Yidl in the Middle: Growing Up Jewish in Iowa

In many ways, Marlene Booth was just like any other girl growing up in the fairy-tale world of 1950s Iowa. She went to football games with her father, sang the Iowa Corn Song with pride, dreamed of being a cheerleader, was a member of the Girls Club and Student Court, and ended up marrying her high-school sweetheart. But there was something about her that always made her feel different: She was Jewish. With warmth and wisdom, Booth provides a missing link in discussions of Jewish identity "the negotiated identity" of Jews in small-town America who adapt their behavior to accommodate to local norms. Through hilarious home movies, conversations with old friends and footage of Marlene’s thirtieth high school reunion, we witness the forging of an identity composed of conflicting parts.