“The Real Deal: The Life of Bill Knapp,” which was written by award-winning author and Simpson College history professor William B. Friedricks, is an inspiring story on the personal history of Bill Knapp and provides readers with an inside look at the growth and development of Greater Des Moines over the past 80 years. The Book depicts a scrappy, hard-working Allerton, Iowa farm-boy who left by way of the United States Navy to pave a new path toward financial independence and entrepreneurial success. Despite the many challenges along the way, Knapp turns each into opportunities for capitalization. His tenacity and vision drives his transformation into the real estate tycoon and community philanthropist we know today. “Bill Knapp has always had an “aura,” a “presence” about him that spoke of strength and confidence, of purpose and direction, and yes, of deep feeling and compassion. William Friedricks’s excellent biography captures both the wellspring and life development of the Bill Knapp “aura.” A great history of the person and the growth of Central Iowa. I loved every page!” -Tom Harkin, United States Senator from Iowa

The Real Deal: The Life of Bill Knapp

Biographies & Memoirs

Friedricks, William B.

Professionals & Academics

Business Publications Corporation Inc.

What started with a single man seeking opportunity in the new capital city of Des Moines, eventually grew into one of the largest construction firms in the country. Through its 160 year history and four generations of family leadership, the Weitz Company has survived war, the depression and loss. “The book is rich in in lessons about sharing a vision, trusting in family, adapting to change, and planning for an unknowable future. Bill Friedricks has captured the unique culture of the Weitz Company and the qualities of the Weitz family who built one of the nation’s great construction companies.” - Steve Zumbach, Belin McCormick Law Firm

Constructing a Legacy: The Weitz Company and the Family who Built it

History

Americas

Mike Chapman has penned a warm and glowing tribute to the nation’s longest serving governor – Iowa’s Terry Branstad. Written in a folksy, down-home style, Chapman chronicles Branstad’s life from the farm near Leland to the Terrace Hill governor’s residence. An easy read, the book looks at the forces and people who shaped the governor. It’s something of a how-he-did-it manual that will interest Iowa history buffs and younger readers thinking about a political career for themselves. Branstad’s tenure isn’t finished so we’ll have to leave it to the historians and experts of tomorrow to dissect the legacy of his policies. For now, this work shows how a small-town boy worked his way to the top. You can like his politics or not, but you’ve got to admire Branstad’s tenacity, commitment to the state and his ability to win elections: 20 wins and no losses. – David Yepsen, Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and former Chief Political Writer for the Des Moines Register

Iowa's Record Setting Governor: The Terry Branstad Story

Chapman, Mike

Leaders & Notable People

For decades, the Iowa State Fair was considered the classic summer exposition; it was what most Americans envisioned when they thought of a state fair. But years of neglect almost destroyed the once grand, turn-of-the-century fairgrounds. After a number of efforts to save the facility failed, the Iowa State Fair Board created the Blue Ribbon Foundation, hoping it could raise millions of dollars needed to restore the grounds. It worked, succeeding beyond the board’s wildest dreams. Under the longtime leadership of John Putney and now guided by Peter Cownie, the foundation has raised an amazing $135 million since its creation 25 years ago. Author William Friedricks takes you behind the scenes of the roller coaster ride of ups and downs of the Iowa State Fair’s long history, leading up to the Blue Ribbon Foundation and the remarkable renaissance it brought about at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, now bigger and better than ever.

