Book Description

A Clean Street's a Happy Street is a Bronx memoir both powerful and moving.A heart-breaking tale seen through the eyes of a boy who struggles to hold on to a dream while dealing with his mentally ill mother, a drunk absent father, too many siblings and too little money... A hard-knock life transformed into art! ... Read more

Book Description

It wasn't until her fifth daring rescue at sea in 1869 that the world discovered the remarkable Ida Lews, tender of the Lime Rock lighthouse off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island.Hailed for her lifesaving efforts by luminaries of the day, Lewis was the first person awarded a Congressional medal for her years of extraordinary heroism.Weaving thrilling nautical adventures with tales of other female lighthouse keepers, this compelling biography opens a fascinating and previously unexplored chapter in the history of American women. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Inspiring
Ida Z. Lewis is the rarest of individuals: courageous; noble; sure. Yet even in the face of world renown, she remains at heart a simple Yankee woman, passionate about the sea and her commitment as the Keeper of Lime Rock. Lenore Skomal has written a tale that will inspire landlubbers and seafarers alike. A book to be read and passed along so Ida's star shines long and bright. -- An Oregon coast reader

Time stands still for no man, or woman for that matter
I read this book in a day. I was so taken by the life story of Ida Lewis and her many rescues in the harbor at Newport Rhode Island I could not put it down. I grew up in the area and I can't imagine how her very existence was unknown to me, until I was so lucky as to pick up this book in passing.

The first woman lighthouse keeper, she made her first rescue at the age of 15 while living on Lime Rock with her family. Weighing all of 103 pounds her 18 documented feats of bravery over the years were nothing short of a miracle. Her modesty in the face of the attention showered upon her was a sight to behold. She was a woman with a purpose and the safety of the voyagers in her realm was of the utmost priority.

In her lifetime her notoriety would bring even presidents to her rock in the harbor. At the age of 69, bureaucracy and a changing world of technology would shake the core of Ida's ways, upsetting her lifelong endeavors of keeping the light, and bringing things to an end for her. This was an inspiring book and extremely well researched. The author was diligent in searching out and documenting her sources, since Ida was not one to keep a journal. Where there was any question Skomal is quick to explain how she arrived at the material that she chose to include in the book.. Kelsana 7/31/02

New York Public Library Award winning biography
"Keeper of Lime Rock" was recently honored by the New York Public Library as a new listing in its 2003 Books for the Teenage. It is listed as one of only seven new listings under the category of "Remarkable People." Although not originally written for a teen audience, it has clearly found appeal among that market and I couldn't be more thrilled.

The Keeper of Lime Rock
I have to say that more in depth information would have been good.The only reason I say this is because I am the great, great, great grand-daughter of Ida Lewis and I have Just recently found this out, I think more about the family and life of Ida Like when she use to pull the plank so that my grandmother could not get to the light house, because Ida wanted to be alone. We have the certificates that were presented to my grandmother from the president of the united states, after her death. So much was missed for a bioagraphy.

This book is a joke
I would prefer not to give this any star at all.I can't imagine how any self-respecting publishing company accepted this book and then released it without ever having an editor work on it. Ms. Skomal needed an editor in the worst way. The book was so full of awkward sentences, childish constructions and misused words that sometimes I laughed out loud. Perhaps the problem arises from the fact that the book is mercilessly padded. There's good magazine article here and nothing more. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's always a pleasure to read a memoir about the 1960s that doesn't rationalize or recriminate but instead concentrates on conveying the texture of those wild times. Micah Perks's matter-of-fact re-creation of her counterculture childhood makes it clear that living without rules had severe consequences, but she also captures the anarchic pleasures of that life. Perks was 6 weeks old in 1963 when her parents borrowed $20,000 to buy 550 acres of land in the Adirondacks and establish the Valley Commune School. They took in troubled teens referred by the courts and children disabled by mental illness, aiming to help them grow up "free from the suffocating values of mainstream society." "We're changing the established order," her charismatic, feckless father asserted, handing out guns to juvenile delinquents and organizing a "war" between Romans and Celts in which the retreating Romans set fire to a pagan shrine. Micah's best friend, she learned 20 years later, was sexually abused by an older boy and his girlfriend; her father slept with students and virtually any other woman he ran across; in retaliation her mother began an affair with the man who would eventually become her lifelong partner. Readers may well be horrified by the grownups' abdication of responsibility, but Perks herself is unfazed by the vagaries of human nature and seems to bear no grudge, though her adult attitude toward her parents is wary. "That was the best part of my life," she concludes, adding in a properly parenthetical aside: "(best is not quite accurate, but I don't know what other word to use)." Judging by her scrupulous, evenhanded narrative, we can guess that for all the terror and uncertainty she endured, she values her childhood for the intensity and honesty she experienced watching a bunch of principled misfits live their convictions. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Lovely
I came across this book by accident when I happened to walk into a bookstore just as Micah was doing a reading and booksigning. I was immediately taken by the stories of her unusual childhood and ended up buying the book and reading it several times. It's filled with love, tragedy, and a lot of wild characters. Perfect for anyone who's familiar with alternative lifestyles, or just interested.

fine memoir style and subject matter: hippie communes
Micah Perks' strategy is to write a present tense memory narrative of her youth in Vermont where she witnesses the folly of hippy commune living and her father's tyrannical moral relativism, which he uses to justify a rather Billy Goat existence, at the expense of his wife. Perks never preaches, analyzes, or tells us much. Instead, she narrates strings and strings of memories. The only problem with this approach is that there is not much dramatic tension, no roller coaster ride, but a sort of flat line throughout the 160-page book. However, her style and language are sharp and immaculate.

A Great Memoir
Whenever I crack open a memoir, I'm worried that it's going to be one of those naval-gazing autobiographies that will serve to distinguish our generation of American writers by our wholehearted lack of self-consciousness about how insignificant we really are. I have this vision of memoir (with its better potential for prurient scandal and book sales) sucking away the creative lives of writers, luring them from the greater art of writing that more tenuous form of autobiography known as fiction. Occasionally, I am forced to abandon this prejudice, when I stumble on a memoir like Natalie Kusz's ROAD SONG, or Paul Auster's INVENTION OF SOLITUDE: I'll see a portrait of character so carefully drafted, so astute, so detailed, so true, that it astonishes me. I feel the memoir's characters standing behind me, breathing over my shoulder as I read, more real than life, bigger even than their own lives.

PAGAN TIME is such a memoir. The character at the heart of this book is the narrator's father, co-founder of a '60's Utopian collective and a school for schizophrenic and delinquent teenagers. This is a man who moves his family to an isolated spot in the Adirondacks, imports a handful of disturbed and dangerous adolescents into their midst, and proceeds to live in a world governed by alliance with or against his boisterous, lawless character. His force of personality allows him to persuade whole groups of teenage delinquents, grown men and his own children to dress up as Romans and Celts fighting battles in the woods; to chant and sing at overnight pig roasts; to orchestrate a flower-child wedding with himself and nine boys decked in eighteenth-century Royal Navy uniforms offering a ten-gun salutes with muskets.

