Book Description

Illustrations and text about a New England childhood.The American rural life described here is that of the period 1830-1850. This book was first published in 1877.

Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900) was the author of many essays, including the collection "My Summer Garden" (1871). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the greatest books ever written
This book is a wonderful read; simple yet complex at the same time. It is an indepth look at exactly what it's like growing up as a young man, full of first experiances. His views of society are insightful yet subtle as they are interjected periodically in the middle of a story. I could'nt help but feel a strong connection with the author. It's like his experiances back then are the same we face today. A delightful book, and a must read for any young man. Get a hold of this book any way you can! ... Read more

Book Description

The true story of a small town girl who mixed a prestigious Ivy League education with the down and dirty world of stripping. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Brown University should be embarassed!
Not that one of its students had to strip her way through school, but because it graduated such a terrible, sloppy writer! I bought the book as a joke for one of my friends, a Brown alum, and I couldn't resist reading it before I gave it to him. I marveled at how poor the writing was. Maybe she overscheduled herself at the strip club and had to pull an all nighter to meet her publishing deadline, because that's what the book read like. Brown should be a little more selective in its admission policy. At least if you admit a skank admit a smart, articulate one!

why all the hateful reviews?
I find the incredibly negative reviews of Ivy League Stripper interesting. I almost wonder if I read a different book than some of these people. Perhaps they were written by some of her rivals. Who knows?

Heidi does not "advocate" stripping anywhere in the book that I can tell, nor did she when I saw her on Real Personal with Bob Berkowitz. In fact, she made a point of saying she did not recommend it as a way of earning money. On TV and in the book she made it quite clear that it is not an easy or safe way to make money, however addictive that money might be. My sense of the book was that she came across as just about the only undamaged person in the business. She did discuss topics like drug use, prostitution, money addiction, and self-esteem, but since the book was about her personal journey, she didn't dwell on the problems of others. Perhaps it didn't appeal to people who wanted a more dramatic, negative, and victimized approach. She never said anything to give even the slightest impression that she was attempting a tour de force of sex work in the US. (I recommend Susie Bright or Carol Queen for that sort of thing.) This was a book about her personal journey, not yours. If your experience was different, then write your own book so we can read it, too.

I'll admit that my experience with "exotic dancers" is somewhat limited. I have only been to the clubs a half dozen or so times, and I don't know any dancers personally. I do hear by second and third hand stories that the scene does have a high rate of drug (including alcohol - it is a drug) use, prostitution, and other unsavory activities. There would probably be far less of such things if sex work were not forced into marginal areas of towns and the people involved treated like garbage by so-called "good citizens." The clubs I visited had full nudity.

The question of whether showing off one's body for money is degrading is largely a matter of semantics and personality. People who have an exhibitionistic bent are *not* degraded by such exposure, but exhilarated and empowered by it. Realize that there are different types of people in the world! Is it any less degrading for a coal miner to trade the health of his lungs for money, or a stock broker his/her ethics? Women in this society face degrading behavior all the time in every location and setting you care to name. (For that matter so do men.) If one looks beneath the thin veneer of common society here in the US, there is far more unsavory behavior going on than most will admit, and it happens in churches, boardrooms, and on Wall Street. This is a sick, sex-negative, anti-nature, and basically maladjusted society, and we all pay a price for that.

The discussion of nudity and appreciation of the human body and sexuality is a far too long and complex one to settle here. Read some history - When God Was A Woman, Ishtar Rising, or other material on how and why our current religious-based views of sex were created. Shame over nudity and sexual behavior is not universal, natural, "moral," or healthy by a long shot. Read Betty Dodson, Carol Queen, Susie Bright, Annie Sprinkle, Laura Kipnis, or some other of the intelligent, sex-positive writers.

