Massachusetts Books

This important work is an unvarnished first-person account of one man's lifelong battle to secure rights for the mentally retarded citizens of Massachusetts. With no holds barred, Ricci chronicles the plight of the mentally retarded in Massachusetts during the second half of the twentieth century. In a style reflective of his unrelenting advocacy, Ricci recounts the painful decision he and his wife made to place their six-year-old son at Belchertown State School in the 1950s, the horrific medieval conditions he discovered and exposed in that institution, his founding of Advocacy Network, that organization's fight against uncaring state bureaucrats, and their hard-won, landmark federal court order to improve the lives of the mentally retarded. Crimes Against Humanity is a must-read for anyone with a social conscience.

This important work is an unvarnished first-person account of one man's lifelong battle to secure rights for the mentally retarded citizens of Massachusetts. With no holds barred, Ricci chronicles the plight of the mentally retarded in Massachusetts during the second half of the twentieth century. In a style reflective of his unrelenting advocacy, Ricci recounts the painful decision he and his wife made to place their six-year-old son at Belchertown State School in the 1950s, the horrific medieval conditions he discovered and exposed in that institution, his founding of Advocacy Network, that organization's fight against uncaring state bureaucrats, and their hard-won, landmark federal court order to improve the lives of the mentally retarded. Crimes Against Humanity is a must-read for anyone with a social conscience.

Ricci's CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY is an essential read for anyone with a relative, friend, or client who suffers from mental retardation. Holding nothing back, Ricci recounts the horrendously inhumane conditions of Belchertown State School in Massachusetts during the 1950s and '60s, his formation of an advocacy group to support the retarded and their families, and a 20-year landmark federal court class-action suit to secure rights and protections for mentally retarded citizens. A work of courage, persistence, and faith.

Blanchard's newest novel is a timely topic since it deals with missing teenagers. This is my favorite book, to date, of all of Al's novels. Once again he made it so I could not put the book down. The characters were well developed and the plot realistic. He carried the tradition of James Callahan and his sidekick forward and I am eagerly anticipating the next installment. The setting is in a small town in western Massachusetts and Blanchard makes you feel like you're there with his descriptive prose. He obviously has done his research in all aspects of this novel and it shows. Great Job!!

Blanchard Does It Again

The craft of a great storyteller is to make the reader believe they are witnessing a dramatic interruption in the ongoing lives of the characters . Blanchard is a master in the craft of storytelling, proving it yet again in his new novel. The Disappearance of Jenna Drago, James Callahan is busy recovering from the kidnapping and rescue of his daughter - the self-prescribed balm: retirement and painting - when his calm is interrupted by a plea for help from an old friend. He soon learns that work, detective work - what he does best - has the greatest healing powers. His presence in the small Massachusetts town reveals a nest of crimes and sins, both venal and mortal. Callahan's presence interrupts these lives, winnowing the good from the bad, the guilty from the innocent. Characters from the last Callalhan book reappear, but the new faces seem to spring fully formed with shady pasts, troubled presents, and shaky futures. All this talk of craft comes down to this: You believe in Blanchard's characters and care about them. There is no more you should ask of the story teller.

The craft of a great storyteller is to make the reader believe they are witnessing a dramatic interruption in the ongoing lives of the characters . Blanchard is a master in the craft of storytelling, proving it yet again in his new novel, The Disappearance of Jenna Drago. James Callahan is busy recovering from the kidnapping and rescue of his daughter - the self-prescribed balm: retirement and painting - when his calm is interrupted by a plea for help from an old friend. He soon learns that work, detective work - what he does best - has the greatest healing powers. His presence in the small Massachusetts town reveals a nest of crimes and sins, both venal and mortal. Callahan's presence interrupts these lives, winnowing the good from the bad, the guilty from the innocent. Characters from the last Callalhan book reappear, but the new faces seem to spring fully formed with shady pasts, troubled presents, and shaky futures. All this talk of craft comes down to this: You believe in Blanchard's characters and care about them. There is no more you should ask of the story teller.

One of a fantastic series of 4 chuck full of informational volumes dedicated to a particular geographic area. A must for any rock hound weather you travel or just live in the geographic area of the volume. If you can afford it, get all 4 regional volumes. Start with your area. The location information brake down of the minerals to be found in each state counties is so valuable you can't do with out it. Saves time, eliminate barren hunting grounds and it's so detailed as to where and how you find the minerals. This is just one of a fact full accurate guide series you'll want to have in your rock library. Don't settle for an older printing, this one is reprinted and has been updated.

