Cover story

MEMORIES Ron Goodman as a young boy on his family’s farm in Iowa, circa 1940s.

courtesy Ron Goodman

NEW CRAFT Local author Ron Goodman poses with his first published book at Kelly’s Books in Watsonville.

BY JOHANNA MILLER

A NEW CHAPTER

Local author, 87, releases first book about farm life in the 1940s

Author Ron Goodman has for the past 25 years been a member of Toastmasters, a worldwide nonprofit promoting communication, public speaking and leadership.

In that time, Goodman has written speeches, filling them with personal stories, particularly about growing up on a farm in Iowa in the 1940s. Fellow members became intrigued, and encouraged him to do more.

“They would say, ‘Ron, these stories are great, you should write a book!’” Goodman said. “So I joined a writing group… then another, and another. I thought, maybe if I get into enough of these groups I could get some support to actually do it.”

“Early Memories: A Southwest Iowa Farm Boy’s Adventures in the 1940s” is a series of essays about Goodman’s experiences growing up. It consists of 23 nonfiction essays, plus an additional five described as “Tall tales and other questionable events.”

Goodman, 87, was born in Nebraska before moving to Iowa at a young age. He lived on at least five different farms, helping his father and grandfather with daily life on the land.

“It was a challenging life, growing up,” he said. “It wasn’t what you’d call ‘born of the silver spoon.’ We were more like Little House on the Prairie.”

Goodman said that it has been a challenge to remember all the specific details.

“The memory gets a bit fuzzy as you get older,” he said. “I worked with a lot of ‘snapshot memories,’ specific scenes that I only recall as a moment in time. My goal is to have readers be there with me in those moments.”

The process of writing “Early Memories” was long and drawn out, Goodman said. He compiled the essays, working with his writing groups on how they should be put together.

“When I talked to people, sometimes something they said would trigger another memory… I’d write it down immediately,” he said.

Goodman says it feels “unreal” to have completed the book.

“I’m adoring how it feels to just hold it in my hand, knowing I wrote it,” he said.

“Early Memories: A Southwest Iowa Farm Boy’s Adventures in the 1940s” is available at Kelly’s Books, 1838 Main St., Watsonville. Goodman said he will approach other bookstores soon.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “I get the feeling there will be a lot of different messages; everyone might get something different out of it. I trust that people will enjoy the journey through this book.”