Massachusetts Books

I worked for a Divorce Attorney who used to recommend this book to her clients - I give the book to my friends, both female & male, to read before they act on Divorce and during their Divorce. Atty Jancourtz says it like it is and the book has a neutral tone, not favoring either male or female. I strongly recommend to anyone contemplating Divorce - read this book!!

The title of Ms Jancourtz's book is a bit misleading. The book is a concise and accurate guide to divorce law and procedures in Massachusetts. If both husband and wife are talking and anywhere near rational, the book can serve as a step by step guide to a self help divorce.

-Items covered include: -What are each parties rights in most cases. -How would a judge rule. -Where to go for protection or assistance. -Templates and sample forms..how to fill them out..where to file them. -Formulas and worksheets for calculating child support that conforms with state guidelines.

I used the book, and I'm a guy. When my ex-wife and I used this book with the assistance of a mediator, I took a draft of the separation/divorce agreement we put together to a lawyer for review. The lawyer was incredibly confrontational in his approach and I could see the dollar signs in his eyes. When I asked him up front what the letter of the law said about each issue he brought up, it turned out that Jancoutz (and the terms of our agreement)conformed with what a judge would probably have ruled. I consulted another, more rational lawyer and made only minor changes to our agreement. My impression is that if paid lawyers start butting heads its just the lawyers who come out ahead. Jancourtz gives a couple the tools they need to understand the law.

If your using mediation, hiring a lawyer, or want to do it by yourselves, Jancourtz provides an excellent tool.

Those who live on the North Shore of Massachusetts may know Argilla Road, the Goodale property, Hog Island, the town of Ipswich, and even "greenheads." They may even be fortunate enough to remember Kitty Crockett Robertson, her local newspaper columns, radio essays, and even The Orchard: A Memoir, the inspiring book about her attempt to save the family's apple orchard during the Great Depression. But this collection of essays is much more than "just" a story about a specific person or a specific place. Passionately committed to living life to the fullest, Kitty turns her memories into universal moments--from her tearful parting with her grandmother at age eight, and her conversations with her imaginary companion ("Mr. Patterson"), to her almost fatal science experiment with a borrowed key and a kite during a thunderstorm.

Telling about her life from 1901 to 1979, Kitty contrasts her staid existence as a school child living on Marlborough St., Boston, to her free and often wild life during school vacations and summers with her grandmother and family on Argilla Road, Ipswich, the place that was always Kitty Robertson's "home." Published in the Ipswich Chronicle between 1951 and 1979, and collected by Kitty and her daughter Betsy Robertson Cramer, these essays were prepared for publication by her daughter following Kitty's death just a few hours after writing her last column in 1979.

Thirty years have now elapsed since then, but Kitty's essays about life in Ipswich are still memorable--and important--not because they make us nostalgic about the past, but because they celebrate life's great joys--family, the freedom to be who you are, and the understanding of nature and one's connections to it--joys which sensitive people have shared for centuries.

Loosely organized by seasons, the essays are also loosely organized by time, and as Kitty's life stories show her growing up and eventually discovering that she is as old as her grandmother was when her grandmother died, the reader also sees that Kitty is still as determined as ever to let no moment ever be wasted. She describes sailing Ipswich Bay alone and rowing to Crane Beach and beyond (as in the wonderful cover photo), well into her seventies, while observing the changes of scenery and nature--the loss of big, old trees, the growth of new ones in what had been pastures, the disappearance of the harbor seals, the effects of DDT on the clam flats, and the vanishing eel grass from the marshes. Though she relishes her life and her experiences, she also describes how hard life could be and how those hardships molded character. By sharing her exuberant life from 1901 to the 1970s, Kitty Robertson enables us all to recognize and treasure similar moments in our own lives, and to stop and appreciate our own place in the grand scheme of things. n Mary Whipple

This just-published collection of essays is by the same author as The Orchard, A MemoirThe Orchard: A Memoir

A year or so after my mother's death, I collected some of her newspaper columns about growing up in Ipswich and Boston. This book is the result. The first edition was sold out quite quickly; I tried once again a POD with a spiral binding. Now the technology has improved. I scanned the spiral bound copy, correcting (I hope!) all the typos and Dog Ear Publishing has produced a readable attractive copy.

I can't really give a review of Measuring Time, that will be up to others, but I have heard quite a few times how much pleasure these impressions, these essays have given. I look forward to comments.
Betsy
(I have to give a rating --- and, of course, having put in many many hours of time over many years, I think it is worth five stars!)

Anyone with an interest in history, medicine, women's studies, or childbirth (mothers, fathers, doctors, etc) should read this book. Kass does an outstanding job of synthesizing the perils of one man who was standing on the cusp of medicine as we know it today. Walter Channing was a prominent physician in Boston during the 19th century who was a pioneer in the use of anaesthesia during childbirth.

