Connecticut Books

Jacquie Gordon has drawn an exquisitely detailed and joyful portrait of the relationship between a precocious teenager and her young teacher. The growing tension between them, set against a backdrop of life in a 1950s private school, will keep you glued to its pages way past your bedtime. I adored Ms. Gordon's sensitive biography, Give Me One Wish, of her daughter Christine and am delighted to find this wonderful fictional debut is just as fascinating.

Flanders Point is a sensitive, fascinating romance, not, as Kirkus would have it, for the juvenile trade, but for anyone who likes good novels about complex relationships. Charlotte Delafield, the heroine, has survived a very unpleasant childhood. At the Haddam school in Flanders Point, she not only survives but thrives, and the love that develops between Charlotte and her young English teacher, Brian Parton, is powerful and dangerous. Both them are young, but both are also strong enough to avoid the dangers. This is a strong, faascinating story.

An all girls school, a crush on the English teacher, divorce, rape and jeolousy - as an alum of an all girls high school, I could not resist the story line and I was not disappointed. This book captured the all the intensity and subtlety of the relationships between men and women without sensationalism. It was quietly erotic and full of suspense without really being a "mystery." One of my favorite aspects of this book was the author's inclusion of the ecology of the setting in the form of the main character's love of the local natural environment. It brought the Connecticut shore to my senses in the same fashion that "Water for Chocolate" made my mouth water

From the very beginning, I couldn't put this book down. When I wasn't reading it, I just seemed to keep thinking about the characters and the story. Jacquie Gordon paints a glorious picture of a forbidden relationship. This is a definite must-read if you're in the mood for a sentimentle, beautiful love story!

OKay, I admit it. I have a problem.
The real reason I read books like this one is that I am constantly searching for something that will bring to life my old crush on an Economics teacher of mine. I have come to consider myself a connoisseur of the teacher-student love story.

The prognosis of Flanders Point?
It is the BEST teacher-student love story I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The breakdown in the tension does take a long time in coming, but when it does... ah. It's worth it. Brian is well likable. We identify with Charlotte. And Gordon handles each side of the story with grace and reason in a sometimes dark and unreasonable cliche of a storyline.

Simply put, I loved it. I've read other teacher-student stories like it, "Innocents" by Cathy Coote, "A Kiss Remembered" by Sandra Brown, "Treacherous Love" by Beatrice Sparks, "Pure" by Rebecca Ray. But they just don't create the same emotional attachment to the characters that Gordon has accomplished with Flanders Point.
Check it out, Buy it, Just get your hands on it!!!

Although I was only about 7 when I first saw the Beast play in Oct 1997, I absolutely fell in love with hockey at the Coliseum. I've been playing hockey ever since I was 5 and have been playing goalie ever since the age of 7. My favorite goalies were T-Mac and Founts, and when I saw this book for sale I just had to get it. Many of the generations in my family were Nighthawk fans, and I can't wait to share this awesome book with them.

This is a must have for anybody who loves hockey and misses NH hockey, particularly. The only thing that I didn't care about this book was that the newer pictures are in black and white, and there weren't many Beast/Senator photos, but its still an awesome image book. I hope that if these authors have any more Beast photos they will make another book exclusively about the Beast of New Haven. Absolutely an awesome job, great work to the publishers and I recieved it in the mail literally days later from my order. Awesome, awesome stuff, thank you so much for keeping my favorite hockey memories alive.

Enjoyed this very much. It not only provided a history of hockey in New Haven but it provided me great memories of what I saw growing up as well as my and my families involvement with the Nighthawks. My whole family and some hockey friends have a copy now.

