Reviews (30)

A GREAT FIREIFGHTING BOOK!
Dennis Smith is a truly great author and firefighter. This book tells about it all! With him and his buddies of "The Big House", you will feel like you are really riding on the back of the fire engine. He explains fires the alarms, the false alarms, the firehouse, and his firehouse family with extreme detail explaining that they get about 40 alarms every day and they are truly New York's Bravest. These firefighters are heroic and brave people that risk their lives every day for people. After you read the first 50 pages you will realize why firefighters run into the burning buildings why everybody else is running out. With Smnith you will get into those boots, the coat and the helmet on Intervale Avenue, ride the fire engine to the fire and put the fire out. With him you will see friends die and see friends gain whatit truly means to be a firefighter. So read this book and you'll never put it down becuase I've read it twice and I am going to read it again. This is a classic book and a book that you can't put down!

The most accurate and heartfelt account of firefighting
I was in seventh grade in 1978 when I first read Report From Engine Co. 82, and no book I've read since has ever had as profound an effect on me. Dennis Smith and his brother firefighters on Intervale Ave. inspired me and, I'm sure, many others to become firefighters. The book is gripping and "in-your-face", taking you into some of the most dangerous and frustrating working conditions imaginable.

I just re-read the book, and doing so rekindled the respect and admiration for the heroes of the FDNY that it originally instilled in me 22 years ago. Recently a friend and I visited "The Big House" in the South Bronx, talked with the firemen, took pictures of the neighborhood, and brought Smith's book to life. The pull box at Charlotte St. & East 170th St. made infamous by Smith's book has been replaced by an ERS box; the crumbling, burning tenaments replaced by suburban looking homes. All that remains of the horrors that took place there in the seventies is the memories of daily heroism performed by the men of Engines 82, 85, Ladder 31 and 712 perpetuated by Smith's book.

Now a teacher, I'll be sharing Report From Engine Co. 82 with my class this year. I hope that with the use of this book, I can inspire the same respect, compassion, and concern for human life in my students that Smith inspired in me so long ago.

You don't have to be a firefighter or a "wanna-be" to love Report From Engine Co. 82. Treat yourself to it as soon as you can.

Firefighting on the mean streets
This is an extremely well written and easy to read book. The narration draws you in and transports you to the streets to ride along with the author. You can almost smell the smoke...

While there are many aspect of this book that are seriously dated (such as the seventies-era street slang and some of the firefighting equipment and procedures), most of this story could still be written today. This is the gritty reality of firefighting in the toughest sections of an urban center. You can feel the exhaustion and exhileration mix together as we ride through the decaying ghetto from one fire alarm to the next. What really stands out in my mind, though, is that Smith never loses his empathy for the people of the South Bronx. Even with all the abuse he and his company endure, he still understands their plight and wishes he could make their world better.

Nothing in my experience can compare with the magnitude of serving an area like the South Bronx, but many aspects of this story still reflect my career. The commaraderie of the fire station is the same, as is the sense of duty and willingness to risk everything to save a life. This is a terrific book for anyone looking to understand what it takes to be a firefighter, especially on the busiest city streets in the country.

The Bravest
When I first read this book I was in grade school. My dad thought if I wanted to be a firefighter I might want to read this book. I sit here right know and look at the inside of the cover, which is a hardcover and there is a price tag for $4.16 from Boscov's (which is a department store).
This book brings alive the fire service in New York City in the 1960's. This was one of the most challenging times in the New York City. During this time there were riots,a serious drug abuse problem, and politically charged agendas. But through all this the firefighters of New York City still had to provide fire protection to the citizens.
How many people can say that they know how it feels to be going to a fire to only find yourself a target for rocks, bricks and beer bottles. The men of Engine Company 82 and Ladder 31 found themselves in the situation more then once. These men had to deal with the pain and suffering of people that they went to help, and found that children involved made the job even harder.
Every shift they could look forward to arsons, malicious false alarms and the uncertainty of what might happen next. Did these men do this job for the money? I can say no they did not. They did it for the love of the job. That is why most firefighters do it. Most people and even some firefighters today do not realize the history and the changes that have been in the past 40 years.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to reads a book that they do not want to put down. Once you pick it up, you will not put it down until you are finished.

