Vermont Books

There remains a strong divide in the study of politics between people who consider themselves political scientists and political theorists. When Mansbridge's book first came out, it was praised for demonstrating that one can do both. And the praise is deserved.

The book focusses on two communities. The first, a small town in the Northeast, exemplifies town hall democracy. The second, an organization committed to providing various kinds of community help, exemplifies early seventies' attempts to have completely egalitarian organizations.

Mansbridge mentions that she included both because she had intended to contrast an adversarial democracy (the town meeting) with a unitary democracy (the help line), but that her data complicated the neat dichotomy. Mansbridge observed each community trying to resolve a difficult conflict, and she interviewed various members.

The book is rich, and I have found it very useful for thinking about why Americans have so much trouble imagining that discursive conflict might be a good thing. Mansbridge has beautiful quotes from people describing their discomfort with argument, and I think she's right to draw some general conclusions from them.

Although I'm not a political theorist, I found the book intelligent and intelligible, and I highly recommend it to someone who is interested in conflict within organizations.

This is a delightful light read, full of wonderful "people" stories told by a man with a reputation as one of the finest doctors ever to practice in Vermont. It is not only entertaining and insightful, but it also includes some delightful offbeat humor. Highly recommended!

This is a poignant, sweet, wholesome story with classic New England characters. You start to care what happens to these people. Big Fish is a great escape from the modern, cynical world.

There are only a handful of poets that I await new volumes to see where they have been, what have they been doing since their last volume. William Corbett is at the top of that list. His poetry is as rhythmically close to music as words are allowed to get. Corbett has slowly, carefully created a world. This is ordinary life turned into art at its highest most articulate pitch. This fine new book has been worth the wait.

"By Heart" is a masterpiece. The book is a tale of Vermont life in the midsts of small town, workmans life. Being a poetry book it combines empathy, happiness, and dedication. Bob Arnold knows what he is doing when he sits down a writes. A true man to his writing.

I found this book well documentedand presented.One of the few biographies on this great president that presents the facts in an unbiased straightforward way. It deserves space in every library in the country.

This is a must have. It covers not only his political career, but also his personal life. Very in-depth and thorough. Like all biographies that covers the personal side of Coolidge it creates a common thread of what the author thinks Coolidge was like. Excellent book! I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Twins, Susan & Christine Pratt, spend their Christmas vacation with their grandparents in Vermont. They soon learn that someone is embezzling money from the local children's hospital. The twins become sleuths, investigating the hospital matter & end up trading identities again. This is another exciting adventure for younger kids, starring the unforgetable twins, Susan & Christine Pratt. Every child should be encouraged to read these books that expand the imagination & are delightful to read as well.

If you are looking for a children's book about the Revolutionary War or Vermont history, you have come to the right place. The book is about the little-know but important Battle of Hubbardton, in Hubbardton, Vermont. It is the story of Josiah, a Vermont farm boy, who discovers a wounded German drummer boy his own age. The book is a fast-read with a lot of action, but also shows various facets of war. This book would be good for grades 4-8, depending on the child's reading level, and would be a great book for a teacher doing a unit on the Revolutionary War.

A "Must Have" for 19th century Vermont Art appreciation.