Perks's father's spontaneity, energy and ingenuity allow him to recreate life as he goes along - to build a world not just big enough for himself but also for those around him - and one which, ultimately, provides perfect camouflage for a person who may be no more than an ephemeral and shadowy personality, a trick of mirrors, a man with a slim conscience and the most fragile ability to form lasting connections with any other person, including his wives, lovers and children. Perks's memoir unravels with a Great Gatsby-like elegance, an agile sleight of hand - its conclusion reminds me more than anything of Henry Gatz's arrival at his son's wake, to tell us all about the other Gatsby. PAGAN TIME Time leaves you just as unsure about who its central character might really be - when, for example, he faces the reader and narrator recreated as a butler who lives as a parody and embodiment of all the rules of civilization , a butler who, with a wonderful twistiness, pronounces himself a Buddhist who "does not cling." It is in the final few encounters with him and with his family and their spare words about him, that he emerges as whole and wholly believable.

Perks writes with such a clear eye - without self-pity or self-importance, without moralizing conclusions, with a lively sense of curiosity about life and people. This is a smart, novel portrayal of fatherhood and father-daughter relations, and an exuberant portrait of the world of the sixties as well. The memoir's energetic writing sustains the reader right to the end, and every passage is deft - at times exhilaratingly dramatic, at times breathtakingly spare. ... Read more

Book Description

The death in May 2000 of John Cardinal O'Connor, archbishop of New York, was a vital loss to countless millions. A shining, openhearted crusader for traditional values in an increasingly bewildering culture, O'Connor was a pioneer for the new face of Catholicism, mapping out an unequivocal political and ethical code that stood for unconditional charity, civil liberties, and social justice. His widespread influence and spiritual presence are still felt strongly today.

Now, for the first time, one of last century's most inspiring voices for humanity, conscience, and compassion is celebrated and remembered through the words of those who knew him best. Renowned author and journalist Terry Golway shares a diverse collection of intimate stories and accounts: from former New York Mayor Ed Koch, one of the archbishop's closest friends, to fellow clerics he inspired, to all manner of laypersons around the country whose lives were touched and changed by this vital pillar of the Roman Catholic Church.

With never-before-seen photographs throughout, along with fascinating, previously unpublished correspondence to and from O'Connor, Full of Grace is a gorgeous tribute and an unprecedented remembrance, affording full access to the vast heart of the extraordinary man who once famously understated, "I hope that in each place I've gone, I saved some souls." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Man of Conviction; A Poor Biography
John Cardinal O'Connor was undoubtedly a man of conviction. He was a colorful poltical heavyweight; a significant player in worldwide Roman Catholic politics and in American affairs in general. Sadly, while O'Connor might be commended for his loyalty, he is not a man who should be exalted as one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20th century.

John O'Connor could have been great! He could have been. Instead he chose a different path - favored son in a "family" (in this case an institution) out of touch with the world.

He could have dared to speak up for those who were marginalized.He could have told the poor faithful people of his church that he understood their need to practice birth control. He could have advanced the recognition of women as full and complete members of the church. He could have recognized that so many American Catholics felt out of touch with the message of their Church. While he visited dying gay men and opened places where they cold die with dignity, he continued to deny their legitimate place on the earth.

Perhaps the greatest lost opportunity was the fact that John O'Connor could have changed the Church -- but didn't!

I finish this book sadly feeling that here was a man who had the forum to do great things but sadly chose not to. It is the sadness of "the could have ... but didn't".

A Man of Conviction is small book which poorly conceived and dully written. If this book is some effort to advance O'Connor's spiritual legacy in the hope that he will yet again be promoted, perhaps to Sainthood, it is a bad start.

Lovely book, terrific writer,fawning memories
John O'Connor,late Cardinal Archbishop of New York, was a large figure on the political and religious landscape for almost 17 years. One time Hawkish military chaplain{his pro military stances influenced many of the documents that came out of the bishops conferences],he became bishop of scranton, Pa.,then very quickly{I mean real quickly} Archbishop of the largest archdiocese in North America. He sparred with polticians early{Publicly berating democats Mario cuomo and Geraldine ferraro for their pro-choice stands}though not republicans{though he did criticise R Guliani 's policies as viscious against the poor}, so often putting his foot in his mouth that all three of the major dailies began putting reporters at the Sunday 10 am mass. This collection, has nomne of that. O'connor was a vociferous supporter of the state of Israel, and is warmly remembered as such. He was also an avowed opponenet of homsexuality, and some of his worst moments came in trying to defend his position. He was also a man of great generosity, refusing to close any schools{no matter how poor they were]. begging, literally, begging some of the moneybags catholics{Simon, Grace, et,al. } for donations.He opened doors of catholic hospitals to aids patients{while condeming thier lifestyle. }In short, a man of immense contradictions, who died a slow, painful public death, and did so with great dignity, and without some of the macabre operatic flourishes of so public a demise. The best of these remembrances come from ordianry folks,not the politicians nor clergy{what on earth do youthink a priest of another bishop would say about him? Now if they gave archbishop rembert weakland of Milwaukee a free hand to discuss OConnors lack of support for him with this problems with rome, that would have been interesting]. In all, a well done,though curiosly unsatisfying collection, too much warm fuzziness, not enough exploration.For those who admired him,a very good book. see also Nat Hentoff's ear;lier Biography{also very flattering] for more sources. A loyal soldier of the church.

Enduring devotion has made me biased
I am admittedly a very devoted friend of the late Cardinal. I miss him greatly as a former regular Mass-goer at St. Patrick's Cathedral in the late 90's. I miss him still more as my old guardian angel who did more than one favor for a skinny little kid from Brooklyn, without recompense. Nor did he seek it, except for my soul, and the hope that I would always love Jesus. So if you ever admired this man, his honesty, his frankness, his gift for trying his best in every circumstance, even if you did not agree with everything he said, you will indeed like this book. He was, as his friends reminisce, a mensch. You will hear his words, recognise his wit, recall his stature. I miss him too much, this man who fought tooth and nail, for whatever he thought was truly important for the well being of body and soul of his flock. But then, anyone in New York, or anyone in his line of sight was his flock. Oh, I miss him, and I am glad to hear from him again. Requiescat in pace. ... Read more

Book Description

The Site
May 30, 2002

"How will we ever get through this?" is the question I asked on the night of September 11.

"How?"

Maybe the answer is here, all around me. Not just in the cleanup, not just in the purpose demonstrated by all who came and labored in these months.

The answer is in the enduring spirits of all assembled here. That, for me, is the miracle in all of this: having looked horror in the face, we bear the pain without losing heart.