My experience in strip clubs was transformative. I felt liberated and freed from centuries of lies. I experienced more spiritual release in those few short hours than in decades of Christian beliefs. I literally felt transported back to a time when women were proud of being sexual beings who owned, celebrated, and were masters of, their own sexual energy. I felt a deep sense of gratitude, wonder, awe, respect, devotion, and something so deeply spiritual that it sent me researching the goddess religions for understanding. Few women comprehend the tremendous power their body holds for men. (And there are forces in this society who don't want you to learn that, either.)

The complaints that she didn't seek "honest" work are humorous - maybe something honest like politics or working at Enron or pushing denatured foodlike toxins at a fast-food restaurant? I consider the no-strings, cash-for-a-look-at-my-body transaction in the strip clubs to be one of the most honest transactions in this society!

Of course, I realize that Heidi's real error was in writing what she really experienced and how she really felt, not what was expected or "politically correct." I find it interesting when women who respond to being sexually assualted/harassed by ramping up their self-esteem, owning and wielding their sexual power instead of becoming whimpering little victims who need someone to protect them, are attacked for it. Interesting how little is said in the reviews of the behavior of the people at Brown.

But then again, maybe some of the reviews are from folks at Brown............

I feel it is really a three star, but I gave it four in an attempt to create some balance. Her writing is okay, but not as insightful or powerful as Susie Bright, Carol Queen, Betty Dodson, or Laura Kipnis. Read them if you are looking for deep discussions of sexual issues. Read this book if you want to read one person's story.

ALL WRONG.
Although, I respect Heidi Mattson's tenacity...she wrote a book and got it published -- that is about it. As a woman who has been in and around this business for many years -- I can honestly say that Mattson is still hiding the truth from mom. Her fragmented stories are so "sugar coated" it is laughable to anyone who knows the truth about this dark world. I don't care if you graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School or if you have no education and grew up in foster homes -- if you have worked as a stripper for more than one night, undoubtably -- you have experienced moments of extreme degradation -- no one girl (dancer) is different in the eyes of a customer than the next in a strip club -- As a writer, if you are going to step up and write a book about this "taboo" subject -- TELL IT LIKE IT IS -- TAKE THE LEAP.This book is NOT an accurate account by any means of the real world of stripping....

pictures alone are worth the price
i enjoyed this book as it is easy to hold in one hand.A+++

Thought Provoking...Sort of
The book prompted great discusions with me and my mother. Good or bad writing, we both felt she presented a descent argument for acquiring money by stripping. And good or bad, the book has started a vivid discussion of this occupation.

I went to high school with Heidi. I am from the small town America she left. I was on the cross country team with her. In writing about how she kept in shape, she talks about being one of the best runners on the team which is true. But a note about there only being four girls on the (girls') team might have added a bit more perspective.

Which is what this book lacks. She eagely wanted to cover so many 'scandelous' and not so naughty topics: A chapter on organized crime? A night with a customer? Some social discorse on feminism with cited references and all? The pros and cons of breast enlargements? And, of course, her counting the money. If she had whittled down some of these topics, delved deeper on selected issues, gone outside herself and looked more at the other women and their lives and not counted her money every other chapter, she might have eeked up a bit in the ratings.

There were times I was hooked. I kept reading the book because I was genuinely interested in her going home to Bucksport, Maine and telling her parents the truth. That's brave...I think. I can see her father's face and his silence as she tells him in the kitchen. To me, her anticipation of this moment was where the writing was.

I would recommend this book to only a selected few. ... Read more

Book Description

If there's anything you might want to know about life in rural Vermont, here's your chance to get a straight from the horse's mouth, seventh generation point of view.

From the perils of the country backroad to the pros and cons of contact lenses for chickens, the author takes a fond, if somewhat jaundiced look at the world she grew up in.

