The Wellman Stories: Passions, Professions and Politics in Iowa

Thirty-eight fascinating stories plus one! Two women chiropractors, Drs. Karen and Margaret, also life partners, happen into a small Iowa town called Wellman, just thirty-five minutes from Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa, in 1986. They arrive after a crushing farm crisis, with no plan to stay, and yet they do stay, because the community seems generally favorable. They are successful, independent and do pioneering work for nearly two decades … until they flee. They discover they have become prey to the repeating media loop of fundamentalist hate and the growing influence of conservative churches. The Wellman Stories are about the women’s interactions with the characters left to inhabit the faded town. A wry, funny, tragic memoir of hogs, healers and haters.