Thank you all for the great support. We believe we put out a great book something for anyone who ever set foot in the New Haven Arena or the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This book will bring back great memories and make them last forever

Having followed New Haven Hockey since the early 1970s, I was very pleased to find this book. It is very well done. It is loaded with photos, more than most sports books I have read. The history of hockey in New Haven is carefully laid out by the authors and their passion for the game shows in the accompanying text. What makes this book amazing is its incredible depth and the fact that it is the most complete book on a minor league hockey in any city ever done. I highly recommend this book to those with fond memories of hockey in New Haven, either of the New Haven Blades, Nighthawks , Beast or Knights and as a nice gift item for hockey coaches in the area. In my area this book already has incredible buzz with book signings and events in the news and many dedicated fans and hockey players supporting the effort. It is good to see that all that many of us remember has been documented for others to see.

This is the best book about Hockey that I have EVER read! I am a HUGE hockey fan and the author's did such an incredible job with this. I am excited about meeting the authors at the book signing on October 25th at Barnes and Noble in North Haven. Its about time someone captured the TRUE game of hockey! Heather you ROCK!! from your dedicated fans...

I read this book in one sitting and have spent many hours on the photo's. Gayatri's story is romantic and inspiring and the photos are beautiful. I have had to replace the copy in my office because it was badly worn by frequent use, so I know many others are enjoying it as well. I am giving it as Christmas gifts this year.

Beautifully illustrated throughout with 115 pages of truly impressive color photography, "The Landscape Diaries: Garden Of Obsession" by Gayatri Carole Rocherolle combines 18 pages of preliminary material with 172 pages of engaging and informative text showcasing a personal memoir of a woman and her husband's twenty-year focus on the development of the Steinhardt Gardens in Bedford, New York --private garden comprising 54-acres of land that includes ponds, bridges, 400 cultivars of lovely Japanese Maples, exotic animals, and more. Through a series of wonderfully written vignettes, "The Landscape Diaries" reveals what it was like for Carole to runaway to Europe at the age of twenty to marry the man who would become her husband, meeting her French relatives for the first time, selling plants from a deli parking lot, starting a business, developing a fascination with bonsai, going through an unintentional quarantined plant scare. "The Landscape Diaries" is a personal autobiography that is especially recommended to the attention of gardeners, landscapers, and anyone who has aspired to create a horticultural wonderland of their own.

From the wonderful photo on the cover, I expected a beautiful photographic exploration of an award winning garden. What I didn't expect was a story I couldn't put down! When was the last time you read a gardening book in two sittings? Nope, I can't think of another either.

This book is more than just a book about a garden. The landscape photos will ensure that this book stays out for guests to enjoy; if they want to read the story, then they'll have to buy their own.

I've been visiting and learning from Shanti Bithi's bonsai collection for many years. Now I know the whole story of the love, passion and a drive for excellence that created the beautiful "Garden of Obsession."

For as long as the concept of beauty has been in our vocabulary, so too has the fascination with trying to define it. While many may be unable to provide a concrete definition, recognizing beauty is easy. The Landscape Diaries: Garden of Obsession illustrates and exemplifies this point. When the book arrived, packed in dreary brown cardboard, I was overwhelmed to open the package and see such a stunning gem inside. The cover itself is just breathtaking. I immediately looked through all the photographs and was so intrigued I read the entire book that night. Along with the beautiful pictures is a profound and inspiring love story including partner, children, nature, work, and pursuit of self.

After I finished reading this book, I kept thinking how many people would enjoy it. When I started deciding whom to recommend it to, I realized that I couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy it.

Instead of going on to read another book, I re-read a favorite poem of mine, "Ode on a Grecian Urn", by John Keats. The last lines of the poem are: " `Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' -- that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." That quote describes this delightful book since much of it reads like insightful, intriguing, provocative and, well, beautiful poetry. Bravo!

A marvelous book, filled with beautiful pictures! The accompanying text by itself is worth the price - a delightfully written love story. Unique garden design ideas abound, despite the author's keeping the how-to information to an absolute minimum. For the literary-minded, the property that is the subject of the "landscape" part of this wonderful book was once owned by Theodore Dreiser of "Sister Carrie" fame. I have had the pleasure of visiting this estate in the course of my own work, and the photos in the book make me realize that it has been too long, and I must go again soon!