Book Description

This is the true story of how Gamaliel Painter transformed Middlebury, Vermont from a loose grouping of rough log huts into the beautiful village that it is today. Painter was a man of many trades and occupations. He was a captain in the Continental Army who was with Ethan Allen at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, a sheriff, judge, legislator, industrialist, and philanthropist. This fascinating biography tells how Painter guided the town of Middlebury from pre-Revolutionary War days and started Middlebury College, which still celebrates his leadership today. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Draws upon a wealth of historical material
Gamaliel Painter: Biography Of A Town Father is the story of how one adventurous pioneer transformed a cluster of log huts into a thriving village and one of Vermont's most influential towns. Gamaliel Painter, a man of forceful personality that combined daring, shrewdness and caution, arrived in Middlebury from Connecticut in the mid-eighteenth century. He took on many trades and professions including pioneer town founder, college founder, associate of Ethan Allen at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Captain of Artificers in the Continental Army, a two-fisted sheriff, judge, singer of Vermont's Declaration of Independence, legislator, surveyor, land speculator, industrialist, and toll-road tycoon. Biographer Storrs Lee has drawn upon a wealth of historical material to produce a vivid, lively, accurate, and impressive account of Gamaliel Patiner, a most remarkable and accomplished man who left a lasting imprint on Vermont's colonial and revolutionary history. ... Read more

Book Description

Laurie recounts the stories of Hardscrabble, her arrival as a young bride, her involvement in town life and the town's unique place in the world and their love of the outdoors and nature. The tone is down home friendly, conversational and intimate.

This is a book of dog stories and so much more. Laurie takes you into her world much the same way James Herriot took readers to his beloved Yorkshire.

Hardscrabble is small town New England at it's best. The Hardscrabble Chronicles is an old fashioned book in the best sense--it's warm, funny and nostalgic.

Laurie picks up the tales of Hardscrabble where the renowned outdoor writer, Corey Ford left off. For thirty years, from 1923 until 1953, legendary Field & Stream columnist Corey Ford owned the Lower Forty in a small New England town that he dubbed "Hardscrabble" to shield its identity. He regaled millions of readers with colorful stories of its eccentric and eclectic townsfolk. Now, with The Hardscrabble Chronicles, Laurie Bogart Morrow continues this rich tradition-and interweaves portraits of one of Hardscrabble's most valuable resources: its dogs. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

My favorite book
I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of the book, and I was amazed at how eloquently my aunt had portrayed her life in the hinterlands.This is definetly a book for all types of people.As a interesting fact, Humphrey Bogart is my aunt's father's (my grandfather's) first cousin.
This was a wonderful book.

HARDSCRABBLE MEETS PEYTON PLACE
Picture in your mind a tweedy, gracefully aging celebrity sportsman fly fishing and bird hunting the world over with equally aging male celebrities. At least that was the public image.Curt Gowdy?Maybe if you only watched TV.If you were a reader in the `fifties and `sixties, you would likely think of Corey Ford, Field and Stream's most popular columnist for almost 20 years during the middle of the last century. Ford was an icon and inspiration to millions of split-level outdoorsman for whom he created a literary world where they could retreat with him even from the comfort of their armchairs and recliners, and hunt the field and fish the stream together, or swap lies about their angling and shooting exploits, real, imagined, or hoped for around the pot bellied stove in the general store of "Hardscrabble, " a fictional rural New England village based on people and places in the small towns of Ossipee, Effingham, and Freedom, New Hampshire.

This is what Laurie Bogart Morrow (a relative of Humphrey Bogart she claims) has sought to recreate and pay homage to, albeit in a more unisex way, in The Hardscrabble Chronicles.For most of the book she does an admirable job of it.

Ms. Morrow moved to Freedom, Ford's adopted home town, with her husband early in their married life, and quickly adapted to country New England living, much to the horror of her urban New York parents (yes Humphrey was from NYC).She learned how to fix up her drafty old farmhouse, cook on a woodstove, raise bird dogs, and she became an avid sportsperson and hunter herself.After she started her own family, the editor of an area newspaper persuaded her to take over a gossip column, once written by Mr. Ford, while the regular columnist was recovering from an illness.During her temporary tenure, she then began to learn more about Freedom's most famous citizen, and the more she learned the more she wanted to learn, developing such an interest in the man that she eventually obtained an authorization to write a Ford biography from Dartmouth University, which controls his literary estate and papers.