This book looks like it's going to be a GREAT asset in my mineral hunting! I like the way it's set up, by state and then by county within the state. It lists the various sites, tells what has been found at each site and (by a code explained in the front of the book) where in each site the minerals were (in a field, in a mine, in the water, etc.). There are directions of varying degrees to each site. That's the one thing I'd quibble about -- some of the directions aren't that precise. But I understand that some of these sites are private lands, or not completely documented, and he can't come out and say, "Go fifty feet past the blue house, down a ravine, and to your left." In general, the directions seem good enough to get you close, and after that it's up to you.

He lists the rocks and minerals found at each site and gives some information about the quality at most places, including size of crystals found, color (and quality of color), and so on.

My only regret? I don't know if I'll have time to visit each site he has listed! So many rocks, so little time........

Although light reading, the text serves as a functional guide; lean and concise requiring the reader to become involved in cross reference.

If you are new to Dickinson studies, or if you simply want to read the most current thinking about the poems, The Emily Dickinson Handbook is a must. It contains essays on subjects ranging from the historical context of the poems to the poet's metapoetic sensibility. This text is also a wonderful introduction to the writings of the finest Dickinson scholars extant. Richard Sewall, Paul Crumbley, Christanne Miller, Sharon Cameron, Martha Nell Smith, and many other great thinkers offer the reader a glimpse into the realm of magic and poetry. If you love Emily Dickinson, do yourself a favor -- read this book.

If you are a person like me who always has been bewitched by the poetry and legend of Emily Dickinson, but who has been busy living a life for the past 30 or 40 years and has not kept up with Dickinson criticism and scholarship, this book is for you.

The edition I bought was first published in 1998 and was slightly updated in 2005. It contains 22 new essays (including an introduction by the great Dickinson biographer Richard Sewall). The essays are the work of many of the most-published Dickinson-scholarship authors of the last few decades. All the 20- to 30-page essays are scholarly, but all but one avoid the dense impenetrability that too many other literary scholars seem to find necessary in order to get tenure. That makes this book well worth your time.

Essays range widely, including an overview of biographical studies, the poet's historical context, her manuscripts, and her letters. In addition, about half the book deals with Dickinson's poetics and her reception and influence.

The essays don't waste a lot of time chin-rubbing about Emily's possible lesbian love, or just who the "master" is. Instead, they discuss just what you want to know, including what I consider the best-ever reading of "My Life had stood - a / Loaded Gun" in an essay by Margaret H. Freeman. (Is there a Dickinson scholar who hasn't tackled that enigma?)

"The Emily Dickinson Handbook" also contains an impressive bibliography for those moved to dive into the poetry and her strange and wonderful genius. It is now (December, 2007) 121-plus years after her death. Criticism of her work has matured, especially in the last few decades, but it remains fascinating and delightfully unfinished. This is a great way to catch up.

THE EMILY DICKINSON HANDBOOK : Edited by Gudrun Grabher, Roland Hagenbuchle, and Cristanne Miller. 480 pp. Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press, 1998. ISBN 1-55849-169-4 (hbk.)

For anyone who is seriously interested in Emily Dickinson, this is a marvelous book that provides up-to-date information about her life and works, her letters and manuscripts, the cultural climate of her age, her reception and influence, and what is going on in current Dickinson scholarship.

The book's 22 essays have been distributed in eight sections : Introduction; Biography; Historical Context; The Manuscripts; The Letters; Dickinson's Poetics; Reception and Influence; New Directions in Dickinson Scholarship.

Although I've read many critical collections, several of which were devoted exclusively to Dickinson, I can't remember ever having been so impressed. Usually an anthology will hold one or two outstanding contributions, with the rest being humdrum and of little real interest, but here pretty well all of them are outstanding, and I found only one that struck me as being both pretentious and obscure.