-- Thomas Von Essen

Reviews (23)

a view from far away
Viewed from the other side of the country, STRONG OF HEART by Commissioner Thomas Von Essen is an engaging insight into the life & times of the FDNY & the cataclysm of 9/11.

For those of us outside the furor which apparently is raging over Von Essen's memoirs, STRONG OF HEART is a worthy read of one man's memories rich with inside details of the way it was at Ground Zero from someone in the thick of it. From helicopter rides to the hundreds of wakes; from telling hundreds of bereaved families; from making errors in identification; from rubbing shoulders with rescuers, presidents, mayors & journalists, from one of the few survivors whose life work has been transformed by that dreadful day.

Complete with some profound photos.

RebeccasReads recommends it highly.

Could have been more.......
I will make this review short and to the point.Commissioner Von Essen had the potential for a great book, but something was lost along the way.For one thing, there is really no mention of the '93 WTC bombing in here.Even if he may have had a small part to play in it, that is a pretty significant part of the history of the FDNY.I would have liked to have seen the Commish write a little more about Ray Downey and some of the other people he talks about in the book, but that is my personal preference. I was disappointed with the inclusion of the Commish's notes from the days following September 11th......I was not sure what to make of them, but I mostly thought the publishers needed to fill some space.This may or may not be true.If you want to read another account of the FDNY response to September 11th, then please get this book.

the running man
Tom von essen was the only member of the Fire Dept to run away from the disaster of 9/11. He is seen on national TV with his cerimonial turnout coat and helmet. three days later he is seen , with the President in a battered helmet and coat showing burn marks of a real firefighting veteran.
This book ,like that vision is filled with half truths and lies from a man who has no shame.
A man who has always capitalized on the working heros of the FDNY and tried to run a Department when he addmits that he couldn,t pass the fire Lt. test. We question what happened to all the unfavorable reviews sent to amazon.com

Great Book
I thought this book was great.I have read other books that tie into Sep. 11 and found this one to be a real tribute to so many people who were a part of that historical day.I also got to know what goes thru a mans mind who has to deal with such tragedy.There are lite moments in this book that I felt made it so very real and honest and tragic moments that made it the same.I am very glad I read it!!

A Good Book
I found this book to be both interesting and sad. A real tribute to the brave souls lost on not only 9-11 but during the Fire Commisioners term in office.I cant imagine being in his place!
I thought this book read fast and am glad I read it.God Bless the souls lost on 9-11 and God Bless America ... Read more

Book Description

In THE BIRDHOUSE CHRONICLES, internationally bestselling author Cathleen Miller offers a funny and wise account of how she and her husband, Kerby, abandoned their San Francisco advertising careers to make a radical new life for themselves in a one-hundred-year-old Pennsylvania farmhouse located in the middle of an Amish cornpatch. Part memoir, part nature writing, and part old-house-restoration journal, this wonderfully intimate narrative brings home all the humor, exhilaration, and disappointment of pursuing a realer, "simpler" life in the country. Miller sprang from a rural background, and she's run from her roots during most of her adult life, but in Zion, Pa., she makes a gratifying, if not dubious, peace with her past.

In her sassy, self-deprecating style, Cathleen Miller puts a fresh, authentic spin on the classic country memoir and surprises us with many unique twists, such as her close encounters with Amish neighbors. Sometimes wry and sometimes full of awe, her observations about these and other locals infuse this delightful true story with rich texture. Through it all we witness the blow-by-blow process of how she and her husband refurbished their woefully dilapidated country house, turning it into a home with a soul. A witty and entertaining narrative with a satisfying undercurrent of meaning and joy, THE BIRDHOUSE CHRONICLES is sure to become a classic of the back-to-the-country genre. (6 x 9, 288 pages) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Celebration of Appalachia
In this book Cathleen Miller celebrates her new life in Appalachia, bringing a sense of wonder to the landscape, seasons and citizens of Central Pennsylvania.She is a skilled writer and one is soon lulled into the warm cocoon of this couple's world by Miller's engaging voice-alternately hilarious, poignant, inquisitive, and revealing.

Critics of her memoir seem to have missed a few key points in the narrative.Miller makes herself the butt of her jokes-not her neighbors.She talks about how she doesn't understand them, she finds their traditions unfamiliar, but her essayist's questioning always comes from a place of respectful curiosity, as if examining her own opinions in this new world as much as those of the residents of Centre County.In fact, one look at the opening pages of The Birdhouse Chronicles should say it all, as Miller chooses to honor her neighbors in the dedication: "For the good folks who live on Burd Lane with my gratitude and respect."The reader from Aaronsburg also seems not to have noticed that the author and her husband are donating their time to preserve historic landmarks in her beloved region, thereby providing-along with this great memoir of place-a lasting tribute to rural Pennsylvania.

Even though I live in State College, I first heard about this book from reading a review of it in The Wall Street Journal.The reviewer mentioned how the book slowed down time to emulate the experience of living in the country, and for me that was a welcome gift.

Self-centered drivel
As a native of Centre County I looked forward to hearing someones view of an area of the country that I have left and returned to for its quirky charm and customs.But instead what I found was a smug, self-indulgent story that rambles on never to make a profound or astute observation.The author portrays herself and her husband as superiors to their earnest, hardworking neighbors --she laughs at, not with them. She mocks their holiday customs, their offers of help, and assistance, their entertainment,their towns, every element of their lives.If I could give this book negative stars, I would, but the form wont let me. I can't believe any publisher thought this book she be printed.

Back To The Country
Cathleen Miller tells a captivating story about the joys and tribulations of returning back to a country life.Who hasn't dreamed at one time of leaving a current life behind--to go on blind faith to create a new life in a completely different environment.She and her husband had the courage to try her dreams.What started as a career life change to nonfiction writing ended up as a published book that details their unique journey.Sometimes it takes writing, reflection and perspective to appreciate what we have.Although much of the story takes place in Pennsylvania, her native Missouri roots make me think she is Mark Twain reincarnated.I thoroughly recommend this book.

Stealth Humor
My mother recommended this book to me - I am not normally a reader of back to the country memoirs - saying that she loved Miller's rich descriptions and her "stealth humor." I was raised in the country and appreciated Miller's perspectives - I'm sure I would turned up my mouth in wry amusement, much as her Pennsylvania neighbors did, watching this city girl trying her darndest to live up to the romantic visions of country life while living in landed poverty. Watching Miller making ends meet by gardening, canning, sewing and existing in the only way she could by doing everything herself the cheapest way, the hardest way, was a sometimes funny, sometimes sad, depiction of reality when our fondest dreams come true. A talented writer, Miller entertained me, too, with her stealth humor. It made me wish for a back-to-the-city sequel.

