The first book I will be reading is by the author Oscar Micheaux called the Homesteader. He was born in Metropolis, Illinois in 1884. He was at one time a Homesteader and later on wrote about his experiences, hence the title of the book. He has written several other books as well. He was the first major African-American filmmaker for both silent and "talkies" .
Interesting information about Metropolis, IL. :
At the time of his birth in 1884 the town of Metropolis was a little over 2,600 people. Since then there has been several athletes in baseball, golfer, and NASCAR racers, etc. The hometown of Superman. As af 2014 the population is now a little over 6,300.