This book is a must have for any Marlin collector or anyone who is interested in or wants to know about Marlin firearms. Tons of information, great pictures...well worth the money spent.

A very comprehensive book for anyone with an interest in firearms. Well-written and illustrated. It contains a great deal of detail for the Marlin user and collector. Since it seems to go in and out of print on a regular basis, anyone interested in the book should get one while it's available. The cost of a used volume seems to increase each time it becomes unavailable. If you like gun books you won't regret buying a copy of this one.

huge collection of data, photo's and info on Marlin. can't imagine the effort that must have been expended in collecting what is printed in this book. A bargin concidering what is offered between the pages for the reader.

Mr. Brophy did his homework in writing this beautifully bound and informative book, but somehow, probaably due to Marlin Firearms being lax in their record keeping, especially serial numbers and the appropriate dates of manufacture, I was unable to pinpoint the data needed to establish the exact history of this gun. I have been forwarded to another source for possibly gaining a more accurate record of this guns manufacture. A fine book other than this.

Good Service, Good Price, Very Good Book. Book is full of very complete detail, illustrations are excellent, chronological approach to subject is appreciated. Very Happy with purchase!

I just love the Images of America series. I have spent pretty much my whole life in the Groton, CT area, and have all the books about Groton and the surrounding towns. So, I was just THRILLED when I saw a historic 'Images..' book about the Groton/New London Naval Submarine Base. This base has been at the center of my entire life. My father served on subs for 20 years, my step-father for 22 years, and my husband is currently a Lieutenant Commander stationed in Groton on subs as well.

My dad managed to spend 18 of his 20 years in Groton, so the subase became a second home to me...it's so cool to see photos of the base in it's early days, and to actually see the growth and expansion of the base through pictures. I learned so much about the whole facility, and now look at certain buildings and areas with a whole new outlook. I know what used to be in places, and things that were torn down so newer buildings could be erected. If you have any ties to this base, I DEFINITELY recommend this book. Even if your not overly interested in the history, the photos alone are worth buying the book for. Very, very interesting.

Arcadia's Images of America series of books are beautiful collections of photographs centered around a single subject. Here they've given this treatment to the home of American submarines, the base at New London, CT. As is usual in these books, they start with the first pictures available (which probably came from before it was a base at all), through the initial uses of the base, i.e. a coaling station for the Navy, and the first submarines.

The first was the USS Moccasin (SS-5), built in 1903 and in New London shortly after that. In 1916 it became the Submarine Base, it had a flotilla of subs being used in World War I. Gradually it grew to include the school that by World War II was producing the crews to take the war to the Japanese.

As usual, I find it difficult to see where they could have found all the photographs reproduced in this book. The normal layout is two pictures per page, so there are probably a couple of hundred pictures in this little book. It's a fascinating book.

Bishop beautifully captured the history of the New London Subase in such a way that I felt as through I'd just browsed through photographs stored in my grandfather's old military footlocker! I enjoyed reading the factual and interesting captions under the chronologically arranged photos. It was refreshing to read a historic depiction (of the subase) that maintained a personal and intimate look into the faces and places that shaped the "submarine capitol of the world".

I am a submarine fan and live near the Naval Submarine Base New London, in Groton, CT. The base has a long 137 year history, the first submarines having come from our area of Connecticut. It is home to many of our U. S. submarines, the Submarine Force Museum and the Naval Submarine School. Often as I drive by the base, I wonder what it looks like inside. So when a recent newspaper article mentioned this book. I decided to get a copy. This is the first book I have seen with so many old photos of the base and old submarines. I enjoyed it and the look back in time it provided. I was amazed to see how the base came into being and its evolution from a rural site in 1868 to the home of the sub base and school it is today.

Photos of the old submarines as well as the old wooden buildings that were there years ago are fascinating. There are maps included that show the base in 1868, 1915, 1919, 1944 and 1988. These maps really help place the old and new buildings and show how the base expanded. This book is a true history lesson. It would interest anyone who was ever stationed at the base, submarine aficionados, World War II history buffs, and folks like me, who just wondered about the base.