I was especially impressed by Robert Weisbuch's brilliant 'Prisming Dickinson, or Gathering Paradise by Letting Go,' by Josef Raab's 'The Metapoetic Element in Dickinson,' by Martha Nell Smith's 'Dickinson's Manuscripts,' by Paul Crumbley's 'Dickinson's Dialogic Voice,' by Roland Hagenbuchle's 'Dickinson and Literary Theory,' and in fact by many others. So much so that this seems to me the single most valuable book on Dickinson that I've ever seen, and the one from which I've learned most and continue to learn. It really is that good.

The book is bound in a full strong cloth, stitched, beautifully printed on excellent strong smooth ivory-tinted paper, has clearly been designed to withstand the heavy use it will be getting, and is excellent value for money. No serious student of Emily Dickinson should be without it. Weisbuch's essay, serving as it does to provide one with a whole new way of understanding ED, is pretty well worth the price of the book itself.

So don't pass this one up! It's a gem!

This book is a really pleasant surprise and states on the back that this book is for ages 11 and up, although I think younger children could read this as well. The illustrations - black & White drawings - really are wonderful and help to bring this story alive. My book is marked "Special Edition", so I don't know if this edition is the only one with the great drawings!

HI READERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our teacher read this book to us. We couldn't stand for it to end. Once, when she stopped our class was chanting "READ IT, READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" we chanted so loud you could hear us down the hall. In it a sly and cunning boy (a bit like someone we know) meets a very religious, spoiled, and proper young lady by the name of Emily Ophelia Upham. It truly leaves cliffhangers.

Students of Melrose Elementry

P.S.Don't tell a lie dear children
P.S.S. This raiting is dedicated to the children at Melrose Elementry School Jamestown, RI

A book with great suspense and good cliffhangers. Excellent use of diologue and terrific description of characters. One of the best books I've read for a while. "Emily Upham's Revenge" keeps you on the edge of your seat and I couldn't put it down.Emily Upham is sent to live with her uncle but her uncle never gets the letter annoucing her arrivle. Instead,Emily meets meets Seth Marple. Emily Upham and Seth Marple rob Emily's rich uncle to get the train fare to get to back to Emily's home in Boston. Many surprising twists with an excellent surprise ending.

Want to get outdoors and be active in the Boston area? Start by buying this book. Lee Sinai describes, in wonderful detail, many of the rides and hikes one can take within a thirty-five-mile radius of Boston. The author has organized the forty trips around geographical areas, north, south or west of Boston, so selecting one is easy. Maps of each destination are included. Each trip description includes what's important to an outdoor enthusiast.... availability of restrooms, closest access to food, degree of difficulty, directions for getting there, and a historical background of the area.
Using this book, I discovered Dogtown, a mountain biking haven in Gloucester. I also experienced Cameron's, home to the best lobster roll in Massachusetts. The author led me to Great Brook Farm in Carlisle for cycling and then to Kimball's for a memorable ice cream treat.
As a guidebook, I give Exploring In and Around Boston on Bike and Foot the highest rating.

Lee Sinai has taken a group of varied and unusual hikes and trails around Boston and compiled them into an informative and accessible guide. We refer to her book often when looking for interesting, new places to explore, and have found it invaluable in "rediscovering" Boston.

Right from the get go I found this hiking and biking guide to be a miracle of organization and indispensable information. This book not only groups locations by geographical location, but also with respect to hiking, road biking and mountain biking. I found the handy reference guide towards the beginning of the book extremely useful while including not only difficulty ratings, but also mileage for each trip, something not always available in one specific location in a guide book. The maps accompanying each site are extremely easy to follow and the descriptions really do fit the terrain perfectly, whether or not you chose to take the book along on your journeys. I found the directions to each location to be extremely useful and especially appreciated the public transportation options that help those city dwellers who lack automobiles. Other handy features include locations and descriptions of local restaurants, attractions and even restrooms. This book included an very helpful mix of locations both in the greater Boston area, as well as highlighting several gems in the neighboring suburbs. I especially appreciated the handy reference map showing the location of all the spots, as well as the ever present tips to find geater enjoyment in your outdoor adventures!

The book reads like a diary, but it's a fictionalized story of the real Civil War surgeon Zabdiel Boylston, and it would make anyone grateful for modern medicine. Amputation was pretty much the treatment for everything, and that he was burned in love a couple of times during his period as a combat surgeon puts a very human face on this story.

