An SM East grad’s foray into Kansas City’s colorful past has turned into a book getting a good deal of positive attention.
John Simonson, Lancer class of 1971, started recreating scenes from Kansas City’s past on a blog called Paris of the Plains a couple of years ago. As his pieces grew in popularity, he landed a book deal with the History Press, and Paris of the Plains: Kansas City from Doughboys to Expressways hit bookstore shelves just over a month ago.
Simonson said the whole venture came out of a desire to explore “this place and its time, so that I could stand in a particular location and be able to tell a story about what happened there, no matter how seemingly insignificant.”
“It’s a good town that sometimes seems to have neglected its own colorful and valuable past,” Simonson said. “I didn’t begin with any theme or mood in mind, but looking back over the book now, I can see a sense of loss pervades the thing.”
Simonson made an appearance last month on the Walt Bodine Show to discuss the book. (Click the link to listen).
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