Connecticut Books

Many books have been written about the decline of American cities- but I have found none quite like this one.

Rae's book is not an abstract set of generalizations, but a case study of one city: New Haven, Connecticut.

The first half of the book begins by talking about the rise of New Haven. At the start of the 19th century, New Haven was just one of many small towns in south central Connecticut. But by 1910 it was an industrial powerhouse with 80% of the region's population. What went right?

Once railroads were invented in the early 19th century, intercity (between cities) transportation became much easier - but at the same time, intracity transportation was still cumbersome. So industry was centralized in a few downtowns, and most people lived within a mile of their work. And cheap energy (through coal and steam) benefited port cities which, like New Haven, lacked the power of falling water and thus did not have a large mill industry. Moreover, coal (unlike modern electricity) was also easier to transport between downtowns than within cities. So labor and capital were centralized in New Haven, which by 1910 was a crime-free, bustling, very urban place.

New Haven stopped growing as early as the 1920s, and started to shrink in the 1950s. What went wrong?

Rae lists a variety of factors- some that were beyond the control of any politician, and some that could have been controlled through more enlightened public policy.

In the first category, Rae mentions the rise of the automobile (which decentralized regions by making transportation within a region easier) and the rise of the electric power grid (which allowed cheap energy to go beyond regional cores). Television decimated the city's volunteer civic organizations, and national centralization of industry meant that local groceries were supplanted by regional supermarkets and New Haven's industries were bought by corporations headquartered in other cities and often moved around the country or around the globe.

In the second category, Rae criticizes highways that encouraged movement to suburbia, public housing projects that anchored low-skill people in urban cores that were losing low-skill manufacturing jobs, zoning that discouraged retail outside of a few commercial streets, New Deal housing agencies that discouraged investment in urban working-class neighborhoods, and urban renewal projects that bulldozed those neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s to build more highways and housing projects.

Was sprawl inevitable? Given the wide range of factors cited by Rae, some sprawl was inevitable- but the disastrous decline of New Haven probably wasn't.

This book chronicles the rich urban life of New Haven, CT, and the forces that brought about its decline in the postwar period. It dissects the misplaced theories underpinning the urban renewal movement and details the disastrous effects that these policies had on New Haven. While the book focuses on New Haven, the discussion is pertinent to urban renewal projects in dozens of US cities, and is of interest to anyone interested in the decline, and possible rebirth of urban life. One unique characteristic of this book is the quality of the writing: witty, insightful. Despite being a scholarly book, it reads like a novel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cities.

I found this to be an absorbing, detailed, and provocative political and social history of New Haven, with lessons and delightful insights for those interested in the future of our cities, suburbs, and communities. Only a well-respected Yale political scientist like Doug Rae, with the sophistication of someone who has experienced firsthand how policy and implementation collide, could have written as entertaining and perceptive a history. The book is an immense public service, and required reading for those interested in urban planning, redevelopment, and public policy. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Rae spins a story like a novelist, but this book is really a tour de force, assembling an impressive amount of data to explain how well-intentioned urban planning policies failed, and how America lost its sense of what creates livable cities. It's a terrific read for anyone interested in the tale of American urban evolution in the twentieth century, and a must-read for those involved in urban planning, public policy and politics.

Dr. Deroeck gives a birds eye view of the world of chiropractics from a unique perspective. Although he is a doctor, you get the feeling that he himself had been a patient at one time. A knowledgeable man that was able to help me make an important decision concerning chiropractics.

This was an excellent explanation of what Chiropractic is about. It explains things in an easy to understand way for the general public yet is very useful for a chiropractor/chiropractic student to use to explain things in conversations or presentations. After going through graduate school you forget how to speak english, this should help.

I came across this book during a time when I was debating over whether I really wanted to become a medical doctor. This book taught me about what chiropractic truly is, and changed the course of my life forever. Prior to reading this book, I never thought chiropractic was more than a treatment for low back pain and even thought that it can be harmful.

