{"product_id":"the-republic-of-eastern-iowa-bill-schmalfeldt-9798240996160","title":"The Republic of Eastern Iowa","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen an unimaginable catastrophe plunges America into darkness, the people of Clinton, Iowa, suddenly find themselves cut off from the rest of the nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo phones. No internet. No television. No government instructions. No idea whether Washington still exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor Mayor Frank Ramey, survival means keeping the water running, feeding frightened citizens, maintaining order, and somehow preventing the city council from turning an apocalypse into a three-hour budget meeting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor others, however, disaster presents opportunity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs rumors spread, tempers fray, and ordinary people struggle to rebuild a semblance of civilization by lantern light, one ambitious National Guard officer begins to imagine a very different future-one in which eastern Iowa no longer answers to anyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArmed with equal measures of common sense, stubbornness, and Midwestern sarcasm, Frank and an unforgettable cast of city officials, soldiers, refugees, sanitation workers, and small-town eccentrics discover that preserving democracy may be far more difficult than rebuilding it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy turns funny, absurd, suspenseful, and surprisingly heartfelt, \u003cem\u003eThe Republic of Eastern Iowa\u003c\/em\u003e is a satirical look at what happens when the lights go out, the rules disappear, and perfectly ordinary people are forced to decide what kind of country they want to live in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause when civilization collapses, someone still has to pick up the garbage, organize the soup kitchen, and explain to the self-appointed Field Marshal why declaring independence might require a little more paperwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-From the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Cats Have Notes \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e The Eternal Trump\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bill Schmalfeldt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798240996160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 170\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.47lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.43d","brand":"Bill Schmalfeldt","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49084273000703,"sku":"9798240996160","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_dcfdfd4b-a837-4f0b-b49a-86a73430eda2.jpg?v=1787620597","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-republic-of-eastern-iowa-bill-schmalfeldt-9798240996160","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}