Humorless self-indulgence
As someone who grew-up in Central Pennsylvania, I looked forward to reading about someone else's experiences in an area of the country thatI love.Instead, I found a smug, self-indulgent story that twitters on with a superior air and provides as much depth and insight into what Pennsylvania country life is really like as a piece of used plastic wrap.

I loved the self-deprecating humor of books like Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence," in which the author provides a rich tapestry of what it is like to adapt to a different culture, and was suckered into reading this book on the promise that it was of the same caliber. IT IS NOT!!At all times, the author portrays herself and her husband as superior beings to their earnest, hardworking neighbors --she laughs at, not with them.If I could give this book negative stars, I would, but the form won't let me. ... Read more

Book Description

In a small neighborhood, atop a hill in Pittsburgh, thrives a world where neighbors don't move away, where friends become family, and where community takes on a deeper meaning. Welcome to the inviting and intriguing neighborhood of Troy Hill. Unlike nearby towns, the families of Troy Hill have lived in the same neighborhood for generations, providing continuity in these women's lives and depth in their relationships. They christened babies, raised children, and even buried their loved ones together. Now in their seventies and eighties, the women of Troy Hill form a community of independent souls, who find joy in each other and solace in service. Troy Hill and these women resonate beyond this hilltop, providing insight into bonds between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, sisters and friends. From them we learn to shape our lives with love and humor.

Veteran reporter Clare Ansberry brings to life these vibrant women, and offers some invaluable lessons about acceptance, faith, and family. A portrait of American life and a hymn to the durability of the human spirit, The Women of Troy Hill is an inspiration for us all.
... Read more

Reviews (7)

Not what I expected...but the last chapter made it worth it
This book was not what I expected. I was looking for either a story about each individual women or how they all interacted. The book just seems to jump from one story to the next. All the names were so similar that it was hard to keep track of who was from each family. I never did quite get how they all interacted. I know that they all knew each other from living on Troy Hill, but other than that.....

That being said, these women were all amazing. They did was has to be done and didn't complain. In reading this it was easy to see my own grandparents and understand a little better why they do the things they do....why relationships and family is so important. The last chapter kind of made the book. It talks about the vitures of friendship and how these women have been friends for so long that they wouldn't know what to do without the other. It is rare to find a friendship like that in today's society. Friends and Family are the world to these women....maybe we can all learn from that

Not What I Expected.......
Maybe it was the writer's fault, but this story just wasn't presented the way I thought it would be. It turned out to be more of a travelogue of this little neighborhood than individual stories about the ladies themselves. I couldn't finish it.

Lives well-lived
The Women of Troy Hill chronacles the lives of a group of women who have lived on Troy Hill, not far from Pittsburg for most , if not all their lives. It follows family's immigration to this country, settling down, and the changing roles of women in America throughout the 1900's. These women are strong, faith-filled and examples of lives well lived. This is a delightful book, and a tribute to these wonderful women.

Neighbors as teachers
I enjoyed this book because it's the story of so many women's stories: nurturing to many and being a good neighbor. None of these women thought themselves worthy of a memoir because they led and still lead "normal" lives and were just doing what they were supposed to do: be respectful, be humble, be truthful, be genreous, be loyal, be caring, be loving to one another. Ms. Ansberry writes well of ordinary lives that makes you think they are extraordinary. One line that I recall was that, "men worked, but women neighbored." Oh, to have neighborhoods that care and teach us like this!

A trip back in time
I am 77 years old and I found this book transporting me back to youthful days. The ethos of the women of Troy Hill was the ethos of my youth. The simple virtues of faith and friendship as described in the book reminded me times gone by and wished for again. ... Read more

Book Description

In the summer of '61, Homer "Sonny" Hickam, a year of college behind him, is dreaming of sandy beaches and rocket ships. But before Sonny can reach the seaside fixer-upper where his mother is spending the summer, a telephone call sends him back to the place he thought he had escaped, the gritty coal-mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. There, Sonny's father, the mine's superintendent, has been accused of negligence in a man's death. Sonny's mother, Elsie, has commanded her son to spend the summer in Coalwood to support his father. But within hours of his arrival, Sonny realizes two things: His father, always cold and distant with his second son, doesn't want him there... and his parents' marriage has begun to unravel. For Sonny, so begins a summer of discovery - a time when he will learn about love, loss, and a closely guarded secret that threatens to destroy his father and his town. As the days of summer grow shorter, Sonny finds himself changing in surprising ways, taking the first real steps toward adulthood. But it's a journey he can make only by unraveling the story of a man's death and a father's secret - the mysteries that lie at the heart of Coalwood. ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Life Goes On in Different Places.
Homer served in the army in Viet Nam 1967-68, worked for NASA in Huntsville, Alabama; during his second stint in the army he learned to scuba dive in Puerto Rico.Then he returned to Huntsville, where he became a scuba instructor in 1973 at Aquaspace. In 1975, he started diving and researching shipwrecks along the Atlantic Ocean while writing articles for 'America History Illustrated' about his adventures under water.

He lived three years in Germany and at the age of 38, in 1981, he returned to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville as an engineer on Spacelab Program, where he worked to develop the flawed Hubble Telescope, NASA's giant eye on the universe.Even with the blurred optics, the Hubble changed the way we view life in outer space nonetheless.

He writes, "I am proud to have been one of the thousands engineers and scientists who designed, built and then fixed this magnificent observatory."He trained astronauts in weightlessness using a tank of water.Along the way he learned to fly a Cessna.

In 1994, the article he wrote about the Rocket Boys in Coalwood, West Virginia for the 'Air and Space/Smithsonian' magazine was expanded into the book and the movie, OCTOBER SKY.Parts of the movie were filmed here in Knoxville and used my old high school, now a middle school in Ftn. City,for some of the experiments.

Overnight he became a celebrity there in Huntsville with the astronauts asking him for his autograph.He wrote the book BACK TO THE MOON for Hollywood.THE COALWOOD WAY, a sequel to the ROCKET BOYS, and now this memoir, SKY OF STONE.To come from a poor state like West VA, he has flown a long way from home and, with his books, will climb even higher.

Well done, but it's not October Sky
I enjoyed this insight into Homer Hickam as a young college-age man and his maturation, but enjoyed October Sky so much more. This tale seemed forced, with an underlying mystery that Homer just happens to help solve along the way. It's good, but of the two, I'd take October Sky.

I'm sure Mr Hickam was a great scientist, but....
just think how many more wonderful literary masterpieces we would have today if he'd focused on writing instead!

I picked this book up at the library after I happened upon some good reviews here.I must say, I am very much impressed with Homer Hickam.The writing is fluid and very well developed.The story is wholesome and reminiscent of simpler times, and the plot is superb.

I am definitely going to be reading more of Mr. Hickam's works, which, if you notice, all receive 4-5 stars here.America, I think the writing of Homer Hickam will continue to do us proud!