I found this book interesting not only because Kass brought an influential (and often forgotten) figure into the limelight, but also because she tied together threads of the social world in Boston and in medicine. Once you finish this book, you almost feel as though you understand what life was like and how difficult it was to provide "high quality" care to patients, particularly women in the 19th century.

This book would be an excellent addition to any course in the history of medicine, but I would also highly recommend it to the lay reader as well as it is accessible to a broad audience.

As a reader who is not well versed in medicine or in American history (don't tell my mother!) I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable and a fast read. Walter Channing lived a rich and long life, and Kass wonderfully captures the medical, social, family and spiritual life of this man and 19th century America. Channing was one of the great men (and belonged to one of the great families)of early Boston, and his accomplishments and efforts to improve the lives of women and newborns were great. And yet here is also a wonderful story (often sad though sometimes with touching humor)of a very real and inspiring person.

I have read a number of biographies recently--Gallileo's Daughter, A Clearing in the Distance(Frederick Law Olmsted) and this belongs in that group of complelling and thoroughly researched stories.

Loved this book. What a great read. I want to learn more about the characters, especially Mingo and Olivia. Wish I could travel to this place and time. I'll read it over and over, again.

Set in 1771 on the Massachusetts coast, Lenice U. Strohmeier's Mingo is the picture book rendition of a tale handed down through the generations, about a young girl named Olivia who remembers the words of Mingo, her father's slave and her friend: "Freedom is freedom, and I'll take it any way it comes." Moving color illustrations by Bill Farnsworth add an exquisite touch to this heartfelt and memorable story.

Dizard continues to educate and explore hunting in America. A wonderful writer in a family of gifted writers and educators, he offers us the gift of greater understanding and contemplation of these issues. Again, another terrific book from this author.

Great writing by a brave person willing to attempt to make sense of an aspect of our culture everyone thinks they understand. One will find it difficult to take pleasure or refuge in their prejudices after reading this book.

Mother, May You Never See the Sights I Have Seen covers the relatively short but extremely brutal service of the Fifty-Seventh Massachusetts Veteran Volunteers from initial recruitment in the fall of 1863, through Grant's Overland Campaign, and on to the trenches surrounding Petersburg, Virginia. Of the 900+ members who started with the regiment when it left Worcester, Massachusetts, in early spring 1864, only ten men made it through the last year of the war unscathed. The regiment was one of Fox's famous "300 fighting regiments", having lost 19.1% killed or mortally wounded. Wilkinson disputes this figure, and his calculations raise the total to 20.5% of the total killed or mortally wounded. Regardless of the exact numbers, this regiment suffered appalling casualties in a short amount of time. This story is dramatic enough in the hands of a pedestrian writer. Wilkinson, however, kept me interested sentence by sentence, page by page through 371 total pages of text. Wilkinson describes the experiences of these men, both the good and the bad, in great detail. He doesn't fall prey to idolizing his subject matter. A reader learns that these were men with human failings, but that some were able to rise above these failings to fight resolutely for their cause. The roster located just after the text is amazing as well. Even privates receive quite a lot of attention. The roster runs from page 403 to page 623, and is a valuable reference for genealogists and other researchers. Wilkinson is not finished there, however. His appendices relate even more useful information on the regiment in easily read tables. The first appendix shows regimental strengths and casualties broken down by company for all of the major engagements of the 57th Massachusetts. Wargamers in particular will be interested in this material. If every author of a unit history included this information in as detailed a manner as Wilkinson did, there would be no need for unit strength research in the National Archives. The last two appendices cover statistical summaries of the men in the regiment, and a list of the ten who made it through the war without getting killed or wounded.

In conclusion, I am very glad I picked this particular volume to start seriously reading unit histories. To everyone who recommended that I read the book, I thank you. I truly believe this book would appeal to a wide range of readers, even those who are not necessarily Civil War "buffs". In the same way Glory is an excellent, far-reaching film, Mother, May You Never See The Sights I Have Seen has the ability to reach out to a larger audience. I plan to recommend this book to those that ask me why I'm so interested in the Civil War. It hooks you and doesn't let go, much like a well-written novel. Although I've read only a couple of unit histories, I get the feeling that few I read in the future will be as good as this one. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I read this book about 10 years ago. It is really superb. Very gritty, poignant, detailed. I have a copy in my collection. It is that good.

This is a comprehensive and authoritative regimental history, and really sets the standard for this genre. What I like most about it, since I research Canadians who served in the Civil War, was the detailed regimental roster that the authors compiled. Unfortunately, this book is out of print and may be difficult and/or costly to track down, but should you get your hands on a copy, you will not be disappointed.