A Great State Fair: The Blue Ribbon Foundation and the Revival of the Iowa State

Chuck Long: Destined for Greatness: The Story of Chuck Long and Resurgence of Iowa Hawkeyes Football

The year is 1981. The U.S. space shuttle Columbia takes its first flight. Ronald Reagan becomes president and Muhammad Ali officially retires with 55 wins. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” debuts in theatres, the term “Internet” is first mentioned and Post It Notes are launched by 3M Corp. And the Iowa Hawkeyes are struggling mightily to gain respectability on the football field after decades as a Big Ten Conference doormat. Hayden Fry, a larger-than-life character and river boat gambler with Texas roots, had arrived in Iowa City in 1979. Now, in his all-important third year as head coach, it’s make-or-break time for a man doggedly determined to transform a beleaguered program into a national powerhouse. While the team has many needs, one of the most important is a strong leader at quarterback. Unexpectedly, Hayden and his staff sign a blonde-haired, six-foot-four quarterback named Chuck Long. Safe to say the son of Charlie and Joan Long was as much a mystery to Iowa fans as winning. Only two other universities offered Chuck a scholarship – Northwestern and Northern Illinois. The lack of suiters wasn’t surprising. Chuck averaged just a handful of throws per start as a high school signal caller for a Falcons team coached by Jim Rexilius. Even in Wheaton North’s 14–6 victory over LaSalle-Peru in the 1979 4A Illinois state football championship game, Chuck completed just one of four passes for minus-three yards. Now, Chuck Long is an Iowa Hawkeye. And as he waits to make first team as quarterback, Coach Hayden Fry takes to the microphones as the 1982 campaign approaches and, in front of a gaggle of reporters, proclaims the sophomore-to-be as “destined for greatness.” Reporters are nearly speechless. Hawkeye fans are bewildered. Chuck Long? Destined for greatness? Chuck Long – the same kid who hasn’t taken a snap as a starter? Yep, that Chuck Long. The QB responds to the high praise from his head coach by taking the field just weeks later in his first start against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln only to get bruised, battered and benched in a 42-7 drubbing. One week later, the Hawkeyes host in-state rival Iowa State and lose again as Chuck watches from the sidelines. So much for the “destined for greatness” talk. Then again, Chuck Long isn’t your ordinary quarterback and Hayden Fry isn’t your ordinary coach. In a twist of fate not even Hollywood could script, Chuck and the Iowa Hawkeyes quickly right the ship and set sail on a voyage that would ultimately take them (and the state of Iowa) into the national spotlight. At the heart of it all was a once-obscure quarterback who played for a high school football program that featured the run – a quarterback that would become Iowa’s most celebrated signal callers, play in an unprecedented five college bowl games, throw for more yards than any other quarterback in Big Ten history, finish runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to a kid named Bo from Auburn University and hear his name called in the first round of the 1986 NFL Draft. Sound too good to be true? Not if you’re destined for greatness. * * * “I have been around great, great people all my life. I’ve associated with great players and great coaches. I’ve taught history and I know a little about the qualities of great people in history. It was just so evident to me that Chuck Long had all the qualities you find in great people. I could just see it.” Iowa Coach Hayden Fry on his first impressions of Wheaton North’s Chuck Long (“Chuck Long: an eye on greatness,” by Ken Fuson, Des Moines Register, Sept. 2, 1984)

Putze, Aaron

Your Invisible Toolbox: The Technological Ups and Interpersonal Downs of the Millennial Generation

You can effectively relate, connect, understand, and lead... if you have the right set of tools. Each of us has two sets of tools. The first toolbox is filled with the technical skills, equipment, and devices needed to help us carry out our activities. The second toolbox is invisible. It contains the tools that we use in human interactions. According to Harvard University, Stanford Research Institute, and the Carnegie Foundation, 85% of your success comes from our interpersonal skills and how you relate to others. For the first time in American history, there are four generations coming together in the workplace. This brings a whole new set of challenges to modern business. Your Invisible Toolbox tackles the challenges many millennials face with a unique set of research-based tools, put together in an easy-to-apply road map to success. When used well, the effects of using these tools are anything but invisible. *Your Invisible Toolbox is a 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Winner

