Central Standard: A Time, a Place, a Family

by Patrick Irelan

"[Irelan's] spare prose and fidelity to the record provide this chronicle...with a historian's authority and a son's love.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2002

Reviews

[Elenute · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I'd like a book about someone's family, but I couldn't put it down. The glimpse into the past of the railroads, life as it was, absolutely fascinating.

[EJ Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book about the Irelan family in southern Iowa from the end of the 19th century and through most of the 20th. Growing up in a large family of farmers and railroad men gave Mr. Irelan wonderful material for his interesting and often poignant chapters on life in the Middle West. Irelan wrote about the family the way I enjoy: Not ignoring their imperfections but not weighing us down with them either. His relatives were perfect examples of imperfect people doing the best they could in less than perfect conditions with the result of solid, good though imperfect descendants. His descriptions of mid-century Davis County were great and, although I think there are three Iowa accents, I loved his very true to life depiction of the two Davis County dialects. I cried at Irelan's tribute to his older sister, when Pete died suddenly, and when the Last Train left. This is a must read for anyone who has ever lived in southern Iowa, ridden the California Zephyr from Hastings to Mt. Pleasant, or grown up in a family. Happily I've done all three.