Coalwood's swan song
Through Homer Hickam's marvelous memoirs, readers have been transported to Coalwood, West Virginia, of the late 1950s - first in ROCKET BOYS (made into the film OCTOBER SKY), then THE COALWOOD WAY, and now SKY OF STONE.

It's the summer of 1961. After his freshman year at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Homer wants to join his mother at her new house in Myrtle Beach, a coastal resort in South Carolina. But there's been a fatal accident back in the mine at Coalwood, and Homer's Dad, the mine superintendent, is under investigation by state and federal agencies. So, Mom tells Homer to go back home and keep his Dad company. And, as readers of the series know, Elsie Hickam is not one to trifle with.

SKY OF STONE is, I think, certainly superior to THE COALWOOD WAY, and perhaps even to ROCKET BOYS. It's in this third volume that Homer emerges from adolescence. He comes to grips with his parents' increasing estrangement from each other, his father's emotional distance, the loss of beloved pets, and the primacy of his older brother in his father's affections. Then there's Homer's first serious crush, the object being Rita, a junior mining engineer several years his senior. Finally, to pay off damage done to his father's Buick, Homer defies both parents, joins the United Mine Workers of America, moves out of the family home, and goes to work in the coal mine as a summer job. (SKY OF STONE refers to the ceiling of solid rock over the mine's tunnels.)

Homer's semi-dysfunctional family remains a source of reader sympathy. Over one weekend, young Hickam resides with the Likens family, the menfolk of which are going to improve their guest's softball skills. (Homer's been drafted by the union team that will play management on the Fourth of July.) At breakfast, Homer notices:

"(Mrs. Likens) smiled lovingly at her husband, and I thought again how much I envied her family. They all just seemed to like each other." The poignancy of this observation is heartbreaking.

Hickam self-deprecating humor makes him an eminently likable protagonist. He sets out to that July 4th showdown on the baseball diamond with the thought:

"... I had, in fact, only two hopes: one, that I wouldn't hit myself with the bat, and the other, that nobody would hit a ball in my direction." But, Homer rises to the occasion, much to the satisfaction of the reader.

Since, in the book's epilogue, Homer's narrative summarizes his life since that maturing summer of '61, I assume that SKY OF STONE is to be the last in the Coalwood series, which has been a genuine piece of true-life Americana. I shall miss it.

According to the author, Coalwood's mine has long since shut down, and the town itself barely exists as a place on the map anymore. However, there's a museum there dedicated to the town's mining heritage and the exploits of the Rocket Boys. Homer's books leave me wanting to travel across country to visit. Honor is due.

A budding Hickamite
It is really heartening to find a modern author who can write a book without a lot of violence and sexual content and come up with a work that you simply cannot put down. This is easily the best of his three novels about his Southern West Virginia roots. I spent just enough years in Southern West Virginia, worked just enough years in the coal mines, and lived just about the right time to be totally entertained by this book. I think that Hickam is something of an American hero and he has downplayed a life that the Nation can be proud of. Homer Hickam is one of the few (like former President Jimmy Carter or the late Justice Byron White) whom America could erect a statue to and say "this is what a person of any age or nationality should be" - both very accomplished and very moral. Also, what a great storyteller. ... Read more

Book Description

Growing up is bewildering and exciting to every child. This was particularly true for a child born during the Great Depression (1930's) and who also experienced the "Home Front" efforts of World War II. Coupled with these great national events was the fact that this child lived in amulti-ethnic "melting pot" city of Passaic, New Jersey.

The true growing up adventures are told in a series of stories, some withside-splitting humor, others highly poignant.

For example: How learning the "facts of life" from the older guys on the street corner caused a major lifetime disaster; how, with his best friend, he personally helped defeat Japan and Germany in WWII; how he witnessed the three greatest aeronautical events of the 20th century; how the handwriting rules in the Passaic schools caused a blunder in front of President John F. Kennedy which helped Kennedy to decide to send a man to the moon; how the structural design of the giant Saturn rocket booster was actually invented in a Passaic toilet bowl.

But more important, the stories provide the secret of how the immigrant-dominated Passaic uniquely prepared its children to succeed in America, and how it still doing it today.

Reviews (3)

Truly wonderful
I did not grow up in an ethnically rich city like Passaic. In fact, the opposite was true, as I grew up in a suburb of Washington, DC. However, even though I did not grow up in the same town or even the same decade, there were amazing parallels.

Parallels such as girls, or more precisely, the courage to talk to them. Or the camaraderie of boys growing up together and forming bonds that would last a lifetime. What about the big poker game and striptease? Wait a minute That didn't happen when I was seventeen (I sure wish it had though)! It did, however, happen to Bob Rosenthal.

Yes, "Wonderful Passaic" is just that; wonderful. It will inspire your own (possibly forgotten) recollections of growing up.

A dance through time
Robert Rosenthal's book is a glorious narrative memoir. His style, naive, gentle and kind, takes the reader back into the uncomplicated moments of youth. In recounting his memories, we are transported through the history of Possaic, a town brimming with multiethnic culture. It is the essence of America and it touches your heart. I recommend this book ...it is a joy to read.

A nostalgic look at a typical American town
I've been in New Jersey on a couple of occasions, each time just passing through on the way from somewhere to somewhere else. To the best of my recollections, I've never set foot in Passaic. But, after reading Bob Rosenthal's recently published book, Wonderful Passaic, I wish I had.

Subtitled "Memories and Recollections," Wonderful Passaic is exactly that: a charming, understated, wistful collection of closely observed and warmly remembered vignettes. Collectively, they beautifully illustrate what it was like to grow up at the height of the Great Depression, through the Second World War and the Korean War, in the ethnically diverse melting pot that was and is Passaic--a town that could seve as a metaphor for simpler, more innocent times.

In its pages, Wonderful Passaic covers the full range of experiences that a boy of any era could expect to encounter in the coming-of-age process. There are lessons to be learned about the importance of familiy ties. There are friendships established that will last a lifetime. There's the discovery of sex. There's the joy and heartbreak of public education. There is a wealth of other meaningful events, trials and tribulations, all of which contributed to the transformation from the naive child of yesterday to the man of today: a well-traveled and highly respected research engineer (among other talents) who influenced America's space program.

The common thread among all these waystops of life is, of course, the author's beloved hometown, which witnessed a number of surprising incidents, all filtered through the consciousness of someone who was on the spot at the time. Did you know, for example, that during WW II anti-aircraft gunners in Passaic mistakenly shot at (and luckily missed) a friendly plane, causing fires to spring up around the city? Were you aware that the cathode ray tube, one of television's prime components, was invented and built in Passaic? And what explanation can there be that the master clock at Passaic's Number 11 School stopped at the exact moment of FDR's death?

