FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2010

CONTACT: Jeff Mammenga, Media Coordinator, (605) 773-6000, Jeff.Mammenga@state.sd.us

State Historical Society Book about Small-town Life in South Dakota

Wins National Award

PIERRE, S.D. — Small-town Boy, Small-town Girl: Growing Up in South Dakota, 1920–1950 may be about local life, but it has just hit the national spotlight.

Out of nearly 4,000 entries, the book published by the South Dakota State Historical Society is one of just 88 books to win a Gold IPPY. The award is presented by Independent Publisher, a publishing-industry magazine.

The critically-acclaimed Small-town Boy, Small-town Girl features two memoirs of growing up in South Dakota between 1920 and 1950. Eric Fowler (Small-town Boy) grew up in Milbank, the son of a railroad worker, and Sheila Delaney (Small-town Girl) grew up in Mitchell, the daughter of a doctor.

The Omaha World-Herald wrote, “If you like nostalgia or history, this is the book for you,” while Foreword this Week said the “engaging prose gives a picture of life in the first half of the 1900s.”

Available for $17.95 plus shipping and tax, Small-town Boy, Small-town Girl can be purchased from most bookstores, or ordered directly from the South Dakota State Historical Society Press. Visit www.sdshspress.com or call (605) 773-6009.

-30-

The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism and State Development and strives to help the state meet the goals of the 2010 Initiative by enhancing history as a tool for economic development and cultural tourism. The society is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.