An enlightening, instructive collection of articles written by journalists between 1867 and 1935 on their perceptions of the Amana colonies. Furthermore, the newspaper stories demonstrated that from an early date communal Amana was a popular new subject, not an isolated unknown, and provide many examples of how the community opened itself to outsiders. A bit of Europe in America, a voice out of the past on the world's western frontier, this unique community stands as the nearest approach in our day to the Utopian's dream of a community of men and women living together in peace, plenty, and happiness, away from the world and its many distractions. But the communism of Amana is not a dream: it is a fact an established order of life. Historical photographs and articles document the Amana community.
Most people never embark on a journey searching for truth, beauty, equality, and social justice. For me there has been no choice. During my youth, I was preoccupied with the quest for truth and beauty. As a photographer and writer, exploring visual truth and capturing beauty were my primary goals. I am a publisher and distributor for my company, Penfield Books. For more information, visit us at: www.penfieldbooks.com
I also have a photography business. For more information visit: http://joanliffringzugbourret.com/
In 2011, I published my autobiography of over 60 years of photography. I have photographed, Presidents, politicians, writers, artists, and many Eastern Iowans. My work has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cedar Rapids Art Museum. The complete autobiography is called, "Pictures and People: A Search for Visual Truth and Social Justice."