I could not put the book down.
After finding out that the book was out of print, I was discouraged. Then finally finding it again on Amazon I could not wait to get the book in the mail. I have already finished the book two days after recieving it. Dennis Smith is a great firefighter who knows exactly how to depict his experiences on paper. ... Read more

Book Description

Cowgirl Dreams is a memoir of the growing-up years of a girl in rural Central Maryland. From the Cuban Missile Crisis through the Vietnam War, Betsy clings to inner and outer landscapes that are not nearly as stable as she wants to believe and that neither love nor ferocity can protect. ... Read more

Book Description

The book "Growing up through the Depression and During the War" was written by myself, Tony Fiorentino, to give you an idea of how a young boy, along with his family, survived The Depression between 1929 and 1938.

My mother passed away when I was seven (7) years old and from that point on I had to, more or less, depend on my own wits and knowledge and become a young man who went into the Naval service during the World War.

I spent most of my time on submarines fighting the Germans and Italians in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico patrolling and training other future Submariners.

After almost being sunk three (3) or four (4) times, two (2) of which were with the assistance of our own Coast Guard, I decided to transfer to surface ships. I fought the Japanese through many of the campaigns in the South Pacific helping to capture all of the islands between Hawaii and Japan.

There are a lot of horrible stories of war experiences witnessed and told by me in this book.

Following the Japan surrender, I was discharged at Lido Beach of Long Island, NY on Dec. 15th in 1945. I returned home to New Jersey and my family and took advantage of the GI Bill of rights, which entitled me to learn how to fly. There are stories about flying, boating, motorcycles and women.

I tried to catch up on all the things I'd missed, in the four (4) years of service duty. I kicked around in New Jersey for the next couple of years and finally moved to Brooklyn, NY. While there, I belonged to a gang and was getting into quite a bit of trouble, being young and wild.

I eventually joined the Merchant Marine where I served from 1949 to 1953 and then sailed with the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey during the Korean War, to ports in Texas and South America.

After a few bad experiences and ending up in jail in Baytown, Texas, I decided I had had enough of the Merchant Marines.

I once again returned home to New Jersey in 1953 and went back to work for the Construction Union. Having bounced around with my motorcycle, flying and following the recovery from a horrible crash on my Harley, I joined the Moose Club and thought more seriously about my future. While bartending there I met a girl and decided I would settle down and get married, again, at 28 years old.

I feel sure that when you start reading this book, you will find many interesting stories and chapters, as many people have told me The contents of this book is about, Love, Naval service in WW 11 war, merchant Marine, Marriage, Young fun, Flying, Boating, Motorcycles, life in New Jersey.

I hope you all enjoy it very much as I have, living and writing it. God bless you all. And best wishes for all of your desires and dreams.

Sincerely, Tony Fiorentino ... Read more

Book Description

Laying Foundations is an unusual back to the land story about a ghost of a house and the couple who breathed life into her.Mismatched in every way -- socially, intellectually, racially -- they were unlikely partners.And with only modest carpentry skills, they made an improbable construction crew.

They began renovations at the worst time of year, setting up camp in the kitchen of an abandoned farmhouse without electricity or running water just as winter struck the northeast.

The odds against success were high.The odds against their surviving as a couple were even higher.

This is the story of their year. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A warm, enlightening, uplifting story of rebuilding
Laying Foundations: A Memoir by Lucy Wilson Sherman is the autobiographical story of an enterprising, diversely matched couple who spend a fulfilling year of restoring and bringing life back to an abandoned farmhouse. Without electricity or running water (and just as winter struck) Lucy and her husband Henderson worked together on this seemingly insurmountable project through trial and daily struggle. A warm, enlightening, uplifting story of rebuilding, Laying Foundations is very highly recommended as a true and rewarding account of personal growth and unconditional love.

warning: This Is An Exception
Sherman's memoir is love-story, spiritual odyssey, character study and a how-to manual. That's a lot and it reads like a mystery. She is a wonderful word crafter. Many times her turn of phrase engaged me so thoroughly that I had to stop and savor her arrangement.

In the character study, Sherman never shies away from critiquing herself or Henderson. She is relentless in her analysis of herself, Henderson and the dynamics of their relationship. The reader gets drawn into her quest for understanding and growth. She plows, or more accurately, crafts right ahead whether she comes out looking worse for the scrutiny or not.
A warning is in order here.You will learn a lot about construction. If you have no knowledge in that arena, you will not be lost, as Sherman defines most of the terms in useable language. Still I had to stop and think hard about the technical parts of this book. I wanted to understand exactly what they were doing physically, as it was such an integral part of the dynamic and narrative. Taking time to understand each step in their physical construction enriched the read for me. However, the reader can speed read through placement of footings, digging wells or securing scaffolding and still enjoy the other three aspects of this piece.

