The Clarksburg Tales

Small town life is pretty much the same no matter where you go in the good ol' US of A, and 1970 something Clarksburg, Iowa was no different. Everyone has a story to tell and rarely are they the same. The similarities come in the form of things that we all experience equally, openly, or sometimes; just hidden from view. Things like: conflict, prejudice, love, hate, joy, sadness, rejection, anger, disgust, misunderstanding, cruelty, betrayal, violence... you know them well. The old, rather outdated saying, "Children should be seen, not heard" still prevailed during this time period and the point of this collection is-for once-to hear what those children (actually teenagers in this case) have to say about their lives, loves, and losses, during a time in their existence when life is fast becoming a chaotic quagmire of issues unexpected. Mark Twain, well versed in small town life, was quoted as saying, "Human nature cannot be studied in cities except at a disadvantage-a village is the place. There, you can know your man inside and out-in a city you but know his crust, and his crust is usually a lie." So, without further ado, come in, take a seat, and hear what our young storytellers have to say. Welcome to Clarksburg!