Books by John Lawrence

This heartfelt, hilarious, self-deprecating and candid memoir of stumbling through medical school, takes readers along for the journey of medical school. John''s transformation, from an uncertain liberal-arts student into a medical doctor, keeps the pages turning due to his entertaining, unique, and tongue-in cheek storytelling. From the challenge of being accepted into medical school; to memorizing human anatomy using ribald mnemonic devices; to delivering babies, John recounts what really goes on behind clinic doors. As if medical school was not challenging enough, John survived two traumatic brain injuries right before medical school started, leaving him exhausted, and without much short term memory. Memory and an ability to stay awake are two qualities you might value in medical school. Anyone who has experienced imposter syndrome, the idea that you are a complete fish out a water, or who does not belong, will appreciate John''s humor and vulnerability describing not fitting in too well to the academic and professional environment. Pre-med students might wish an early look into what life might be like training to be a doctor. Anyone who has experienced being treated by a doctor will enjoy seeing the reality of the medical system and how medical professionals are educated.

Not everyone chooses the streets. Sometimes, when everything is taken away, it's all that's left... The slums of Shindjin have long since been the champion of poverty. Violence and extortion are commonplace, where one's fate can literally be determined by a roll of the dice. A place where the fallout of these actions fall onto the shoulders of children. Shou and Jun are two such children, torn from the comfort of the lives they knew. Now thrust into an environment where organized crime IS law. With nowhere to turn, they're forced to become the very thing that ruined their lives.

This is the first comprehensive history of films made in or about Iowa. It reflects some twenty years of collecting, lecturing, and talking with some of Iowa's current generation of independent filmmakers. It covers the span from 1918 to 2013 and gives important background information on dozens of high profile films such as the STATE FAIR films of 1933 and 1945, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, FIELD OF DREAMS, and many others. It is designed as a companion for the State Historical Society's blockbuster "Hollywood in the Heartland" exhibition in Des Moines that is scheduled to run at least through 2016. The book has an interpretive essay covering the entire history as well as paragraph length descriptions of each film. A user-friendly feature is the Index of Films, which makes it easy to locate discussions of individual films. Marty Knepper is a featured commentator on video screens in the "Hollywood in the Heartland" exhibition.