Sherman uses straight-on prose with no hysterics although parts are hysterically funny, as when she is describing her attempts to connect the contents of a sawed-off shotgun with the target, an old wash tub. She even has the decency to feel bad about killing squirrels.

I read many books every week with no 'fluff' included and I consider this one not to be missed. I will re-read it again in about six months.

authentic and deeply moving.
authentic and deeply moving. the house as a symbol of growth, solidity and
love works on every level, and the spirt of place and person inhabits the
entire memoir.

a gripping read chock-full of insight
Laying Foundations is an honest, funny memoir. It is not only entertaining, but Sherman is so straight forward and open about her own humanity that as a reader I felt a kind of personal absolution for my own sins! She and her husband take on an enormous renovation project with little expertise. As a reader I couldn't help but be inspired and moved at their ability to get up, go on and continue to tackle the job when it seemed hopeless and foreboding. Anyone who reads this will eat it up like some delicious candy. It's a soul-searching, meaningful memoir rich with lasting insight yet funny as hell!

A novel approach to non-fiction
Although I know it's a trite thing to say, I'll say it anyway---I could not put this book down until I finished it! This is an extraordinary work of non-fiction that holds the reader's attention by incorporating all the elements of a really good novel---terrific character development, vivid descriptions of the people in the story as well as the area in which they live, even suspense (will these two "unmatched" souls manage to stay together and will they be able to complete their dream and finish the restoration of the house?) The reader really does share their frustrations and mentally cheers them on when they have set-backs in the reconstruction of the house as well as in their lives. The only question the reader is left with is---when do we get a sequel and see these two wonderful people again? ... Read more

Book Description

Keep on Dancin' is the story of the rise and fall of the legendary Paradise Garage, the underground disco that was ruled by the greatest DJ of all time and rivaled only by Studio 54 in its soulful and decadent magnificence. Set against the passionate love affair of two men who would both eventually rate as two of New York City's greatest style and scene makers, the story traces the hypnotic birth of disco, the Garage inspired technical innovations that changed the music industry, the erotic life of gay New York and the devastating rise of AIDS. What started out as a whisper of an idea between lovers - Garage owner Michael Brody and financial backer Mel Cheren - eventually culminated into a dance palace that existed for more than a decade and is still spoken about with reverence. Keep on Dancin' gives hundreds of private recollections from the people who were there: Tom Moulton, Francois Kevorkian, Grace Jones, Thelma Houston, Frankie Knuckles, Junior Vasquez and others help recreate the moment when love was the message. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Keep on dancin......A "must read" for any DJ!!
This book ( for me ) filled in alot of blanks, of how this scene, and this music got started. Mel pulls "no punches", as he describes his life(interesting is an understatment), and the Paradise Garage. even though, I am 30 , and missed the Garage, Mel's book made me feel like I was there. And if u were there, (as I have been told), he lets you in on ALL the gossip!!

I recomend this book to any DJ who wants to learn where it all "came from", and to anyone who has been to the Garage!!

Keeping it Real
As a birthday gift to myself I invested in the book My Life and the Paradise Garage: Keep on Dancing-as a summer read, along with some club classics. What a gift! The book was informative, educational, and sure enough enlightening from the first, to the last page. All of the ole Loft/Paradise Garage heads should have a copy. This book simply explored the pure essence of the disco-happy people era. I could not have invested in the book and not any of the music. I also made an investment in some of David Mancuso- Loft classics Volume 1&2, and Larry Levan hits from the Garage. While reading this book and listening to those fabulous sounds I was totally blown away! These items were the best gifts I could have given to myself. The book helped me to realize I was apart of history, a free spirit dance era that will never exist again. This music will allow me to keep on dancing while most of the great underground clubs have closed their doors. High accolades are due to Mel Cheren for putting history on paper and for his never ending pursuit toward helping others. Mel is indeed the Godfather of Disco and a crusader for humanity. Thanks to David Mancuso for sharing his space at 99 Prince Street, and the rebirth of his great sounds. Much respect to the spirit of Larry Levan the master of the turntables. Larry must must be spinning the wheels of steel, for the angels in glory. This birthday was really great! I was not dancing at the Paradise Garage, theme beach party or dusting my dancing shoes in the baby powder on the floors at the Loft. I was dancing up a storm and a sweat at home to the fierce sounds and energy of the better days. Thanks to everyone, including Amazon.com, who thought it was worth putting these products on the market. I think all bona fide party heads should have a copy of this book, and the sounds of club music which has been tucked away too long. Thank you all for keeping it real!