Born in New London 76 years ago while Daddy was attending Submarine School, returning in 1937 while my father was in charge of the landmark submarine escape training tower standing 100++ feet tall on the base waterfront and then taking command of a locally built and one of the first WWII famed fleet subs, and then returning a third time to attend "Sub School" myself, I feel kind of close to "The Base!" And immensely relieved that it was spared the ignominy of being shut down recently by a somewhat ignorant decision of the Dept of Defense. This book, rushed to completion to help influence the reviewing committee, is excellent, a superb photographic compendium of the cradle of the superb US Submarine Force. The contribution of this Force and this Base to victory in first the Pacific WWII and then the Cold War is immeasurable. Author David Bishop, intimately familiar by both profession and interest in Sub Base, New London, has compiled a photographic essay that is to be treasured by all proud wearers of the twin dolphins (the submariner's qualification insignia) as well as the vast number to whom submarines and submariners are fascinating subjects. Well done!

I have read this book and really enjoyed it. I have also read this book to a grade 1 class and they really enjoyed it. I feel that this book is great for all ages. I love the story-line and the fabulous illustrations. This will be a great addition to any collection.

One of the most delightful books I have ever come across!

No other book I have ever seen has illustrations that bring dragons to life like this one. As an artist, I had searched everywhere to find examples of expresive, interesting dragons that had a benevolent and inquisitive nature, and at the same time retained their reptilian appearance. The fact that the drawings are accompanied by such a well written story is a bonus!

I wandered through the kid's section of a book store and stumbled upon this book. It was the beautiful imagery on the cover that first caught my eye. I flipped through to see that these wonderful images are carried throughout as well. I turned back to the beginning and read the tale of Ignis as he tries to find himself and his flame and fell in love with this little dragon. His journey to find his flame is fun to read and fitting for the age this book targets (4-8). Simply put, I found the tale endearing and the artwork captivating to explore. Very enjoyable indeed!

This is my daughter's most-requested book, and it is so enjoyable I truly don't mind reading it five days in a row. I can't say that for any other book we own. The illustrations are beautiful, the text is very inspired, and I like the theme of perseverance. Ignis's personality seems so real, as does the little girl Cara's. With two children, I've bought or borrowed countless children's books, and this goes at the top of my favorites list. I wish Gina Wilson and P.J. Lynch would team up for another story.

"Ignis" is fabulous dragon book. The inspirational story is all the better due to the enchanting, beautifully drawn illustrations on each page. I love reading this book to my 5-year old son as much as he loves to hear it. This is a must read and must have book for all dragon lovers: both young and old. I highly recommend the purchase.

Jimmy Dolan was thirty years old when he returned to his Connecticut hometown in search of the driver who killed his father in a hit-and-run accident. There he also finds himself confronted with dark secrets from his own past and is caught up in a web of guilt, betrayal and revenge. The Road To The Island is a complex and enthusiastically recommended novel showcasing a human drama that is superbly crafted and absolutely riveting. Author Tom Hazuka demonstrates a genuine talent capable of evoking strong emotional responses in the mind of his reader. Also highly recommended is Tom Hazuka's novel, In The City Of The Disappeared (1882593316, ...).

A quick read, yet complex, and provocative. It brought to life my memories of living in a small New England town. Hazuka has captured the flavor of what t to have been raised during the glorious fifties, and coming of age during the tumultous years of the Vietnam War. It is the story of Everyman.......on his search for life's answers. Answers which sometime come at a heavy price. It shows that the past is always with us. The choices of our youth often come back to haunt us. In Hazuka's novel, he returns us to his grandparents' farm. He recalls with bittersweet memories how life used to be. Charmingly told, it focused on what makes each of us unique.It ponders death, growth, and personal challenges. New relationships, and change are the bridge which makes us human. I laughed, and I pondered, and I cried. It is a story which is an allegory of our time. It should be a must read for all of those Baby Boomers who are now of middle age. Upon hitting forty, we should be reflecting back upon what our own individual life has meant.....and more importantly, what we can make it mean in the future. It is the struggle to find our true selves in this world. Clearly told, beautifully written, it is a crisp, sharp novel. A real find! Here's hoping that Hazuka comes out with another novel soon.