Told in unadorned, straightforward prose, Bob Rosenthal's Wonderful Passaic is by turns a humorous, poignant, heartwarming, and nostalgic paean to a specific place and time. It is highly recommended for anyone who has ever longed to return to the less compicated days of yesteryear. ... Read more

Book Description

"David Wyatt focuses our attention on the ripple effects of a stone tossed into a pond—a private pond, and a public pond, as well: as the circles widen and disappear, we remember and re-imagine the initial tossing of the stone, and re-examine our own lives in the context of the choices we’ve made, and the decisions that have been made for us, individually and as a nation."—Ann Beattie, author of The Doctor's House and Perfect Recall"Instinctively finding moments in which people are revealed for their true essence, Wyatt places the September 11 events on a human, domestic level, and shows how they touch everybody's lives."—Brian Bouldrey, author of The Boom Economy "This is truly astonishing storytelling, an unprecedented combination of autobiography and reflective essay, written with a startling clarity that evokes the vivid immediacy in our lives. There will be much journalism and historical commentary about September 11—but none can possibly match the emotional dimensions, the bewildered humanity, the day-to-day feel of things, how our inner lives are suddenly made turbulent, how we seek solace in the familiars of love and family. And the War Came is humbling, sad, and inspiring. I am tremendously grateful for this marvelous book."—Howard Norman, author of The Bird Artist and The Haunting of LOn the day of the terrorist attacks, a man begins writing down things said by his family and friends. The trauma appears to have marooned diarist David Wyatt in a shell-shocked present tense. But as he experiences all of the emotions of that fall, he is visited by deep memories that transform his daily journal-keeping into an "accidental memoir," a narrative that reaches a surprising and moving conclusion on Thanksgiving Day.

Juggling the roles of English professor, restaurant owner, husband, father, son, and friend, Wyatt finds sustenance at the core of ordinary American life, resources at once so available and so elusive. Passionate about people, books, food, and landscapes present and lost—and absolutely unheroic—the voices summoned here counter the sanctimonious and the sentimental. Wyatt’s elegantly understated memoir reveals how the events of September 11 affected ordinary people and presents this anthology of thoughts, feelings, and interactions in a frank and immediate voice. ... Read more

Amazon.com

King of the Mountain covers the juicy details of the 1992 scandal that besmirched New York State Court of Appeals chief judge Sol Wachtler: the astonishing discovery that he had sent obscene, harassing, and ultimately threatening letters to a former lover. But journalist John Caher also thoroughly documents Wachtler's brilliant legal and political career, arguing persuasively that the traits that sparked his success (an analytical, often manipulative intelligence and a huge ego) also prompted his downfall. Here's one tell-all biography that you can relish without hating yourself in the morning. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a story of an Irish couple and their infant daughter coming to America shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Why they came separately, makes this story unique.

The trio settled in Shrewsbury, N.J. and raised seven children and had a positive impact on the lives of their grandchildren. These were the days when families stayed together as a unit and shared laughter and tears.

The author recounts his memories of growing up as a member of this family and relates how they and he survived the Great Depression and World War II.

"Mom" and "Pop" Ahern sent their only three sons into the battles of Europe and Asia and waited for their safe return. In the meantime, they prayed and adhered to the premise that "life must go on". After all, they still had to help their grandchildren get through these difficult times.

In these days of uncertainty, we are witnesses as to how this family coped and how they enjoyed each other's company. You will shed tears of joy and sorrow as you look on as an interested bystander as they played practical jokes on each other and embraced each other with moments of sadness.

All of our emotions will be tapped while reading this family biography. It is a love story of the best kind of love; unselfish love of those who give their love while expecting nothing in return. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Growing up in New Jersey
"If you love me you will follow," by Fran Girard, is a charming, simply written memoir of growing up in New Jersey during the Depression and World War II. The story behind the title is alone worth the price of admission. The story testifies to the incredible moral courage and adventurous spirit of an Irish woman and of the forgiving love of her husband. Any preacher would be happy to plagiarise the story for a wedding sermon!
As FG tells the tale of his extended family you begin to feel that you know each one of them personally. They are ordinary folk who make no great splash on the public stage but who lead lives of integrity and love during tryine times for the USA.FG did not invent the phrase "The Greatest Generation" but he grew up with some of its members. New Jersey readers especially will identify with FG's loving descriptions of the quotidiana of family life. (Reviewer's Note: I grew up during the same period as FG, and, like him, was a devout movie-goer. My screen hero was a long (wrongly)forgotten actor called Dana Andrews. He starred in some of the great Hollywood classics, like "Laura." In his book FG mentions only one actor by name - Dana Andrews - twice!)
FG does not gloss over the difficult periods that every family knows. Nothing is more harrowing than the dinner-table scene played out between the fifteen year old FG and his father. Not many father-son relationships could have survived the incident. I hope that reading this book will inspire others to write down the story of their families.To find out how it's done, read "If You Love Me You will follow. Patrick Connor

If You Love Me You Will Follow
The magic in this book is the tug at the reader's heartstrings as one's own childhood memories are evoked through the telling of the author's family story. With a masterful control of detail and setting, Mr. Girard draws the reader into each episode. Then, having drawn us in, we take a wonderfully poignant journey through the fun and foibles of a family that is both ordinary and extraordinary. This is truly delightful reading for all but especially for the generation who lived through the 1930's and 1940's and for those of us who are their children.

Stories of an Irish Family
Being of Irish descent,I found the book very interesting. Most of all,the memories the author has of his early family life. When I started to read it, I couldn't wait to read each chapter to see what else the family did. I felt like I was part of this family going through each episode. The cover of the book is very eye catching as well as appropriate under current world conditions. I hope this author will continue with additional books.

If You Love Me, You will Follow - A WONDERFUL BOOK!!!!
I just finished reading "If You Love Me, You Will Follow", by Fran Girard. It's a wonderful book depicting the life of an Irish immigrant family during the 1930's and 40's in Shrewsbury, NJ. Mr. Girard takes the reader back to a more simpler way of life and after reading it, I felt like it was there!

Everyone feels a need for "home", "family" and "love" especially during these turbulent times. This book builds on that - in every chapter you see these themes as you get to know each member of the Ahearn family, from the patriarchial "Mom" and "Pop" Ahearn to the new generation that would lead us into World War II and ultimately the "baby boomer" area.

If you want to get to know what hopes, dreams, struggles and joys an immigrant family experienced, then get this book! It makes you feel good to be an American and will make you realize how important family is.

Charming memoir of the American Spirit
This story of an immigrant family facing hard economic times and America at war reminds me of the spirit we all put our faith in and that we strive to protect. The Ahern family show us how, with love and laughter, Americans can stand up to the challenges of belt tightening and international conflict. The stories included in this family biography, while focusing on the Great Depression and World War II, serve as a model of how our families can face our current economic slowdown and war on terrorism. An enjoyable read that is both touching and humorous. ... Read more

Book Description

There are guides to every aspect and every angle of parenthood-from prenatal to post-college-yet none tells us what couples really and truly feel once confronted with the awesome power of Nature's Course. The Three of Us does.