Most of The Hardscrabble Chronicles; however, is really a biography of Ms. Morrow's own experiences in Freedom, re-fictionalized again as Hardscrabble, but written in the same funny, character-driven anecdotal form as Mr. Ford's "Lower Forty" series that appeared in Field and Stream.Only the last chapter, styled an "afterward," is a biographical essay about Corey Ford (the pen name of James Hitchcock Ford, born 1902, died 1969).

In it we learn that the rumpled, curmudgeony, pipe smoking sportsman the world came to know in his fifties and sixties was, in his twenties, a member of fashionable New York literary society's Algonquin Roundtable,trading party barbs with legendary uptown wits and poseurs alike (apparently he was also a drinking buddy of Humphrey Bogart).In his thirties he was a Hollywood screenwriter whose main staple was romantic comedy and musicals.It was in his forties that he turned his back on the world of glitter and city lights where he was only really a minor player, and essentially "re-invented himself" as the bucolic personae who would finally achieve fame as a writer, becoming a sort of backwoods James Thurber for the hunting and fishing crowd. He was literate enough in his style to be taken seriously as a major American humorist, but folksy enough in his presentation to become loved by millions of people who never read anything more "highbrow" than the daily sports page, and his columns in Field and Stream.

Ms. Morrow presents in the afterward an edited, unpublished rough draft of Ford's most famous and evocative short story, "The Road to Tinkhamtown"that she found in the Dartmouth library, and then "put together."The published version is considered by many to be one of the best hunting fiction pieces ever written.Even if you are not a hunter, and I'm not one, you can appreciate the published story as a piece of well written, popular literature.This story served as my introduction to Corey Ford's writing.I first read it when I was about thirteen years old as a reprint in a Reader's Digest issue.Even at that age, as a city kid who had never hunted a day in his life, and judging it by the standards of my usual fare of horror and science fiction, I considered it one of my favorites,a masterwork, transcending genre. It is a timeless and otherworldly classic, melancholy without being maudlin, about a dying man and his long dead favorite bird dog going out together once more on the "last hunt."Less skillful pens than Ford's probably would have turned out a forgettable, sentimental mess using such subject matter.

The more wordy and less polished version presented in The Hardscrabble Chronicles' still contains the original story, but Ms. Morrow uses it along with inferences (but no real specifics) from one of Ford's diaries she uncovered in "carton 23" of the Ford papers at Dartmouth, along with details about Ford's own death experience, all in what seems almost like faint praise to probe into certain aspects of Ford's personal life, never to my knowledge revealed publicly before.Detailing her discomfort with her discoveries in Ford's papers, and how she managed to come to terms with them takes up much of the short biography chapter and makes it read at times like a bizarre, somewhat reluctant expose that's more suggestive of "Peyton Place" (in real life, Gilmanton, just "down the road apiece" from Freedom) than "Hardscrabble."After what seems (and I believe is genuinely) a loving and excellent paean to the literary legacy of this man, the dramatic shift in tone at the end of an otherwise inspired collection of Ford pastiches makes the book fascinating, if oddly uneven.

After reading this book, if you are the curious sort like me, you may be tempted to visit the Corey Ford Papers at Dartmouth, and look in "carton 23" yourself, if such still exists, to see what's really there. I think I may do some hunting and fishing right there if I get up that way anytime.