I really liked this book ...
I thought this book was great. I live in Boston and have spent a considerable time going back and forth to New York over the years. I think I spent most weekends there in the mid-80's. Anyway, I moved in a different crowd form Mel's Boston crew, but I knew some of them casually. His appendix held a few surprises for me as to what happened to some of them.

The book is a great gay history of that period in New York. It brought back many memories of both happy and sad times. Earlier sections were before my "era", so I found them very interesting. I felt like I knew many of the people Mel talks about and remember watching and listening as the club music scene grew. There are many interesting stories about this phase of the music industry.

My only reservation: Mel did do some great things, but Mel knows it. So we know it. A lot. Just a tad too much back-patting. Otherwise a great read about New York Gay life and the rise of club music.

Mixed feelings. (Please read the *whole* review!)
I must admit that I have very mixed feelings about this book.

While reading it, I never thought it was that great a read, and still now I feel the writing style is a bit simple, and also that there are a few anecdotes too many where the author pats his own back. No doubt has Mel Cheren had quite a bit of an impact on the disco/dance scene, but he should have left the praising of his persona to other people...

On the other hand, I feel there are some VERY IMPORTANT points and topics in this book, in some cases maybe requiring a bit of reading between the lines:

The rise and fall of Disco - the music, the clubs, etc. - I'm a DJ myself, and I can clearly see parallels happening in todays' (2001) Dance Music scene. "It's all just a little bit of history repeating..."

The other big thing that hit me like a hammer was all the tragedies described that happened because of AIDS. Apart from being about parties, clubbing, drugs and so on - this book to me was also an important contribution towards my awareness of AIDS. I don't think I've ever been as aware of the issue as after reading this book.

I think that in a way this publication also is a good description of the Yin/Yang principle: in every bad thing there is something good, and in every good thing there is something bad. For all the fantastic drug- and sex-parties the people in this book have experienced, they did pay a very high price. The ones who died and also the ones who survived.

Best book on disco ever written
What a book! I couldn't put it down until I read every word. This is the best book ever written on the history of disco. Not only is Mel's personal life interesting but the way he inter-twined it with all his disco information is truly genius. I recommend this book to every dance music dj, disco historian, and anyone who ever wanted to know anything about how life was back in the good old days of disco. Get it. Read it. You won't be sorry. ... Read more

Book Description

Lighting the Lamps is about growing up poor in New York City in the '20s and '30s, with a Scottish-born mother who took in illegal immigrant "boarders" and a father who came up from a Southern chain-gang. It's about getting polio yet participating fully in the tenement and street life of the Depression; encountering "the Desert Experience" in many NYC faith communities; and meeting extraordinary people through a great variety of jobs (from the days when a skilled buildings-engineer supervisor might be illiterate and "manual labor" included amazing feats of skill). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A most interesting memoir of New York in the 20's, and 30's
Writing of growing up as a Catholic with a Jewish ancestry in upper West side Manhattan, Fred Garel paints a fascinating childhood picture.He works hard at many jobs gettingeducated by all the characters who maintained the big apartment buildings and taught him how to work for rich people who allowed him to bring sumptious left-overs "home to mother". His experiences with a serious bout of Polio (infantile paralysis)left him a cripple who with loving care and his own tenacity allowed him to experience and tell of a rich, devoted and extremely varied life thru the great depression, WWII and on.
I recomend "Lighting the Lamps" for its history, sociology, humanity and engaging writing.Lenherz ... Read more