Seasoned travelers, successful professionals, Joanna Coles and Peter Godwin arrived in Manhattan ready to make it their oyster-she to be the New York correspondent for a major British newspaper, he to pursue his prize-winning career as a writer and journalist. Of course they were self-absorbed; why come to New York, if not to explore every avenue of self-interest? The news that Joanna is pregnant, however, causes a massive shift in paradigm. Suddenly they are launched unsteadily but irrevocably toward an altogether new New World.

Like a series of mental ultrasounds, The Three of Us consists of alternating diary entries in which, day by day and month by month, Peter and Joanna navigate the uncharted waters of impending parenthood. There is much to discuss-the pros and cons of raising a child in a neighborhood frequented by transvestite prostitutes, for example-yet their reactions are not always on the same page; male and female panic about the Joyous Event, as we learn, can differ sharply. But every parent-to-be, every parent-that-is, will recognize and rejoice in the wonderful, terrible, and sometimes hilarious anxieties that attend the building of a nest. The Three of Us is a candid, refreshing, and reaffirming memoir about coming to terms with a new life. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Intereresting concept but story was too disappointing
Maybe I didn't get it since I am not a New Yorker. I don't really care that this couple wasn't married, but the lack of love between them was such a turnoff. Peter seemed to have a hard time believing that he had something to do with the pregnancy at all...he kept saying how he was being dragged to doctors and forced to do this and that....My conclusion is that not all writers should write....

Bridget Jones for Smug Marrieds!
Joanna and Peter are far from the 'smug marrieds' Helen Fielding talks about but they are just as engaging and enjoyable as Bridget Jones. Their writing makes you feel like one of their best friends. They share their daily observations on pregnancy and impending parenthood with honesty and wit.

Read it and then share with all your friends!

The Experiences of Aliens in New York
The authors have managed to capture the bizarre nuances of daily life in New York while overlaying this with the difficulties and emotions attached to a first pregnancy. As resident aliens, my wife and I have recently been dealing with the similar issues associated with the upcoming birth of our first child.

This light hearted look at the processes required to give birth in the New York also provided us with forwarning of the costs, bureaucracy and personalities that are inevitably encountered along the way.

The Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus Pregnancy Guide
A must read for anyone (and their partner) who has been pregnant or is thinking about it. The writing is sharp, witty and pinpoints with perfect accuracy the "he-thinks" "she-thinks" travails of pregnancy.

Brit Opinion
I still haven't finished "The Three of Us" but felt compelled to write my opinion as soon as possible. In fact I'm taking my time to read it because I really don't want it to end. I am also British and, like Peter and Joanna (or used to) live here in the West Village with my British husband. My delight is to read that two fellow Brits frequent the same supermarkets, bars, shops and even use the same health club as I. The fact that they are having a baby is thrilling to me as I have been fretting over starting a family myself and feel better knowing that they have gone through this transition with humor, patience and great tales of their day to day events that occur in this mad crazy city. On completion of this book I fully intend to purchase Peter Godwin's "Mukiwa, A White Boy in Africa". It's just a pity that they don't live in the Village anymore as I would of loved to have ran into the three of them. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When Louisa and Alex Hargrave bought an old potato farm in 1973 with plans to start a vineyard, they had "no farm experience and little life experience." What they did have was enthusiasm, optimism, a strong relationship, and just enough naivete to attempt what no one else had before managed: to create a viable winery on New York"s Long Island. Though experts said it was impossible, they successfully planted ten thousand vinifera vines and started a venture that lasted 30 years and inspired many others to start wineries in the area. The Vineyard is Louisa Hargrave's memoir of the endeavor and the price she paid to make her dreams come true.

True pioneers, the Hargraves learned their trade from scratch and raised their children close to the land. Louisa even strapped her babies to her back while working in the fields. Along the way, they encountered many predictable natural obstacles, including foul weather, pestilence, and disease, along with more than their fair share of man-made problems, such as meddlesome neighbors, vindictive bureaucrats, and money shortages. But their life was not all weeding and grafting; they also experienced the glamorous, and often absurd, world of professional wine making, complete with wealthy eccentrics and heavily politicized wine-tasting competitions.

Despite the success of the business, the experience took a heavy toll on her family, and she writes frankly about disappointments and marital problems without distracting from the main storyline. Her breezy tone and lively storytelling skills make the book an enjoyable read even for those with limited knowledge of wine-making. In short, the farm and life experience she gained over the past 30 years is worth passing on. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Grapes of wrath
My parents chose to own and run a small vineyard. As a contemporary of the author, it is easy for me to empathize with the problems of building a vineyard from scratch. That may best explain why I picked up this book.

The author and her husband are of a blue blood vintage. Family money allowed them to embark on this experiment, quite the dilettantes at the start. Hargrave and her tall husband had tried other ventures or career options, including an organ (and I don't mean Wurlitzer) cookbook. My stomach is still turning at the thought. Nothing seemed to click. The two were peripatetic students, travelers, house sitters, Ivy leaguers, quasi trust fund babies, with colorful roots of their own. Louisa Thomas is the grand daughter of five-time Socialist candidate for president of the United States, Norman Thomas.

One thing they learned from their stab at cooking organs was that the wine allowed the unpalatable food to go down a whole lot better. Inspired in part by this finding, along with a desire to forego hard liquor, husband and wife made a go of starting a vineyard on Long Island. Only this time the process was very serious, engaging and almost enslaving. They mastered the delicate, detailed process of acquiring the right vines, grafting, plucking, fermenting, storing and marketing the wine. They produced great wine; they earned (or at least somehow garnered) great publicity. They hired a lot of people with diverse, difficult and demanding backgrounds. Husband and wife divided the tasks as best they could, each to his or her apparent comparative advantage, she the hands on technician, he the business officer. Along the way, unintentionally it seems, they transformed themselves from soul mates to business partners.

Raised on a "grape farm" myself, where my family lived twenty years, her story is spot on - the planting and pruning, dealing with fungus and pesticides, curbing the weeds, managing the harvest, living with weather that both killed and enhanced the crop - and evoked long dormant memories and, in some cases, wounds. Grapes are much less romantic when they go into jelly, but also a whole lot easier, especially if you don't make the final product yourself. The Hargraves immersed themselves in the task. They learned fast, worked hard, and seemed to prosper, even if at times it was by the skin of their grapes. My initial skepticism turned to admiration but, having lived some of their life, never envy.

The saddest part of an otherwise noble accomplishment is the fact that the husband and wife efforts apparently killed their marriage. It is not very clear why. As the sole author, the wife is a bit coy on this. It may have been fruitful to read the husband's side of the full story, not just the demise of a good, working partnership. This is a very human, humane story.