Tom Hazuka shows his readers that contemporary writing hasn't become a wasteland for words and self-absorbed babbling. As far as unreliable narrators go, Jimmy Dolan is the best. One of my favorite things about the book is that it has a John Irving-esque way of connecting seemingly unrelated events. Dr. Tom Hazuka is an excellent writer. If you don't purchase this book, you are making a terrible mistake. Read review of this book in the Chestnut Hill Local newspaper, November 26, 1998.

Hi Mrs. Perkins. You'll probably never ever read this but it's cool anyway.

This novel was excellent reading. It captivated me as a female reader. To see that a man can be so sensitive and is able to view family dynamics in such a sensitive manner is commendable. The author's work is as well imaginative. The fictional characters' personalities have great depth. The author's introspection into all of the personalities is powerful. It is a must-read novel.

"... a great pleasure to read, even if you're not looking for a place to stay. You can feel the authors were bent on romance... not just filling up the book. Accommodations are described in charming detail, also meals, with the occasional recipe. If you contemplate a getaway in new England, this is the book to take along." Travel Writer Marketletter

"[The] captivating prose invokes the spirit and visual appeal of the places described. [The book] provides perfect fodder for couples [and is] an indispensable planning assistant." About.com

"Where to eat, where to stay and what to do are covered. The Foulkes also throw in tidbits such as tasty regional recipes, a bit of poetry by Emerson and a love letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne." Chicago Daily Herald

This is far more comprehensive than other books in this area -- it's well written and the layout made it easy and a pleasure to read. The recipes and maps made it practical and much more interesting than a typical travel book.

A selection of recommended inns, delightful restaurants, resorts, festivals, the best places to stroll together under the stars or have a secluded champagne picnic - the most romantic places. This book visits special spots in in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont. Each place has been carefully selected, making sure that it offers something special - in-room fireplaces, four-poster beds, Jacuzzis, enchanting gardens, five-star cuisine.

A Portrait of America

¬ Vicki S. Welch has produced a masterpiece with And They Were Related, Too: A Study of Eleven Generations of One American Family. The book came to my attention in a search for information about Antoine DeSant, an emigrant from the Cape Verde Islands who settled in New London, Connecticut, during the mid-nineteenth century. What I discovered in And They Were Related, Too was meticulous research and careful documentation of the family into which he married. His wife, Susan Congdon, was a granddaughter of Cuff Condol or Congdon, the patriarch whose descendants populate the more than 600 pages of this work. And what a family they were! They lived and worked as farmers and homemakers and blacksmiths and teachers and nurses and engineers. Some survived wars, epidemics, or natural disasters to live into their nineties. Others succumbed when they were just a few days old. They were of every ethnicity as the Native Americans of southeastern New England married Europeans and former slaves from Africa. The members of this large and diverse family can say along with Walt Whitman, "I contain multitudes." They truly are America.
And They Were Related, Too is a book to read from cover to cover - or to dip into here and there for the view it gives of every era in American history from before the founding of the nation to the present. As a journalist I always look for good stories, and the stories behind the census, vital records, and newspaper articles Ms. Welch has collected in such detail are captivating. Some are tragic: a destitute veteran of the American Revolution who struggled financially for years and died before he received a pension; a woman murdered by her husband; a daughter of the DeSants who spent thirty years or more at a state hospital for people with mental illness. There are tales of spectacular achievement as well. Probably the most famous Condol/Congdon descendant was the Reverend Amos Gerry Beman, son of Cuff's daughter Fannie, who became pastor of the Colored Congregational Church in New Haven and was an ardent supporter of suffrage and other rights for people of color before and after the Civil War. Another descendant was the organist at the Second Congregational Church in New London for 35 years and performed for Mark Twain at a concert in New York. One of Cuff's great-grandsons married a woman who promoted education for black women and worked alongside Susan B. Anthony to advocate for women's rights.
Most importantly some of Cuff's descendants left written records that allowed Vicki Welch to "connect the dots" and trace the family's long and complicated lineage. She makes good use of these works to support the otherwise sketchy records left by people who had to dedicate their lives to survival and had virtually no leisure to record their memories.
Everyone should own a copy of this book. Even if you don't find your own family's history here, it is a model of how to approach the work.