Book Description

More than Petticoats: Remarkable New York Women chronicles the accomplishments of twelve New York women whose lives made a profound and lasting mark in the history of the Empire State. Behind the success of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Catholic Worker Movement, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were New York's most courageous and progressive women. Meet Sybil Ludington, often referred to as the female Paul Revere; Harriet Tubman, who successfully brought more than three hundred slaves to freedom by way of the underground Railroad; Emily Warren Roebling, an engineer and bridge builder; and Mary Burnett Talbert, an advocate of equality. The achievements of these selfless women, all born before 1900, focus on social, cultural, and political reform. Read about their exceptional lives in this collection of absorbing biographies. (6 x 9, 192 pages, b&w photos) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Little-known women celebrated
A wonderful, easy to read yet informative introduction to some women I knew little about. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Women Who Break the Rules Unite!
It is refreshing to see this book, with its women of various backgrounds and cultures showing the determination to live their lives by the rules they choose, instead of what their individual societies forced upon them at differing times in our history. From the earliest record in what was New Amsterdam, to more recent times, I enjoyed at times a thrilling view of some women of New York I had not heard of but whose nerve and determination helped put women in the position we now enjoy in America, and New York in particular. Women who, in the face of rejection of their communties or downright danger still said "My way or the highway!" This book takes them from their obscurity and shows them as the courageous beings they were. Very inspirational!

Herstory,History and some great New Yorkers
Finally a well written, easy to read yet scholarly work about some fascinating New Yorkers, who just happen to be women.
Before television, before the internet, before the vote, the women in this book influence issues as diverse as the Catholic Worker Movement, the Whitney Museum, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The book brings alive their experience, and makes you a partner in their sucess.
A must read for anyone with an interest in hertory,history or New York.

Could have been much better...
Featuring important but not necessarily well-known women, More Than Petticoats (New York) could have brought our attention to neglected parts of our history.

Unfortunately, the author gets bogged down in Catholicism. At least I _hope_ she is Catholic. What possible other reason could there be for featuring Kateri, the first Native American Catholic martyr? (Her claim to fame, BTW, was neglecting her health until she died for her religion.) The author goes on an on about Kateri's devotion to "The Blessed Mother," without explaining who that is. Whose Blessed Mother do you mean, when fewer than 40 percent of Americans are Catholic? And if you are NOT Catholic, how in the world does it advance women, in general, to be a martyr? Similar bias is shown toward Dorothy Day--who at least DID accomplish something, the Catholic Workers' movement. However, the author's adulation of Day, without bothering to point out the hypocrisy of a woman who had an abortion, dissolved a marriage, and had a child out of wedlock and then becoming a Catholic hero is just ridiculous. (She includes the information, but does not put forth an opinion--this, in a very chatty and opinionated book.) The author's hero-worship in view of this makes her other opinions suspect.

The author also gets some basic information wrong, such as the number of the amendment that guarantees a woman's right to vote. (19th, not 20th.)

Such a shame! A book on important New York women that gives us Sybil Ludington and Harriet Tubman but put together so shabbily!
Perhaps subsequent editions of this same book will be better.

Keep trying, Twodot Press! ... Read more

Book Description

Through experiences both poignant and comical, sifted mysteriously through the sleeve of his family history, Frankie emerges as an anxious yet mysteriously through the sieve of his family history, Frankie emerges as an anxious yet intrepid survivor. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An honesty and humor that's rare
Francis Connelly's BY REASON OF CHILDHOOD is a frank remembrance of a youth spent on Brooklyn's sidewalks. While reading it, I was struck by how Mr. Connelly's book was a sort of male version of Betty Smith's A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. The impossible task of coping with an alcoholic father, the toughing it out in the streets, the quick allies and enemies of childhood, all come together in this open and, often times, funny narrative. Qualities you don't find very frequently these days. The fact is, you have to learn to laugh at life, especially when it tends to frown at you; this is the subtext of BY REASON OF CHILDHOOD. It is a powerfully taught lesson which, to Mr. Connelly's credit, is conveyed to us through this wonderful book.

A touching and real memoir
I just finished reading this book, and spent as much time crying as I did laughing. It's basically a really engaging collection of episodes from an Irish youth spent making the most of a situation marked with the sadness of an absent, alcohholic father. I read Angela's Ashes several years ago, but found this memoir to be so much more refreshing because it's so much less "literary" and so much more personable. The voice with which the stories are told is more common than McCourt's (in my opinion almost contrived) loftiness, and the image I most often had in mind was Connelly as my own father, telling random stories from memory as they occurred to him, and as he remembered them. In spite of the hardships he was faced with, this guy was a champ at finding the fun and wonder in the simple things he had before him. I live in Brooklyn today, but Connelly made me wish for some of the Brooklyn of yesterday.