Long Gone Hardscrabble
As a faithful reader of Corey Ford's Lower Forty stories in Field and Stream in the late 50's, I wanted to like this book a lot.The problem is that the Hardscrabble of the 1950's doesn't transport well to today.Those lovable characters that I knew in an Upstate New York town much like Hardscrabble, are long gone.The hardware store has been replaced with a Gap and the general store that was filled with old curmudgeons is now a Starbucks populated with twenty-something latte drinkers. Ms. Morrow does an admirable job trying to resurrect the old place, but the lingering feeling that many readers will have is that old Hardscrabble is a faded photograph that is best left to the past and not "colorized" for the 21st Century.If you want the real Hardscrabble, read Corey Ford.Ms. Morrow is a good writer; she should apply her considerable talent to the word beyond Hardscrabble.

Good, quiet reading
If you're looking for alot of urban excitement in your reading, this is not the book for you.If you're looking for depth and serenity for a good read in front of a fire on a winter's night, this IS the book for you.I found this in the library and decided to try it, in front of the fire on a winter's night of course, and actually enjoyed it more than I expected to.This will go in my list of good books read and I will seek out other titles by this author.This is a good, quiet read - enjoy!

The Hardscrabble Chronicles - Incredible!
One of the funniestand most poignant renditions of country life I have every read.Morrow had me laughing and crying and I couldn't put the book down.This reminds me in style of A Year in Provence -but I think there was more meat to the writing in Hardscrabble. I can't wait for the next book - this is a great writer! ... Read more

Book Description

Eliza Thomas spent years telling herself that her odd jobs and makeshift living spaces were only temporary.One day she woke up to discover that they had become her life.

Single and childless in her forties, Thomas made an enormous leap: from a drafty apartment in Boston to a one-room Boy Scout cabin in rural Vermont.There, with hammer and nails, the companionship of her trusted dog, Lily, and the courage to reinvent herself, Eliza set about turning the unfinished cabin into a home--and soons finds--in the beautiful baby girl she adopts from China--that she has a family to go along with it.

A story of building up and letting go, of learning to appreciate both solitude and connection, The Road Home is one woman's chronicle of triumph--and of creating a place to grow up again.

... Read more

Reviews (6)

Warm and Wonderful
This book carries the warmth you would share as you sit in the evening by the fire listening to an old friend tell you personal stories of their life. Some of the chapters, such as 'My Father's Violin' stand on their own as beautiful essays. I read and re-read that chapter several times as Eliza talked about memories of her father and the few shared times that they had together. The entire book is a reminder of what is important in life and how we all search for our own home.

SO GOOD I OWN IT!
From all the books I checked out at the library, this is the first that I had to own. This book is so New England you can't help but laugh out loud. She has guts AND the ability to laugh at her own stupidness. Any one who does not get a chuckle out of this book needs to loosen up in life and stop and smell the roses. I wish I had half the gall that she has to make life the way she has, and I wish I knew her.

heartwarming, uplifting memoir
This is such a lovely, small treasure. Like reading the diary of a wonderful friend, off on the adventure of her life, taking chances, getting scared, terrified, stuck, lonely, but trying again each time, full of life, hopeful--a lot like a lot of our lives. I think that's why I liked it so much. It was so real. It made me feel that there are others out there who are scared, vacillate, worry, yet continue on. I loved this book.

A Bumbler's Journey
Like many memoirs written in the 1990s, this one celebrates the vacillations, doubts, and insecurities of its author, who in her 40s realizes that "Time had been running out, and I hadn't been paying attention." So begins the chronicle of this midlife crisis, in which our anti-heroine relocates to a cabin in the woods, adopts a Chinese baby and redefines her life. Actually "redefines" conveys too much clarity, too much self-awareness, too much sense of purpose.

I know we are suppose to empathize as the author stumbles through the snowy woods (after skidding her car off the road), sees her house glowing in the distance, and realizes she is home.

But all I wanted to do throughout was slap some sense into her, get her to read a book, research a subject, or learn how to do something for herself.

