For Shame, Boone! For Shame, Iowa! The Disappearance of Norma Maynard
One thousand, one hundred and twenty-six pages. The whole record — reports, court filings, correspondence, press cuttings and family photographs — set down by the man who spent four decades gathering it.
This edition carries nineteen corrections the author identified himself, and a photograph insert that did not appear in the original printing. It was published on 2 September 2026, which would have been Norma’s birthday.
About the author
Sidney S. Louis is a retired commissioned officer of the United States Public Health Service. He was born and raised in central Iowa and now lives in Fort Worth, Texas.
He is Norma Maynard’s brother. He is not a writer who chose a case from the newspapers; he is the person who went to the police, to the county, to the state, and kept every piece of paper he was ever given.
He is ninety-five years old, and he is still asking.
The story I tell is true — I lived what I write.
The Author’s Words
There is a joke early in “For Shame. Boone! For Shame, Iowa! The Disappearance of Norma Maynard” which, sadly, has been missed by readers.
I shall attempt to amend that.
When I titled the prologue “There is a tavern in the town”, I was having fun with the reader.
As the biker brawl reported in the prologue took place in a Boone tavern, I used the title of an old song, believing readers would enjoy the humor.
However, that bit of cleverness backfired – not one reader, to date, has caught what was behind the prologue title.
It is suggested all interested go online, type in – Song: There is a Tavern in the Town.
Information about the song will appear – it is from the late 1800s.
Music and words will be shown and there will be performances to watch.
In my defense, the song was popular in this country until the mid 1900s. It probably hasn’t been heard since around 1950.
So, enjoy, all!
A word of caution: the tune is catchy, and you may find yourself humming it, unawares. No real harm there.
Hear “There Is a Tavern in the Town” →For libraries and reviewers
Review copies are available to libraries, historical societies and the press, and the author is glad to take part in programmes by telephone.