Touching and Inspiring
Once you get started reading this book, you won't want to put it down! This is the story of what it was like for a young Irish boy growing up in old time Brooklyn. You'll share in his triumphs and sorrows. The author has a certain charming wit that just about everyone can identify with. If you're a fan of true life stories - you must add ...by Reason of Childhood to your reading list.

A fascinating, funny and touching story
This book is a must for fans of memoirs, old-time Brooklyn stories, and stories of the Irish experience in America. I really got sucked into the story. He had a tough life, his father was an alcoholic and never around, his mother had grown up in an orphanage, they had no money-but somehow he was able to have a sense of humor about it all and grow up with a real sense of right and wrong, aware of the joy that's possible in life. Even though his childhood wasn't all roses he could look back on it with affection and new understanding. I highly recommend this book, it was truly inspiring. The way he wrote with such an honest, unaffected voice was so refreshing too. ... Read more

Book Description

From one of television's most beloved and trusted personalities... a captivating memoir about growing up during World War II.

From the popular host of CBS News Sunday Morning comes a warm and witty memoir -- in the tradition of Russell Baker's Growing Up and Tom Brokaw's A Long Way from Home -- of one unforgettable year in Charles Osgood's childhood.

The year is 1942, and while America is reeling from the first blows of WWII, Osgood is just a nine-year-old boy living in Baltimore. As the war rages somewhere far beyond the boundaries of his hometown, he spends his days delivering newspapers, riding the trolley to the local amusement park, going to Orioles' baseball games, and goofing around with his younger sister.

With a sharp eye for details, Osgood captures the texture of life in a very different era, a time before the polio vaccine and the atomic bomb. In his neighborhood of Liberty Heights, gaslights still glowed on every corner, milkmen delivered bottles of milk, and a loaf of bread cost nine cents.

Osgood reminisces about his first fistfight with a kid from the neighborhood, his childhood crush on a girl named Sue, and his relationship with his father, a traveling salesman. He also talks about his early love for radio and how he used to huddle under the covers after his parents had turned off the lights, listening to Superman, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, and, of course, to baseball games.

Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack is a gloriously funny and nostalgic slice of American life and a moving look at World War II from the perspective of a child far away from the fighting, but very conscious of the reverberations. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Nostalgic, but thanks for the memories
Osgood's wit and rich tribute to his 1940s boyhood results in an enjoyable, worthwhile read, even better if you get the audio version, read by Charles himself.I did find his criticisms of today's children (and their excessively competitive parents) a bit grating.It made me think of a book that could have been written when he was a child, something like, "Radio?! Who needs that!Why when I was a boy we didn't need all those special effects and people shouting at you from a wooden box!We had books, like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.And they were never spoiled by silly toothpaste or hair tonic commercials."

The problem with nostalgia is that it can create an abnoral yearning for an irrecoverable past, and is often excessively sentimental.Tempis fugit...

Interesting but frequently annoying WW2-era memoir
In "Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack: A Boyhood Year During World War II," Charles Osgood recalls the year 1942, when he was a 9-year old living in the city of the book's title.The short text (139 pages) creates an interesting portrait of a child's world in the shadow of war.Osgood recalls such carefree activities as listening to radio programs and following baseball, as well as war-related activities like growing a "victory garden."

The book is hurt be an often arrogant and narcissistic tone.Osgood spends too much time claiming how much better things were back in the 1940s and mocking contemporary children and parents.He also presents a romanticized view of 1940s America that strikes me as unrealistic.He briefly glosses over issues of racism and ethnic tension in a cavalier fashion.Perhaps the low point of the book occurs in Chapter 8, where a weak attempt at "humor" involves making fun of mental illness among contemporary children.

Despite the frequent Osgoodian inanities, I found many of the details of life in 1942 Baltimore to be quite fascinating, and Osgood's prose makes for easy and enjoyable reading.He offers some memorable images, such as his younger self playing "stoopball" or oiling his baseball glove.Still, in the end, I found the book curiously insubstantial.

Nostalgic but Exasperating
There's no denying Charles Osgood's talent at writing. I immediately fell in love with this amusing and sweet tale of childhood in the 1940's. Nonetheless, this book quickly began to frustrate me. While describing his own childhood, Osgood is too critical of today's society and today's children for my tastes. I wanted to read a story about boyhood in the 1940's, not a lecture about the parenting skills of modern mothers and fathers. So, I would definitely recommend getting this book... from your local library.