This was such a great help in preparing for the MTELs! A must have if you are going to be taking this test!

This 2007 edition from XAMonline is a "must have" for anyone taking the Massachusetts State Teachers Certification Exam. Not only does it cover all subject areas (language arts, mathematics, science and technology/engineering, and child development), it is divided into 18 competencies and more skills that break the study down into segments that are clear and simple to follow. Each skill serves as an organized and complete learning unit. For those wishing to get a little extra, XAMonline provides more than 30 links (one or more for each competency) to websites that may further enrich your study experience. The illustrations throughout the guide are an excellent "visual" explanation of concepts covered by the certification exam. The sample test given at the end of the guide--with its answer key, rationales, and constructed responses--is a "must try" after you've gone through this "must have" guide. You might be surprised to find how well the guide has prepared you! Not to forget the study and testing tips at the beginning of the book. Simple as these tips might seem, they are excellent tools that you "must not" forget. Overall, this product is the best teacher out there for anyone studying to be a Massachusetts State certified teacher. A sure winner!

Most of the townsfolk of Mellingham attended the funeral of Ron Faroli, a former drug user. Not long afterward, Ron's friend, also a member of the Mellingham Community Center, Miles Stine's falls out of a third floor window. Chief of Police Joe Silva feels the coincidence is too much to ignore though the evidence points towards an accident.

Other former addict pals of Ron and Miles are nervous that they will be next. Meanwhile Joe tries to keep everyone calm as he makes inquiries. He especially is concerned with the parents of the recently deceased as George Faroli and Edna Stine are popular life residents. However, as he digs deeper into the Stine death, Joe begins thinking it is a homicide by someone who knew the second victim, but wonders who would want him dead and why, the answer of which remains elusive as the ties between the deaths lead nowhere.

Police procedural fans will enjoy A MURDEROUS INNOCENCE as Joe struggles with a homicide investigation in which the evidence seems more like a coincidental accident caused by drugs; still he persists because the twin deaths nag at his mind. The townsfolk know one another so they prefer that Joe stop digging and accept the deaths as an accident as they cannot accept one of them as a killer. Thus Joe has his work cut out for him while readers obtain a strong mystery.

Harriet Klausner

In Oleksiw's fifth book of this series, two drug-related deaths draw Police Chief Joe Silva into the shady underworld of Mellingham. When his investigation crosses paths with teens of the town, one of whom is his live-in girlfriend's son, it becomes personal for Joe. Once again, Oleksiw has depicted small town life in New England with a clear eye to the contrast between traditions and worldliness, and all that is encompassed therein, both good and bad. Her characters are real and you know them; they live down the street. The plot is real; you read about it in the newspapers, and the idea that it could happen in your town, maybe with your own children terrifies you. Beautifully written, A Murderous Innocence keeps the reader guessing through twists and turns until the final chilling outcome.

After reading this book, you feel as though you've just spent a summer on the Cape and can't wait to go back next year. It's like a vacation without leaving home. An excellent read!

This book is a wonderful escape for anyone who picks it up, but if you are familiar with Cape Cod or the coastline of New England you'll find it even more appealing. The people and places so accurately described in Taber's work will make you a convert and read all of her books. Her prose is so superb that you forget you're reading at all and feel that you're having a conversation with Gladys herself. Gone from this world for over two decades, Gladys is still alive with such a presence in these pages that I open her books when I need comfort and I feel as if I'm speaking to my grandmother. An accomplished professor of Writing, a Wellesley grad, a naturalist, and a New Englander, Gladys Taber will remind you that all is and can be right with the world.

The lush, romanticized illustrations--in the same tradition as Norman Rockwell--by renowned American artist N.C. Wyeth, are what first draws young readers to this book. While the paintings taken from Wyeth's murals may not always line up with the clear, concise writing of Robert San Souci, it doesn't detract from the narrative.

This is a classy book for middle grade students, providing a readable account of the Pilgrim's journey aboard the Mayflower and first year in New England. While the illustrations may be idealized, San Souci leaves no doubt that life was difficult for the settlers of Plymouth.

Notes at the end of the book provide interesting and helpful background on the writing of the book and information about the artist, who died in 1945, and the murals that are the source of these illustrations.

This is a nice addition for information on New England colonial life, as well as the feast of Thanksgiving.

I thought that this book was a really good book. The best part about it was that it had to do with history. I think it will still keep the interest of kids while teaching them about what happened back then. It also had great pictures. While I was reading it, the pictures jumped out at me. It wasn't too lengthy either. I found that to be quite nice. I would recommend it to children if they are looking for an interesting and educational book. With this book, you can not only enjoy it, but you can also learn. That is why I gave it 5 stars.