Growing grapes on Long Island?
Alex and Louisa Hargrave went against conventional wisdom when they decided to plant vinifera grapes on Long Island. As you might expect, it was a bumpy adventure in horticultural history, complete with weeds, hurricanes and an incredible amount of work, bringing the couple to the brink of financial ruin. But by the time it was over, they'd proven that grapes could grow (even flourish) on Long Island - and the chronicle of their exploits is charming and lively.

Entertaining and Engaging Experience of a Modern Pioneer
A fascinating account of how a highly educated couple from a suburban background became successful "farming" pioneers growing grapes and making wine on Eastern Long Island. This was not sit-on-the veranda farming. The author makes reference to stories of the American frontier, and certainly that is apt, as the dedication and endurance of these pioneers was extraordinary. Their hard personal work in the fields was the equal of the pioneers, and they also had to deal with modern government. All in all, very intriguing and very well written, with enough human detail to make the people come to life.

If you loved "Little House on the Prairie" you'll love this
If you loved "Little House on the Prairie" you'll love this true modern pioneer saga set in (of all places) Eastern Long Island, New York. You don't even have to be a wine enthusiast to enjoy the book, although Louisa Hargraves' descriptions of tasting may make convert you.
While telling her 30 year history of growing French varietal grapes (which people said couldn't be done), the author allows us to experience the grit behind the glamour in all its (pardon me) juicy details.
As in all successful memoirs, we get a chance to live someone else's life, imagine what it would be like to follow our dream as singlemindedly as she did, and rejoice when dreams come true. We also get to see the price that is exacted. Because Louisa Hargrave keeps us by her side, I stayed up until 2 AM to finish the book. I put it down feeling touched, informed, and inspired.

Work and Love
Here's a book for a sparsely populated publishing niche: agricultural history as memoir. Hargrave's declared subject is how she and her husband built a vineyard from scratch on the eastern end of Long Island but it's also an engaging account of how she got from being an hopeful inexperienced young person of 21 to the mature woman who wrote this book.

There's nothing I don't like about The Vineyard.. I like Hargrave's voice--direct,
unadorned, humorous, clear. I like the sense we get of how hard the work was. She doesn't complain--much--but she does describe her daily life in enough detail that a reader has a vivid, physical sense of the vintner's life. Also, of how tough it is
to run a business according to one's own lights. Her amateurishness--good
sense, not bad sense--at the outset gives way to know-how, but only as she
figured things out. And since the Hargrave wines can't be tasted as we turn the
pages, we have to take her word for the standards to which she and her husband aspired. And that's just what we do; her writing is that persuasive. She doesn't preen, never tries to show us her best profile, so we hear about her worries and annoyances, as well as about her joys.

The book is not all grapes and weather worries. Her children make frequent welcome appearances; her account of her marriage, its beginning, its long happy middle and its end, sounds pretty true-to-life. (If there were messy details, Hargrave doesn't get into them. Hargrave's ability to tell the hard truths and yet take the high road is one of her strengths as a writer.) Readers won't feel they know Alex as well as they know Louisa and their children but it's a sastisfying read nonetheless. On balance, a well-rounded portrait of a couple of people and their business. ... Read more

Book Description

Amine Wefali had four beautiful children and houses in Westchester, Nantucket, and Florida--but her marriage had become acrimonious. She had moved into the attic of her exclusive home in Westchester, a suburb of New York, while Phillip, her prosperous husband, remained downstairs. Torn between ambivalent emotions about her marriage and the inability to articulate her own longing for freedom, Wefali channeled her frustration into a whirlwind of domestic activity. Emotionally estranged, financially dependent, she was landlocked.

Parting the curtains on the intimate stage of contemporary marriage, Wefali delicately coaxes from beneath the surface of domestic life the poignancy, tragedy, loss, and humor that punctuate a long-term relationship. With lacerating wit and candor--about herself and the upperclass world around her--Wefali finds her way out of the attic and into the selfhood she always wanted. And along her journey, she has recorded a stunning personal odyssey both unique and universal. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Superb, clean writing
A lot of people won't "get" this book because it's devoid of certain conventions we've come to expect as consumers of novels. It's like looking at modern art for the first time when you're accustomed to paintings of lush landscapes. You might say, "Huh? What is this?" But the author has produced a work of art that has not one extraneous word in it. She never, ever tells you what to think or feel or tells you what her characters think or feel; she simply gives you the facts and leaves you to arrive at your own conclusions, exactly the way it is in real life. This is novel-writing at the other end of the spectrum from florid Victorian prose. She's practically invented a new form. Her discipline and vision are exact, extraordinary.

A Columbia student ??? I bet she never finished ...
... her creative writing course! Did Columbia really admitted her? Well, in that case, it proves the theory that the hardest part about Columbia is getting in.

Horrible writing! Awful sentence structure! Starting a sentence with AND and THAT THAT is not creative, it's sloppy, uninspiring and embarrassing! Why didn't this woman finish college? Did she get stuck on an English 101 class?

Mesmerizing
I was complaining to a friend that I couldn't find a book that had held my interest in ages, and she started raving about this one. Be careful what you petition the gods: I brought Westchester Burning home and could not stop reading till 3:30 in the morning, when I finished it. The New Yorker compared her to Shirley Jackson; she reminds me of Lily Tuck. In any event, she's the real deal. This is an unsettling, electrifying book--well worth a look.

sharp stuff
I think the previous reviewer rather missed the point of this book. Wefali's simple language is the perfect vehicle for presenting the absolutely pedestrian stuff of her life. Despite the extraordinary wealth of the family being written about here, they are utterly average, and contend with the things most American families face. Wefali's book pulls no punches and in its honesty offers something really rare: a memoir that never feels self-indulgent. Ultimately, it's a book as gripping as any novel I've read this year, and I highly recommend it.

hypnotic = not a good thing.
I tried to read this book. I really did. But I quickly realized that I had absolutely no sympathy for the narrator, and her writing was consistently flat and boring -- rather than "hypnotic." I did not care about her, her marriage, her children, nothing. If there's anything good about the book, it proves that the privileged can have singularly uninteresting lives and minds. Before I bought it (I am returning it for a refund), I thought the author was african ... which might have made the story more faceted and interesting. But she isn't, and I am now convinced her name must be an anagram. ... Read more

Book Description

EB is a love-song to a time and a place. A wonderful place of neighborhoods and parishes and consistency and constancy; a place of well-used front stoops, second-home candy stores and club-like saloons; a place of time honored values and life-long friendships; a contrarily sophisticated but endearingly innocent place; the biggest small town in America...Brooklyn, NY. At a magical moment in time...the 1940s and '50s.

"...an evocative coming-of-age story...an honest and engaging tale of a feisty Catholic Irish kid growing up in the 1940s and 1950s East Flatbush. Kemp describes his world in meticulous detail, painting a vivid picture that those who have never set foot in Brooklyn can easily envision."

—Sharon Seitz; USA TODAY