Ruth Harkin's Life Well Lived
A book review and an interview...
Ruth Harkin has a new memoir "When My Husband Ran for President ..…. and Other Short Stories."
For those who aren’t familiar with Ruth’s story, she served as Story County Attorney from 1973 to 1979. She served as deputy counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, worked for a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, and in 1993 was appointed chair and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corp. by President Bill Clinton. She became a senior vice president for United Technologies, a director of ConocoPhillips, and a member of the Iowa Board of Regents.
While her legacy is remarkable on its own, she is also the spouse of former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, probably best known for the historic Americans with Disabilities Act. While no one but Ruth and Tom knows the inner workings of their relationship and how influential they were are on each other’s careers, I will note that it’s called the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center at Drake University.
I’m not going to write much here about the book because I wrote a review for the Des Moines Register that came out online last week, and the Iowa Capital Dispatch graciously republished it this morning. Please check out my review online at either great news organization.
I’ve been reading the Register since I was a boy and was delighted to see the three-page review in print on Sunday in the Iowa Life section with some great photos.
And above is a screenshot of the review in the Iowa Capital Dispatch! I love this photo, and as always, I’m honored to be published in this fine news source.
Since Ruth doesn’t live far away, I asked for an interview to get to know her better. We met last year at the wonderful Okoboji Writers Retreat that Julie Gammack and Richard Gilbert host, but didn’t get to chat much (I believe there are still openings for this year from September 22-25—it’s a life-changing experience—please go if you can. You won’t be dissapointed. Click here to learn more).
The interview went well, and we touched on some topics in the book, and beyond. My interview style is simple. Keep my big mouth shut, listen, and ask open-ended questions. I think you will enjoy the interview. There are some “surprises” in it:
There are several opportunities to meet Ruth and learn more about her life and work. Below is a list of her book events this month. I’ll be at the event at Drake on Thursday. Please come and congratulate Ruth at one of these events.
Thursday, Sept. 5: Book release, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at The Harkin Center, Drake University, 2800 University Ave., Des Moines. Beaverdale Books will be on hand to sell books. The event is free, but registration is required. Here's the link for tickets.
Wednesday, Sept. 11: Event at 6 p.m., hosted by Prairie Lights Bookstore, at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., to be moderated by Robert Downer, an attorney and colleague with Ruth Harkin on the Iowa Board of Regents.
Saturday, Sept. 14: Event at 5 pm., moderated by Charlie Cook, founder of Cook Political Report, at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Thursday, Sept. 26: Book talk and signing at 6:30 p.m., West Des Moines Public Library, 4000 Mills Civic Parkway. Part of an author series. Co-sponsored by The Harkin Institute. Beaverdale Books will be selling books.
One more thing. Ruth’s book was published by my friend Steve Semken’s Ice Cube Press. Steve has done more for Iowa authors than any other press. His is a splendid list. Please check it out. Steve is also a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, and writes beautifully at Ice Cube Press: Publishing, Writing, and Smart Life Secrets.
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I am looking forward to reading this book. Will be listening to your interview later today when I have the time to focus on it. Thank you for doing this!
I'm still miffed over Harkin's claim to be a "Vietnam Veteran" when in fact he wasn't. His "Disabilities Act" was set in motion with lots of time to put it into play, and just as it was going to become the law of the land, as I recall, he retired to the Caribean, never to hear just how it has caused so many problems in implementation, especially in small communities with limited resources. All that glitters is not gold, that is for sure!