on the local drama of everyday life.

You should buy and read this book. You'll be glad you did.

20 people found this helpful

dpd

A remarkable gift to America

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

Art Cullen has been afflicting the comfortable for more than 30 years. I know because I’ve been reading his editorials in the Storm Lake Times since volume 1 number 1. “Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper” is Cullen’s first book, a book he wrote after winning the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. If you’re wondering if this book is for you, let me give you a list of audiences who should be reading “Storm Lake.”
This book is for you if:
* You care about the water you drink, the food you eat, and the planet you inhabit.
* You care about corporate influence on your life and the lives of your family, friends and neighbors.
* You care about immigration.
* You want to hear about a small town that has been wonderfully transformed by the influx of new residents from all over the world.
* You love really good writing....not formulaic writing, but writing that will remind you of the stylized writing of some of the great writers like Twain and Keillor.
* You love a good story well told.
* You care about family and like reading about others and their family stories.
* You love to pull for the underdog.
* You care about good journalism and you don’t think that the news media are the “enemy of the people.”
Cullen’s book is a gift to America, a gift that will inform you, entertain you, and pull at your heartstrings. If you are afflicted, it will comfort you. Buy it. Read it. Tell your friends about it.

14 people found this helpful

TamB

Five stars for this very important book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book after hearing about and then watching the documentary of the same name. I grew up in eastern Iowa and also worked for Iowa community newspapers years ago so was very interested.
I couldn't put the book down.
Mr. Cullen's writing style is easy and flowing. I felt like I was sitting at a Storm Lake coffee shop listening to him talk about his life and the lives of some of the immigrants who have helped rejuvenate the city (and some of the harrowing stories about their lives pre-Storm Lake).
I also learned a lot about how farming has changed and the rise of Big Ag. I knew this but hadn't really thought about how it affects our food supply. It's a hard lesson, and it's tough to read about politicians who are more concerned about the mighty dollar than the world we are leaving to our kids.
Mr. Cullen also makes it clear how important local newspapers are for their communities and how difficult it has been to sustain "The Storm Lake Times" in this social-media news climate.

2 people found this helpful

J. C. Schaap

Absolutely terrific

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

I loved this book. I've spent the last 40 years of my life in northwest Iowa. It pains me deeply to have to admit that there were worlds here in the neighborhood that I didn't begin to know in all that time. Art Cullen knows the place, knows its people, its foibles, and its graces. What's more, he brings them all out as if he were a standing in the middle of a three-ring circus--one set of huge and traumatic issues lumbering out after another, in a style that is all his own. I don't think you have to be from Iowa, or northwest Iowa, to appreciate this book; but if you are, you won't walk away without having exorcised some very strong feelings about the issues Art Cullen and his newspaper have taken on in the last decade. It's an amazing book, and I loved it (I know, I've said that already, but it's true).

One person found this helpful

Charmsabout

Art Cullen's title says it all.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 23, 2021

Verified Purchase

I grew up in a small town near Storm Lake. I know those lake streets well. Our little town remains with it's bucolic tree lined streets but pretty much that and those residing there in their lovely cottage homes are all that's left. The vibes of my youth gone (not even a grocery store). Storm Lake is thriving and this book will tell you why. This is what American started as in it's newness as a country. Let's see what other small towns can do as our lives change, grow, and embrace humanity. Best read Art's book to understand how to do this.

One person found this helpful

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract and engage customers	Amazon Business Everything for your business	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust	Blink Smart Security for Every Home

Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Included with free trial $0.00$0.00

Buy with 1-Click $30.70$30.70

People who bought this also bought

Related to this topic

Product details

Customer reviews

Top review from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Included with free trial

$0.00

Buy with 1-Click

$30.70