cover image By the Iowa Sea: 
A Memoir of Disaster and Love

By the Iowa Sea: A Memoir of Disaster and Love

Joe Blair. Scribner, $24 (256p) ISBN 978-1-4516-3605-5

Blair, a pipe fitter and freelance writer living in Iowa, writes that he once prayed to God at age 10 to send him his challenge, but never did he think there would be so many of them, with a faltering marriage and four children, one of them autistic. Years earlier, ever the dreamer and adventurer, the then 20-something author, with his newlywed bride, Deb, on the back of his motorcycle, took a page from his favorite film, Easy Rider, and set out to explore the country. The adventures of the trip remain the high point of Blair’s often frustrating life, because nothing goes the way he dreams, and often his grandest schemes and plans derail horribly. All of the highs and lows of early marriage, the major joys and miscues of youth and commitment, give way to the stresses and responsibilities of remaining a viable family, which Blair depicts in a lyrical, vivid voice. Eventually, however, flirtations and interludes with other lovers undermine the stability of the couple’s relationship, pressured by parenting and a bland marital routine. However, Blair’s thoughtful memoir displays the strength and resilience of committed lovers in a tumultuous relationship. (Mar.)