Living Arrows

About the Book

“Living Arrows” is a true story. It is the story of a large family of nine boys and six girls born to George and Frances Spielbauer. Its pages are filled with hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows, laughter and tears, and, yes, successes and failures. It covers a time span of approximately fifty years, beginning in the middle 1920s, struggling through the World War II years—surviving the Great Depression—and continues into the early ’70s. Its setting is the small picturesque German Catholic community of Guttenberg located in northeast Iowa along the Mississippi River. As you peruse the pages of “Living Arrows,” you will be introduced to many dear and delightful personalities who played a most important role in the growing up years of these children. It has been said that “it takes a village to raise a child” and after reading the saga of the Spielbauer family, I am most certain that you will all agree.

About the Author

Hildagarde Spielbauer Brooks was born and raised in Guttenberg, Iowa. She has lived in the Midwest her entire lifetime where she has previously written numerous short stories and articles for several local newspapers in the area. She was born into a very large family, the seventh of fifteen children. She loves reading, writing, poetry, music, and, most importantly, her family and grandchildren. She is married to Merrill (Dick) Brooks. They reside in Marshalltown, Iowa. Together, they have three children, one of whom is now deceased. “Living arrows” is her first introduction to the publishing world.