I took a chance on this book that I saw at Prairie Lights one day. It's a pretty fascinating read about the meat packing industry in Iowa. Decades ago the unions were busted up, and in their place came new factory farms staffed with a large percentage of non white workers. The book delves into the changes that many small, rural towns have faced, and continue to face as the industry evolves.
I found some of the passages about the plant in Columbus Junction fascinating because I have a lot of family in the area, and my mom grew up. in the area. One person the book follows is a 90+ year old woman named Corrine who grew up in the area. She was born and raised on a farm to an Irish Catholic family. The book goes into the discrimination the Irish faced in Iowa. As the book moves along this sweet old lady describes growing up a devoted Catholic going to Mass at St. Malachy's in Letts, and not being able to understand the Latin the priest used. Time passed and the church was closed as membership dwindled. Corrine moved to a church in Wapello, which was closed in a year. She is now attending St. Joseph's in Columbus Junction. English services will draw 50 or so church members. Spanish speaking services will attract up to 300, featuring families with many young kids. Corrine, who grew up attending Mass in a language she could not understand, now gets uncomfortable about Mass in Spanish. There are some very telling comments about the area, and how folks feel as Iowa changes around them. It's odd to hear a sweet old lady who grew up Catholic in an area where discrimination was prevalent, now being pretty open about how she doesn't like all the newcomers speaking a different language. She doesn't appreciate the vibrancy they bring, and that they are helping keep the area going on as more and more rural communities in Iowa shrink.
Beyond that, there is lots of gritty, grimy, bloody stuff about the efficiency of these plants, and the toll they take on the workers. And, how the plants use religion to recruit and retain workers. Finding clergy who can appeal to the proliferating religions, and the multitude of languages being spoken.
If you have the time, and the interest, it's worth a read.
I found some of the passages about the plant in Columbus Junction fascinating because I have a lot of family in the area, and my mom grew up. in the area. One person the book follows is a 90+ year old woman named Corrine who grew up in the area. She was born and raised on a farm to an Irish Catholic family. The book goes into the discrimination the Irish faced in Iowa. As the book moves along this sweet old lady describes growing up a devoted Catholic going to Mass at St. Malachy's in Letts, and not being able to understand the Latin the priest used. Time passed and the church was closed as membership dwindled. Corrine moved to a church in Wapello, which was closed in a year. She is now attending St. Joseph's in Columbus Junction. English services will draw 50 or so church members. Spanish speaking services will attract up to 300, featuring families with many young kids. Corrine, who grew up attending Mass in a language she could not understand, now gets uncomfortable about Mass in Spanish. There are some very telling comments about the area, and how folks feel as Iowa changes around them. It's odd to hear a sweet old lady who grew up Catholic in an area where discrimination was prevalent, now being pretty open about how she doesn't like all the newcomers speaking a different language. She doesn't appreciate the vibrancy they bring, and that they are helping keep the area going on as more and more rural communities in Iowa shrink.
Beyond that, there is lots of gritty, grimy, bloody stuff about the efficiency of these plants, and the toll they take on the workers. And, how the plants use religion to recruit and retain workers. Finding clergy who can appeal to the proliferating religions, and the multitude of languages being spoken.
If you have the time, and the interest, it's worth a read.