But this book opened my mind and heart to this wonderful profession, that I am so proud to be a part of. A year after first reading this book, I completed my bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. A few months later, I eagerly began my chiropractic studies at Life University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since being in clinical practice for over 2 years, chiropractic has been everything I ever dreamed of and read about in this book.

Thanks Dr. DeRoek for a well-written and inspiring book.

Thanks a billion! I am in chiro school (National) and am so glad I did not go to medical school. I was unsure if I made the right decision because of hearing all the AMA megaphone advice on the web. If you're thinking of a career in chiropractic, definately check this out because it just may be what you want to be or exactly what you don't want. Just know the facts instead of the AMA pep rally. Do your own research and you can't go worng. Also, shadow different phyisicans - such as chiropractors (DC), osteopaths (DO), allopaths (MDs)...just do your homework. Personally, I'm learning everthing I can and then some about typical medical protocols and chiropractic protocols because I believe in holistic care which doesn't only mean cracking backs, it means having diagnostic skills equal to or better than other health disciplines.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

You really cannot go wrong with the Atlas Gazetteer from Delorme. Especially if you are flying into Jackson, MS and planning to drive around half(literally) the state on all sorts of back roads trying to find streams, creeks, etc.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

We have come to rely on the Gazetteer series for general navigation when an Internet connection is not available. My husband purchased the New York version for a business trip and found it to provide exactly the information he needed.

A DANGEROUS DREAM gives the reader suspense, mystery, and a fabulous setting to enjoy as love weaves its way into the lives of Melissa and David.

At the elite Deer Creek Farm the reader sees behind the scenes of the glamour and glitz of horse shows like the Grand Prix to the hard work, skill, and talent that makes grand equestrian shows possible.

Melissa's life is forever changed when she goes to Deer Creek Farm as an assistant barn manager. Early on the reader senses something is unusual about her being hired by such an elite stable. While she is not a part of this rarified world, she loves horses and is determined to use her considerable talent and skill to build a life for herself in this unique arena of life. When she encounters the reticent horse trainer David, who is just as career-oriented as she is, a subtle awareness begins to simmer.

Read the entire review here:
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A Dangerous Dream by Mary Paine is an amazing book. I couldn't put it down. I've been looking for a novel about the horse show jumping world for a long time and finally found a wonderful one! Author Mary Paine obviously has a deep loves of horses and showing and shares her knowledge and experience in an exciting story wrapped up with romance and mystery. I couldn't ask for more!

A Dangerous Dream

A racy and romantic mystery set against a backdrop of Connecticut's elite equestrian world. A page turner with twists of the heart and breath-holding excitement. Highly recommended!

All Equestrian and non-Equestrians will not be able to put A Dangerous Dream down.
Mystery, romance, and a beautiful story line that keeps the reader
captive. I read A Dangerous Dream from beginning to end
with no break. All readers, Equestrian and non-Equestrian will learn,
enjoy and love this book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning a little bit of history about the CT, W.Mass and Vermont. It is simply great reading for history buffs or folks who enjoy learning about the area and families that lived along the CT River at various times in history.

This is such an enjoyable read for a history lover. The magical stories and obscure tidbits from the Connecticut River Valleys history come to life in this well written book. The characters are three dimentional and the book makes you want to travel the length of the river just to see what it is like today! Take a trip to Deerfield, Amherst, Windsor and Old Saybrook...meet Mark Twain and others. I recommend it to anyone who has spent some time in this history rich area.

Long River Winding is a very interesting, reader friendly book with something for everyone. Anyone who likes history, travel and especially people, should find this a good book. It gives glimpses into people's lives, some famous and others not famous, with humor and sensitivity. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it.

