On Jon K. Lauck’s 'The Good Country'

Where is the Midwest? How do we define its boundaries? Does it include Iowa? Yes. Nebraska? Maybe. The Dakotas? Absolutely not. Missouri? Trickier. But while the where is an open question, the answer to what the Midwest is seems pretty settled: it’s a place of stultifying conformity, hokey and hypocritical religiosity, and manners passed through gritted teeth.