If the run up to the Feb. 1 Iowa Caucuses has you wondering about the state of American politics, then join likeminded friends at the Hotel Pattee in Perry Friday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. for an old-fashioned soup supper featuring Iowa City writer Zachary Michael Jack.
Jack will visit Perry to discuss his latest novel, “Corn Poll: A Novel of the Iowa Caucuses,” and Hotel Pattee owner Jay Hartz will serve a specially selected menu of corn recipes, including corn soups, corn muffins, corn bread, biscuits—even caramel corn cake with fresh ice cream from a local creamery for dessert.
“Bring your book club or your whole family,” said Hartz. “It‘s sure to be an ‘Iowa Nice’ evening.”
According to Kick Marketing’s Jan Kaiser, Jack’s “Corn Poll” is “part political satire, part whodunit and part earnest call for political change. ‘Corn Poll’ is a novel for political junkies and political discontents alike—for anyone who ever held her nose and cast a vote and everyone who ever dreamed ‘We the People’ might demand the candidates we deserve.”
Longtime political columnist David Yepsen said Jack’s book provides “a nice break from the grind of campaign news. Beyond the spoofing of characters you’ll recognize, there’s a warm hope for something better in our political system.”
The novel has been compared to Joe Klein’s “Primary Colors” and Jane Smiley’s “Moo.”
“Corn Poll is a hoot and a holler for political reform,” according to Dr. Tim Walch, director emeritus at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. “This book will make you laugh and then think. In fact, what Zachary Michael Jack has to say might just make a difference in next year’s Iowa caucuses, and wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
Jack has published more than 20 award-winning books in a variety of genres, including fiction, poetry, literary journalism, creative nonfiction and personal essays. He has taken runner-up honors in the Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award, and his poetry has been awarded the Prentice Hall Prize. His work has appeared in USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Indianapolis Star, the Des Moines Register and in many other media organs.
Reservations are required for the Hotel Pattee event. Tickets are $19.95 (plus tax) per person. Call 515-465-3511 or register online at www.hotelpattee.com. Jack’s book will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