Liz Petry
author of "Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family's Letters"
published by the University Press of Mississippi
available at www.lizpetry.com

I purchased Vicki's book in order to have a source for our family's history. My father's cousin had shared with me my first clues into our ancestor's lives, and then I connected with Vicki Welch on a family message board..as she was researching what has turned out to be an exciting line of ancestors!
But reading the book was more amazing than I had imagined, and I learned SO much more than just "who my ancestors were." I was given a glimpse into the history of the area where I was raised..Connecticut..and I was thrilled to know how diverse my ancestry was!
And Vicki somehow brings it all to life..just as a small notation that was found about one of my ancestors noted that "he always carried a fiddle with him"...suddenly that "name" became a person. Vicki has done that with hundereds of "names" in the book..she has made me see them as living, breathing people..my people.
For people of color..for those of Native American ancestry..for those brought up in Connecticut..for those who enjoy good writing in a historical context..I would highly recommend this book.

This book is completely differant from any geneological book you will ever read! It looks at people of color and native americans in a way you would not believe. It's long but is deffinately worth reading and the author is also very devoted to what she does (trust me, I live with her.) She will show you things that takes years to find and learn that you would never expect to read about. Enjoy it.

This is much more than a detailed and first-rate genealogical study--although it is that. In this extraordinary work of research into of eleven generations of an American family, the Condols of southeastern Connecticut, Vicki Welch has in effect given us a core sample of history, a rich transverse section of American life in all its complexity, tragedy, travails, and triumph.

Welch has an astonishing grasp of the relevant sources and secondary literature, reflecting decades of genealogical research, chiefly focused on native Americans. While her book admirably follows the canons of her profession, the sheer scope of the extended family networks traced here leads Welch into almost every corner of American history, from descendants of Aaron Burr ("Yes, that Aaron Burr"--and perhaps Thomas Jefferson as well) to the Nehantic sachem Ninigret and the Chinese immigrant tea merchant Charlie Lee. At the same time, the depth of source material (much of it presented in full) fleshes out the lives of individuals with far more detail than in most genealogical studies. The extraordinary probate record of the family's patriarch, Cuff Condol, for example--which runs to fourteen printed pages, including a detailed inventory of such items as "one white fort cow $25 one read [red] D[it]to $25"--offers a rich window into the daily life, work, and social connections of a prosperous self-emancipated former slave in early nineteenth-century New England. Other key documents--wills, obituaries, newspaper articles, and a wealth of rare photographs--bring to life many of the more than 3,500 persons gathered here.

An unprecedented boon to genealogists and family historians far beyond Connecticut--Cuff Condol's descendants spread out throughout the nation and beyond--And They Were Related, Too also contains a rich vein of information that historians will mine for years. There is raw material here for innumerable future studies, and tantalizing threads to thousands of other stories. But the casual reader will find it fascinating, too, and may very well find connections to his or her own family history.

In particular, Welch's book illustrates the manifold ties in southern New England among Native Americans and Africans and Europeans of many backgrounds. It is hard to imagine that anyone could arrive at the end of this book still believing that there is such a thing as race; but the reality and centrality of ancestry shines forth as a gleaming flame. To read this book is to come to understand that family is the most important thing, and that it encompasses everything.

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.