I loved this book! Highly enjoyable for armchair travellers, history buffs, and lovers of New England lore. I felt as if I were travelling with the author through the Connecticut River Valley, past and present, having experiences like riding with the chief of police in Holyoke, Massachusetts, witnessing family life in Mark Twain's home in Hartford, or meeting "the feisty women of Old Saybrook." Heroes, villains, witches, and geniuses are all here. There are probably 40 or so little-known human stories of "life, love, and death"that took place in New England but are universal in their themes of humor, drama, and poignancy. Travel notes at the end of each chapter help you visit the sites mentioned by the author, making this book a useful travel guide as well as fun to read. I never realized how fascinating the Connecticut River Valley is. It's one of America's great places and best-kept secrets.

The Lords of Greenwich is one of the best books that I have read in many years. It is an exciting, fast-paced novel that delves into the dark connections among the worlds of sports, politics, and medicine. Extremely well written, alternately gripping and hilarious. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

The Lords of Greenwich is a twofer - both a delightful political novel and a fascinating mystery. Despite the fact that the book is presented as a mystery, I found the political novel to be every bit as compelling as the mystery storyline.

Dr. Bentivegna's insider knowledge of electoral politics gives a realistic edge to his accounts of the behind-the-scenes machinations of campaign managers. (Warning for those who think politics is a noble endeavor: This novel is bound to depress you.) The tale of a gubernatorial election in its last weeks is compelling. The on-the-money characterizations of the people who interact within a campaign framework are by turns humorous and caustic, giving one the sense that they spring from reality.

Parallel to the political novel is a well-crafted mystery. How did the gambling scam work? Who killed the ring-leader, and how did he die? When would the world of politics intersect with the world of thuggery? All these questions keep the reader turning pages until the very end of an eminently satisfying first novel. Do it again, Doc!

Dr Bentivegna has written an at-times hilarious and topical, but also frightening and compelling page-turner about greed, political shenanigans, medical malfeasance and the class system in "Lords of Greenwich." The book propels you into the byzantine political realities of Connecticut state politics, the gaming (jai-alai) industry, a fall from grace, and the consequences of greed, from the angle of a physician. A remarkable cast of characters are fleshed out, and at the same time, clever thoughts and ideas are scattered throughout the book to keep you laughing and guessing at how a down-on-his luck mechanic could win at gambling on games of jai-alai. The only thing that made this book not reach five stars was a less than credible resolution to the whole story, which required a fair amount of medical legerdemain to explicate to the non-subspecialist in corneal surgery the unbelievable (but almost possible) way the scam worked. Notwithstanding that, it was still a real good read.

Lords of Greenwich almost certainly belongs at the top of the N.Y. Times best seller list. Dr. Bentivegna appears to present a stellar cautionary tale of greed, lust and greed, judging by the cover. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his brother. Just as soon as he sends me a copy, I'm sure it will be a rewarding read.

I liked this book. Nice photos, good value. I can't say that I will go back and read it again, but it had decent information on the first read and great art.

Informative and well written with beautiful color photos of the miniatures. A book we'll treasure.

I began my interest in miniature paintings several years ago, but found that long searches on the internet rarely produced any new information on this topic. Owning about 4 "worthwhile" books in my collection on the subject, I anxiously awaited Robin Jaffee Frank's book (which I became aware was "in the works" about 6 months before publication). I hoped that this book would be the frosting on the cake of knowledge I possessed on miniatures. I was delighted to find it is the cake itself. Miniature itself in size, it contains a whopping 358 pages packed with information and insights, along with plenty of full-size illustrations. It's presented in a format that can be easily followed, with many paintings also shown magnfied to enhance the concept being presented. You will want to take your time in reading and relishing this book, there's alot of information here. Well worth the wait.

This is a wonderful book on American miniatures and mourning portraits. Ostensibly a catalogue of the Yale collection, it also gives a great history of miniatures in their cultural context, a discussion of miniature painters and processes, and a synopsis of the tradition of mourning items. Very well researched and well written. Beautiful pictures of miniatures, most at actual size, and many enlarged to reveal tiny details. This book is accessible to both scholars and the interested public.

I received this book yesterday and read it in one sitting. It was that mesmerizing.