Self-Deprecating Look at the Way We Were
Most people alive today were not in 1942.But most of them in the United States know the wit, wisdom and humorous verses of Charles Osgood from radio and television.Mr. Osgood turned nine in that fateful year for the United States, and with the aid of recollections shared by his sister, Mary Ann, he takes us back to those more innocent and imaginative times.For those who were not alive then, it will be an unforgettable journey.For those who remember those same days, it will be to see them afresh . . . as a young person again.Both experiences will be well worth the trip.

At one level, the book reads like Tom Sawyer in 1942 as Mr. Osgood describes running away from home, cultivating the family's victory garden, watching out for enemy planes overhead, his attempts to "woo" the two girls who attracted his fancy, and his battles with music lessons.For those who appreciate such stories, this will be a five star book.

At another level, Mr. Osgood is attempting to share something more profound, something we have lost since 1942 -- a child's ability to develop her or his own imagination in a largely unfettered way.For Mr. Osgood, radio dramas provided this spark.He could fill in the details behind the story line with his imagination and enjoy something much richer than what we would see in a comic book, a cartoon or even a full-length movie.I had an epiphany as I read those observations.I realized that the reason I prefer to read rather than watch movies or television or listen to radio talk shows is because I can populate my mind with more intriguing stories and ideas than I can find prepackaged in those outlets.In today's tightly scheduled, television-dominated world, I wonder if we have robbed our children and grandchildren of their greatest potential heritage from us from failing to help them develop the skill to do the same.I hope not.

A bit part of the charm of this tale is that Mr. Osgood is equally good at lampooning today's society as well as pointing out the unbelievable naïveté of 1942.In the process, I was reminded of how difficult communications are . . . as he recounts so many occasions when the "plain words" provided a confusing meaning to him and other children.

Because I know and love his voice so much, I found myself "listening" to him as I read the words.

Naturally, he shares examples of his typical poetry . . . so the book has an "Osgood File" feel to it.And that's a very fine feel to have.

Dripping With Nostalgia
Charles Osgood goes back a few years before me, but I can still relate to his experiences of growing up in the 1940's.Although he did live through World War II, the problems that children confronted in his childhood were of a more innocent nature than what children must deal with today.Osgood enjoyed subjects like literature, poetry, and geography in school, and enjoyed playing games with friends involving initials of movie stars or geographical locations.Following the then minor Baltimore Orioles was another passion of his youth as was listening to programs on the radio where the size of the picture was limited only by your imagination.Sadly, geography, a favorite subject of Osgood's elementary school career is in sad decline in today's school systems.If you are of this era you will love this 139 page effort.If not, let Osgood take you back to decades past to a simpler time in America and the innocence of childhood.Let him take you back to a time when children had time to be a child. ... Read more

Book Description

As the closest advisor to Alfred E. Smith, four-term Democratic governor of New York and presidential candidate, Belle Moskowitz (1877-1933) was the most powerful woman in Democratic party politics during the 1920s.She served as Smith's strategist, public relations director, and campaign manager, and was a major force in shaping the social welfare programs for which his administration is best known today.

Now available in a new edition, this well-crafted feminist biography restores to history the career of a pioneering activist who achieved unprecedented influence in American politics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very well crafted political and feminist biography.
In Belle Moskowitz: Feminine Politics And The Exercise Of Power In The Age Of Alfred E. Smith, Elisabeth Perry presents an impressive work of biographical scholarship on the woman who was four-term Democratic governor of New York and unsuccessful presidential candidate, Alfred E. Smith's closet political advisor. Bell Moskowitz (1877-1933) was the most powerful woman in Democratic party politics during the 1920s and served as Smith's strategist, public relations director, and campaign manager. She was also a major force in shaping the social welfare programs for which his gubernatorial administration is best remembered for today. A well-crafted feminist biography, Belle Moskowitz showcases a pioneering female activist who achieved unprecedented influence in American politics, only to fall into an undeserved obscurity. Belle Moskowitz redresses that historical oversight and is a very highly recommended contribution to women's studies, American political history, and feminist biography collections. ... Read more

Book Description

The book spans a period beginning in 1929 and ending in 2001.