Business & Money

Crosbie, Rowena

Rinner, Deborah

Personal Finance

Mentor: Life and Legacy of Joe Rosenfield

What usually struck people about Joe Rosenfield was his wit and unwavering love for Grinnell College. In fact, Rosenfield once said about the college: “After about my third week in the place I’d fallen in love with it. A team of horses couldn’t have dragged me away.” His passion for the college and its success shined in his dedication to the Grinnell Board of Trustees, where he served from 1941 until his death in 2008. Rosenfield’s favorite sport, even counting his 5 percent stake in the Chicago Cubs, was making money for Grinnell. His own out-of-the-box thinking and close friendship with famous investor Warren Buffett helped grow Grinnell College’s endowment from $78,000 at the beginning of Rosenfield’s board service to just over $1 billion more than a half-century later. “Mentor” will take you on a journey through Rosenfield’s life, from his days as a Grinnell student in the early 1920s to serving as the chairman at Younkers to becoming an instrumental figure in Grinnell College history. The stories inside display Rosenfield’s steadfast desire to make a positive impact, one of the many reasons he was beloved by so many.— KAY BUCKSBAUM George Drake first came to Grinnell as an undergraduate in the class of 1956. After a sojourn at the University of Chicago to receive his Ph.D.,Mr. Drake began his career as a historian and dean atColorado College. He returned to Grinnell in 1979as President, serving in that capacity until 1991.During his presidential tenure, he taught British history several times.From 1991-93, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, teaching English in a Catholic mission school. Since his return to Grinnell, he has pursued his interests in British and Southern African history.

Drake, George

Historical

I have lived all but one year of a century. My century started on March 23, 1920, and upon reflection, I believe it has seen more important changes and developments both good and bad than occurred in any other ten centuries of human existence. As world leaders and historians have always told us, in determining what we should expect and do in the future, we must be aware of the events and occurrences of the past that collectively determined how we got where we are today. In this story of my life, I will explain some of the history I remember that explains just how we got here. Except for specific dates, which I secured from the World Almanac, this dissertation comes entirely from my own memory. “Neal Smith — farmer, soldier, lawyer, politician — is a state treasure. He has long worked to preserve Iowa’s past, protect Iowa’s present and promote Iowa’s future. At age 98, he is a walking history book as well as a profound thinker about the future of Iowa, the nation and the world, which this new memoir shows.” Michael Gartner Pulitzer Prize winning writer and former president of NBC News

From My Century to Yours: Wisdom From the Near 100-Year Life of Former Congressman Neal Edward Smith

Smith, Neal Edward

“An epic story of an epic wander–few people in America have had more hours to really think about climate change, and Ed Fallon has put the time to good use!” — Bill McKibben On March 1, 2014, Ed Fallon set out with fifty other climate warriors on a journey that would change their lives. The March spanned eight months, starting in Los Angeles and finishing in Washington, DC. The author's story is infused with candid reflections about the intense interpersonal drama that threatened to tear apart the March community. With the March as the conduit, Fallon shares deep, personal details about his search for love, meaning, and spiritual truth. During eight months of walking, Fallon's search took unexpected twists, leading to conclusions he didn't see coming. Ed Fallon's biography is as diverse as the landscapes he and other marchers walked across. After spending four years in college and six years traveling the world, Fallon’s long life in public service began in 1984 as a door-to-door canvasser for clean water and fair utility rates. In 1993, he was sent to the Iowa Legislature where he served until 2006. As a lawmaker, Fallon focused on protecting the environment and defending constituencies whose voices were being drowned out by big money and brash power. Since 2009, Fallon has hosted a talk show called the Fallon Forum. He also directs Bold Iowa, a non-profit organization whose mission is to build rural-urban coalitions to fight climate change, prevent the abuse of eminent domain, protect Iowa's soil, air, and water, and promote non-industrial renewable energy. Fallon strives to be the change he hopes to see in the world, growing much of his own food and biking or walking instead of driving.

Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim: A Memoir from the Great March for Climate Action

Fallon, Ed

Dear Déjà Vu, I hate you: A memoir on loss, grief, and childhood

Children's Books

Larson, Anna Elaine

Growing Up & Facts of Life

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