Roy R. Behrens

In “Dreams of Fields: Memory Traces of Iowa’s Past,” former professor Roy R. Behrens takes readers deep into the Midwest as he delves into the people associated with Iowa’s rich history. Filled with twenty-five personal essays, Behrens’ book features prominent Iowans, as well as those who are loosely connected with the state. Some notable figures include talk-show host Johnny Carson and Oscar-winning actress Donna Reed, and those with lesser-known connections such as Salvador Dali and Mark Twain. He reflected, “What I didn’t want to do was to write about the ones who most people already know about… I wanted to do ‘Dreams of Fields.’ That’s a pretty good description of my memories of Iowa.”