I live in Connecticut and watched the horrible story unfold on TV that day. The questions Mrs. Brown posed have never been answered. Why was a derranged employee allowed back to work? Why was he allowed to have a gun? How did he get it into the building?

The State government and the lottery corporation handled the investigation badly. No one seemed to want to accept responsibility.

The author has written a powerful book on loss and courage. She had to carry on for the sake of her three young children and she did.

This should be required reading for all mental health care professionals and human resources personnel.

This is a letter I wrote to Oprah Winfrey. It was unanswered, but it might have gone to the wrong address. Perhaps - the ultimate in serendipity - Oprah will read it here...?

Dear Oprah:

I understand that you have already received from the publisher (University of Delaware Press) a copy of the recently released book "The Unspeakable." I have no idea what approach, what words, their marketers might have used to convince you that it's worthy of your review...but I'd like to add some personal insights to tell you a bit about the extraordinary woman who lived through this "unspeakable" experience and penned the memoir.

A few years ago, a young woman moved into the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont from Connecticut with her three children...and settled into the most historic - and a bit run down - old house in our town. Not being nosy neighbors, few knew much about this family who went about their business quietly and was assimilated into the community without fuss. She joined the local historical society in which I was active and was a participant in our activities without making any deep impression regarding some hidden talents. We learned a bit more about her when she co-edited a book about a legendary Lyndon civic leader who had been taken prisoner during the Civil War and kept a diary of his experiences at Andersonville and other lesser known Confederate confines. I got to know her a bit better during this time, helping to make the financial arrangements for the publication and marketing of the book. She mentioned that she was close to finishing a memoir and asked if I would help with the editing/proofreading of the manuscript. (Before my retirement nearly 20 years ago, I was a college business manager - hardly the qualification for an editor - but I'm known as a nitpicker, so I willingly agreed.)

What I read literally "knocked the socks off" me. Not previously knowing her background, I was totally unprepared for what followed. And I learned a great deal more about Denise Brown and this `cri de coeur' during our series of work sessions that followed. While I could try to emulate professionals in expressing my own reaction to her powerful story and the unique style of its telling (from the perspective of an octogenarian), let me copy below the words excerpted from an unsolicited review - that appears on the dust jacket - to help persuade you to read through this thin volume (125 pages) and consider it for a Book Club embrace. [A second review is separately enclosed; it's a bit more "Oprahesque.")

"Denise Brown's beautiful memoir takes us to a place no one wants to go - inside the horror that engulfed her when her husband's life was taken in an act of mindless workplace violence. Through a victim's eyes, we watch a hungry news media and a bevy of corporate lawyers swirl around her like images in a movie. We sense the helplessness of her friends as they attempt to comfort someone who's been hurt beyond comforting. We follow her worried gaze as she watches her children struggle to go on without their father. We revisit the murder scene, not once, but again and again as an unshakable image in her mind.
"Yet The Unspeakable derives its power from what the author observes inside herself. The book's introspective focus is steady, truthful, and meticulous - a close record of human experiences that should help us to speak more honestly about violence and loss. Denise Brown does for murder what Elie Wiesel did for the Holocaust. In brilliant, clear, evocative prose - stripped of sentimentality, self-pity, or false hope - she tells us what it was like."
David Kaczynski

That really "says it all!"

In the light of the catastrophe at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute on April 17, the relevance of Denise Brown's memoir, "The Unspeakable," becomes even clearer. Although the numbers of victims, the circumstances of the institutions, and the specifics of the perpetrators in both instances might suggest widely different conclusions, the opposite argument could just as easily be made that such violence is endemic. The similarities of the pain and suffering brought to all the survivors, either the physically wounded or the emotionally devastated friends and, in particular, families, tend to resonate with the TV viewer and the memoir reader alike.

Ms Brown has a literate style presented in a straightforward and intimate package. The story the memoir relates affects us with both its poignancy and its forcefulness, with its desperation and its toughness. More unflinching than most others, Ms Brown's revelations lead the reader through the dark at least as far as "the light at the end of the tunnel" and, in fact much further.