A true story, a true adventure, a true voice
Eliza Thomas writes this book with so much of herself in it that I felt as if she was a friend of mine, sitting out on the porch telling me her story. I honestly laughed out loud, was touched by her memories of her father, and was saddened right along with her at her frustrations at finding a suitable job, and apartment. This book will tickle you. After reading this book I could not believe that I did not actually know this woman, and had not shared in her laughter and pain. The only thing wrong with this book is that it isn't long enough. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Humorous and Non-FIBulous
I really enjoyed this book. Nothing funnier than truth, and this author knows first-hand what it's like to encounter the Maine yankee in all of his integrity, skepticism, and humor.

Very interesting to see how medicine has changed for the 'Family Doctor' over the past century. Imagine making 'housecalls' in the middle of the night during a snow storm, or nearly getting run off the road by clergy to reach a dying man first.

This book is well worth the read for anyone who's interested in the 'old' Maine and the life of a country doctor. Good Work Dr Betts!

poignant portrayal of medicine in northern maine in 1950s
Great local color, humorous outlook, authentic reminiscences ofrural medicine.

witty and humorous - easy and engaging reading!
I really enjoyed this tale. The author has a neat sense of humor, even when dealing with lots of difficulties on the job. It made me realize what it was like for a general practice back in those days, and likely for todays' rural doctors. ... Read more

Book Description

"Lake Wobegon" Meets "Our Town" in 1920s Massachusetts…

This folksy collection of letters evokes happy memories of growing up in a small Massachusetts coastal town in the early 1900, with stories that are humorous, often nostalgic, sometimes informative, and always sincere. It's a treasury filled with boyhood antics, simple New England pleasures, and spirited people &endash; from the heartwarming to the cantankerous.

A Time when Family and Friends Meant Everything…

Cliff Ashley was born in 1909 and his brother Ed in 1913. While Ed remained in his hometown of Marion, Massachusetts, Cliff moved to Falmouth, Maine and began a correspondence with his brother that would span more than 60 years. The letters in this book bring together the wonderful story of their boyhood, providing a slice of life from another era and a real and compelling account of one family's struggle and the small town people who helped them. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A real treasure
After two wonderful books (1942 & 1946) largely about herself and her relationship with the northwoods of Maine, Louise Rich was wise to shift her focus to the strong character, ethics and coping skills of her remote neighbors. My Neck of the Woods is a real treasure.

Captivating
Louise Dickinson Rich was one of a kind and this is one of her best. This is one of those books that makes you a part of her fascinating and down to earth world.

Disappointing after "We Took to the Woods"ÿ
Having read many of her books about her life in rural Maine, I was disappointed with this one. It is written in the same simple style which is enjoyable to read but the content was not as good. Most of this book is about the various people who lived near the author. Discussions on their personality quirks and the mundain details of their lives are not really all that interesting. The stories are only intersting to those who know these people. I enjoy reading books like this to learn what life is like for others is situations different from mine. I learned nothing new with this one. I am glad I did not read this book first or I never would have read her others. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An evocative memoir of growing up in Worcester, Mass.
This reprint of the original (1954) much-praised memoir by the playwright S. N. Behrman contains photos, which the original lacked. Behrman grew up in 1890 - 1915 Worcester, Massachusetts, in a Jewish enclave of immigrants, alongside similar neighborhoods of Swedish-, Irish-, Italian-, and other European-Americans in this bustling industrial city 50 miles west of Boston. Behrman went on to become a highly popular playwright and essayist - this memoir arose from the acclaim following the publication of shorter pieces in The New Yorker magazine. It is especially interesting - and moving - as another century nears its end. Some of the episodes recounted are hilarious, some poignant, all compelling. You don't have to Jewish - or from Worcester - to be charmed by these memories. And you can find out why even in a tiny community of Jews, there are always at least two synagogues! ... Read more

Book Description

A unique glimpse of real life on an island off the coast of Maine. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Maine at its finest!
This is a wonderful Yankee counterpart to Minnesota's Lake Wobegone!Life on a small island in the Penobscot Bay has its charms and challenges.Crossman's vignettes are humorous, insightful and poignant.A fun read. ... Read more