I got it at my local library; it was part of a display in advance of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. The research and realism was amazing. I was fortunate to see the author lecture on the subject in Indiana. Dressed in the full civil war soldier uniform I thought the author to be an enthusiastic Civil War Buff. I was amazed to find out that the author was a modern day trauma surgeon whose interest in the civil war goes beyond the superficial, dry information one reads in text. His interest draws on real life experiences with bullet wounds and infections that he has treated in modern times.

An excellent novel of a surgeon who signs up to serve in the Union army during the Civil War. Written by a modern surgeon, Kernek obviously had researched his predecessors well. It might be a bit detailed for the squeamish, but for those who want a good "feel" for what a surgeon went through during the Civil War, I highly recommend it. It is a relatively short read, and the story line carries one right on through. This book belongs in every Civil War buff's collection, because it tells about an often overlooked part of the war and tells it very well. At this price, one can't afford not to buy it!

This book is wonderful! The recipes are tasty and are not difficult to follow. We used several for our Thanksgiving feast this year. The pumpkin pie and berry crisp are delicious! I also have enjoyed some of the less traditional treats, however, and I look forward to trying food from the Portuguese chapter.

From Apple Pie to Pad Thai is also interesting to read. As someone who grew up on Boston's North Shore, I really enjoyed reading about familiar places and events. The chef profiles help bring the book to life. And I loved the tips in each chapter on local ethnic markets and restaurants.

This is my favorite kind of cookbook- not only are the recipes good, the sidebars and background information are fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the biographies of various Boston North Shore cooks, and I think this project really captures the essence of American cuisine and its continual evolution. This is a great book if you enjoy cooking, history, or just a good read.

The best thing about this book is the recipes really work! I haven't been dissapointed yet! The word of mouth is getting out about this wonderful cookbook. My favorite recipe is the fried chicken (crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside). I also recommend the Peanut Soup. The history and biographies of the cooks capture the true history of the North Shore of Boston. I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who enjoy food or enjoy a good read. Its also a good tourguide for foodies because it tells all about the ethnic fairs. Hope you enjoy!

This book provides a unique perspective on the history of Boston's garden squares. It is well-researched and carefully crafted. After providing a thorough and comprehensive historical background of these garden squares, the book compels the reader to assess not only the need for preservation of these treasures, but to also contemplate the urgency of careful urban planning in the future.

This book was my first introduction to the garden squares of Boston, and opened my eyes to their rich and fascinating history. I've heard the author speak about garden squares, and she is clearly *the* authority on the subject. I've found that these books make great gifts for family and friends who are interested in either gardening, Boston's history, or city landscaping.

Bravo and many thanks to Goodman for her painstaking research and careful compilation of an important slice of not just Boston history, but also of urban planning generally (and sometimes the lack of planning). Unlike many well researched monographs, this one is a fast read and the addition of a multitude of photos/drawings adds tremendously to the work. Read this book before you take any tour of Boston; you'll understand and appreciate what you see a whole lot more. I heartily recommend this one and look forward to more from the author.

This is one of the very best such collections of letters I have ever encountered, and the author's own illustrations are a
priceless addition. An excellent work and a bargain at the price.
For those who want more, Charles W. Reed also illustrated "Hardtack & Coffee," by John Billings, another Union army veteran, about the life of the average soldier in the Northern army. Another sure-fire winner.

The author did a lot of research on the references in Charles Reed's letters. And instead of putting the notes at the end of the book where few read them, the notes are in the margins. It really added to the understanding of what Reed was writing home about. The author also incorporates the drawings from Reed which further adds to the book. Also incorporated are Reed's diary entries. The overall package made this an outstanding and enjoyable read. This book should be the model for all future books of this type.

"A Grand Terrible Dramma": From Gettysburg To Petersburg, The Civil War Letters Of Charles Wellington Reed consists of more than 180 letters and hundreds of drawings covering Charles Reed's period of military service as a member of the Massachusetts volunteers in the American Civil War from 1862 to 1865. This fascinating compendium, ably edited by Eric Campbell, presents the contemporary student of the Civil War with a wealth of information on the role of the Union army in the eastern theater, the events in the life of a typical Civil War soldier, as well as the progress and of the war itself. Reed's letters chronicle the common and the extraordinary with a simple, thoughtful elegance. His drawings capture a wide variety of events to which he was a participant. "A Grand Terrible Dramma" is an outstanding, invaluable, core title addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library Civil War studies collection.