The book might be read as a primer on how not to treat victims whose lives have been so maimed by the suddenness and viciousness of the acts completed in the space of a few minutes. The recovery of the will and energy to carry on takes eons longer emotionally in comparison.

Ms Brown takes us from her first encounter with her husband Ott -- all-male, hard-working, attractive but with a true father's touch -- to his death at the hands of a psychotic gun freak; from despair to resolve, and finally to something of a safe haven. But Ms Brown does not "take the veil" and enter a nunnery. Instead, she puts herself forward as an advocate for the acceptance of responsibility by supervisors and others and for the practice of security in an environment in which guns are both plentiful and relatively convenient to obtain. Yet she has not produced an antigun screed. Indeed, and this is the part of the memoir that struck me the strongest, she takes on faceless bureaucracies and anyone unwilling or unable either to take responsibility or to take care. And she does it as a surrogate for us all.

My sincerest wish is that Ms Brown and the University of Delaware Press will be able to promote this book energetically, especially because I am not all that certain that others involved in the publication will be energetic enough. But I do feel that what she has to say deserves to be heard and thought about. As a society, ours needs to consider the sources and responses to the violence of Connecticut and Virginia. And the issue deserves at least as much thought and action as the next tax cut.

Guy Butterworth

"Do you know that sound, the sound of pure grief that erupts from the core of your being, from your heart and lungs and gut, and fills you, empties you of everything else, of every other thought or hope or prayer? It is savage, wordless, that sound. It is like the howl of an animal dying alone in a black forest...

"I have heard that sound filling a darkened room around me, felt it consuming my body, unloading my soul of everything I once believed. I cannot recognize the woman from whom the sound emerges. She's barely human. She barely exists." (18)

March 6, 1998 began as did any Friday for Denise Brown, her three children and her husband, who left for work but would not return. You see, Otho Brown and three others were gunned down by a co-worker at Connecticut's lottery office in one of the highest profile mass murder/suicides in recent history.

Thus began Denise Brown's nightmare, as she stared into a television set surrounded by friends, neighbors and policemen, TV crews lurking outside, waiting for confirmation of what she had already felt deep inside--her husband was among those killed that morning. The image of his "body lying half-covered in the gravel parking lot" would haunt her for a long time, especially since it became iconic in the media's portrayal of the story.
Her memoir, compact, condensed, haunting and powerful, is based on the journal she began as "a shelter in a maddening storm" and is crafted into not only a compelling story of hellish coping and survival, but a symphony of words arranged by impulses of shock, rage, numbness, hopelessness, reality, and rebirth. It is an Artaudian spiral ascent from hell, with each turn revisiting the murder, but always from a different point of reference, each more enlightened.

In the midst of blinding despair and confusion after the murder, Denise Brown groped about, filling out forms, taking care of the will, taxes, the funeral that would be a public spectacle, trying to care for her young children when she couldn't care for herself. Lashing out at those who would help her, she felt the void within her filling with fear and rage. Rage at the lottery corporation and the police, who appeared to be doing very little to look into how the massacre could have happened and possibly could have been avoided; rage at the parents of the murderer, who had a sign posted on their property stating: "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." Fear crept into the fabric of her life--she rushed her children out of crowded places, avoided any situation with the remotest possibility of someone possessing a gun, felt terrorized even by the stare of a stranger. To numb herself, she took to drinking: "I get to know alcohol, to crave it, to welcome the burn of whiskey at the back of my throat, the subtle lull of deep-red wines, the medicinal effect of gin without tonic... Drink becomes for me food, water, sleep" (26).

Brown began to think of suicide and grasped onto anything that could give her hope...prayers to a God in whom she had little faith, the belief in signs, visions, dreams, sounds, voices. She hid her husband's gun from herself and sought help in the form of a psychiatrist. She confessed to wanting to die. She could not allow herself to embrace life, to be a friend, to take a lover--nor to surrender her quest to deal directly with what she needed...closure, and to be able to say to her children if they asked what she'd done to "right the wrong," that "I did everything I could."

That autumn, Denise Brown had a nebulous but profound realization that would energize her in the midst of her suffering:

"At some point after a great tragedy, I can't say exactly how or when, you realize all you thought you knew about your place in the vast, essential emptiness that is our universe is unfounded. Your importance, or your lack of it, your desires, all require a thorough review. Your vision shifts its limited perspective, you see now and then from high and low, and if you're honest in the act, are both humbled and emboldened." (88)

She was emboldened enough to appear before the board of the lottery corporation, before the police commission, to demand what they knew. One day during that oppressive summer, a police officer had secretly given Brown what would prove to be her greatest weapon...a manila envelope filled with witness accounts of the murder and the events leading to it--the corporation knew the man who would murder was disturbed enough to put him on psychiatric leave, and they allowed him to return to work rather than dealing with renewing it.

Still lost in a tragic new world, her health failing, her family falling apart, Brown found the strength to act. The result was three blockbuster front page newspaper articles in which the lottery was caught in its own quicksand of denial. The repercussions were immense. It was a triumph which helped free her from death's grip.

After moving her family to an old house in Vermont where today she writes and enjoys life, Brown reflects on her ordeal in the mirror of Anaïs Nin's quote: "and then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Like Nin, she has been able to endure and ultimately transcend tragedy by constantly analyzing, reworking, and redefining it and her response to it.
Not long after the murder, Brown retraced her husband's steps in the parking lot, stood on the spot where he died, trying to imagine his last moments, in an act of personal courage--it is this strength of character that gives the writing in this book such potency. With The Unspeakable, Denise Brown has given the healing process a poignantly relevant voice.

This isn't actually a review - I'm a bit biased, being the author of this book. I want to share the exciting news that BY THE SWORD is on the International Reading Association (IRA) Children's and Young Adults' Book Award 2008 Notable Books List in the Intermediate/Non-Fiction category. BY THE SWORD is 1 of 3 in this category.

I hope you enjoy my book, in which I aim to add a human face to history.

BY THE SWORD is a touching Revolutionary War story told from a unique perspective. A young teacher, just twenty-two years old, is moved to enlist in George Washington's army. Neither he nor his beloved horse, Highlander, is prepared for battle. As Selene Castrovilla begins her story, "Benjamin Tallmadge had never killed before." When he fires his musket for the first time, he takes off, "not looking to see if he'd hit anyone." Young readers will identify with his reluctance.
The Battle of Long Island unfolds with breathtaking intimacy. We are close to the man and his horse as they weather a British assault, the lack of sleep, poor food, drenching rains, contradictory orders, and their own fears, in order to help save Washington's army from annihilation. Selene Castrovilla's prose evokes the anxiety of war with painterly details, but without drenching young readers in the carnage.
When Benjamin, in the heat of retreat, forgets Highlander, he receives permission to go back, by boat, to retrieve him. So this story is also about a brave young man who risks his life to save his beloved horse. As cannonballs from the fierce, advancing Hessians (mercenaries on the British side) narrowly miss Benjamin's retreating boat with Highlander safe on board, readers of all ages will be cheering.
Bill Farnsworth's expressive oil paintings on canvas enhance the text, from the flash of musket fire to the thick blanket of fog that kept the British fleet idling long enough for Washington's army to escape. Detailed endpaper maps enable readers to follow the troops. The author's research notes, timeline, suggested places to visit, and detailed bibliography of sources makes this an absolute must-have book for all teachers and students of history, for anyone interested in the birth of the United States of America. .

Do you want your kids to actually read a book, enjoy it and learn something too? Well, this is the book for them. It's a good read, action packed, interesting and surprise, surprise ... you learn some local history. Selene Castrovilla sucks you into Benjamin Tallmadge's world even if history is not your thing. Coupled with wonderful illustrations by William Farnsworth this book is a must have.

I am not a teacher, nor a poet. But, this book speaks to me! The first night I read the entire collection of poems. I related well to the bittersweet emotions one experiences while preparing for a major life change; in the author's case, retirement. I continually read 'Snow Day' to remind myself, a mother of two small children, to preserve my "downtime" for reconnecting with myself. "House cleaning and bill paying [can always] will wait awhile." This collection of poems is brilliant and heart-warming!

This is an engaging personal account of a high school teacher's thoughts and preparation on the eve of retirement captured in 25 tightly written, emotion-packed, image-rich poems. Apprehension collides with anticipation, nagging uncertainties, numerous possibilities:

"Sometimes my brain brews a mix of chemicals
That washes over me like a toxic tide.
What will I do if I made the wrong choice?
Retirement feels claustrophobic.
The attraction of being unfettered and free
Opposes the fear of isolation and loneliness
Like combatants in a wrestling match.
I am ambivalent."


Mr. Margolis' choice is met with conflicting advice; his brother counsels against retiring. It would be worthwhile reading for anyone contemplating retirement, especially so for those in the education profession.

Beyond his retirement dilemma, he offers a refreshing but perhaps antiquated philosophy on education:

"I believe children are responsible for their learning...
Homework is intended for students...
Children should adapt to teachers...
Schools can demand good behavior...
Sometimes, failure is the best teacher.
Students who are always propped-up will never
Grow strong enough to stand by themselves."

In his Introduction, Mr. Margolis posits that "I do not think of retirement as rest." One is naturally curious to see how his retirement evolved. Has he been as prolific as he was in his last year of teaching? Perhaps the author will offer a sequel addressing how he fared in retirement. Given his gift for expression, such an enterprise would be profitable for readers.

As a poet myself, I am generally fascinated with the subject; nonetheless, at the present point in my life, my time is often not my own and I no longer have time for much pleasure reading. I am wary of the same old thing, and the new and the avante-garde is too often just rubbish repackaged as the unique or ultra-modern. Thus, if I'm going to take the time to read on my personal time, it had better have merit. One work I've recently made the time to peruse and I have enjoyed reading is Class Dismissed! A Teacher Says Goodbye. Charlie Margolis' collection is concise (just 25 poems), not overwhelming nor overly sentimental, and yet the topics examined are weighty and worthy of more than one read. Charlie's poems have a simplicity and forthrightness that is charming, and it is that overall charm that forces us to keep flipping the pages. Maybe it is that Charlie writes for his own soul, without the confines of anyone else's ideas of how poetry should be presented; in short, he is not out to impress what we might term the "poetry establishment." His words are directed less by form and function than by the free-flowing yet carefully-crafted "stream of consciousness" spirit of a man facing the closing of one door and the opening of numerous others. Still, Charlie is an artist. He was a teacher of art for many years, and Charlie has a respect for the craft of presentation, whether he is sharing his drawings, his photography or, in this case, his poetry. Charlie's poems speak to the heart of the reader; his lines are delicate and lyrical, passionate and dynamic, yet palpable. Class Dismissed! is accessible to a diverse audience, not necessarily only to teachers or to students. The Connecticut Education Association chose to publish Charlie's work likely because of Charlie's insight (as a CT public school teacher for 35 years) into facing the prospect of retirement. Charlie wrote the poems included here as a chronicle of his thoughts as he goes through his last year of teaching. He takes us through poetic examinations with titles such as "Indecision," "Open House," "Inservice Day," "Rules," "Unemployment Opportunity," "Counting the Days," "Days Like These," all leading up to the inevitable "Goodbye" and then "the Mourning After." Any teacher of any age can surely relate to the myriad of emotions Charlie faces during his last year of employment in the public schools. If you are a teacher, this is a book that deserves a place on your bookshelf. If you know someone who is heading to retirement, this work would be a very appropriate gift. If you think you too may have a retirement somewhere in your future, then you will surely relate to the themes of this book. I think Charlie has done a terrific job, and I encourage you to add his work to your home library.