New Jersey Books

The almanac series are an indispensable guide for all travellers - we use them for the state in which we live (NJ) and love to have them when we go on short jaunts to nearby states (PA, NY, DE etc). Can't tell you how many times we have been rescued from standing in a traffic jam on the highway because of the almanac.

We drive a lot so these maps are great for moving someplace new and learning the area plus it helps to give or get directions from other people. For the most part we have found them to be correct for 99% of the time. A lot better then the folded maps and so much more detail ie. drive ways and dirt roads in the country We have 4 other Delorme state Atlas & Gazetteer maps that are used a lot. We even had to buy a second of one state because it was used so much. It would be nice to laminate the pages that are used the most.

I bought this book for a very specific purpose, locating local lakes and waterways and determining their source and where they led. This book has served its purpose well.
The pages are designed so that enough detail of surrounding areas can be examined without having to change pages (a big problem with folding maps that when unfolded become unwieldy and difficult to manage). Significant detail is included for each page, including smaller streams and back roads.
A great feature included in the first pages of the book is a listing of many campgrounds, fishing spots, scenic places, and hunting locations. Each with a table denoting what each location has available, such as whether a specific fishing location has a boat ramp.
Once again, this book has served the purpose I intended for it. It could serve as your "I'm lost" or "Road Closed" map in your car (although too big for my glove box) or it could be your resource to a multitude of outdoor activities throughout the state.

I bought this book for someone who just received a kayak. After the commotion of birthday present opening subsided, he spent about a hour just looking over all the wonderfully detailed maps with his father-in-law. That's how I knew this atlas was the best present I could give. Everything the other reviewers wrote is true.

If you are a paddler, fisherman, hiker, camper skier or just plain outdoor enthusiast, this is the guide for you. In addition to pages of topographic maps which cover the entire state, the atlas also includes an index of all outdoor recreational activities and the recreational areas that support each. Complete listings of NJ golf courses, ski areas, scenic drives & trails, wildlife viewing areas, hunting & fishing areas and a very comprehensive list of public and private campgrounds make this a reference you will want to have to plan your next NJ outdoor adventure.

Although this is not a collection of street maps, some street maps of larger cities such as Trenton, Jersey City, Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, Hackensack, Paterson and Atlantic City are included.

I have long loved going to the New Jersey beaches. And I remember, as a child, seeing ribs of boats imbedded in the sand from forgotten wrecks. I even remember an oil-soaked beach at the start of World War II. But I had no idea of the extent of the mortal danger that this shore presented to mariners, especially in the early days. This book is a gripping description of disaster and courageous rescue along this coast. The documentation is filled with many personal details which bring these descriptions of tragedy and courage to life.

New Jersey Shipwrecks: 350 Years In The Graveyard Of The Atlantic is an extensively researched chronicle of shipwrecks in the New Jersey area from 1642 to the modern day. Illustrated throughout in black-and-white with numerous vintage photographs and artworks, New Jersey Shipwrecks commands the browser's attention with its gripping true tales of life, death, survival, and rescue. A welcome contribution to modern nautical history, analyzing individual disasters throughout history in depth and vivid detail.

What an adventure! Here are true stories of bravery and harrowing danger, stories that will call up all the courage and daring-do of real men and women, many lost at sea, some saved. Story after story is captivating, even haunting. The art work, the research, the authentic story-telling make this a book for anyone who has ever dreamed of life on the very high and very treacherous seas. Better than "Mutiny," better than "The Perfect Storm." Here are a hundred perfect storms, with photos and all the characters are real. No names have been changed. What a magnificent book!

If you've never stood on deck and smelled fresh salt, if you haven't felt the surf break around your feet at the shore, get this book and you'll be hooked! Great illustrations and photographs are surrounded by scintillating writing from an author who obviously has had a long love affair with the ocean. This book may be non-fiction but it will grip your interest as much as any of the great classic sea novels.

"Knowing Margaret Thomas Buchholz and her talent, as a fan of her earlier books, I was prepared for NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS to be a treat, but it's more than that: it's a treasure. Both its pictures and narrative wallop the reader with a typhoon's power. (One wreck survivor describes wind hard enough "to blow one's hair out by the roots") The photographs and prose of NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS grab hold of our imagination and emotions, bringing us back in time to witness dozens of shipwrecks, their victims and heroes. NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS also provides us with mysteries to ponder, including the source of the 1934 fire that engulfed the Morro Castle Luxury Liner, claming 134 lives, or the true cargo of John P. Rockerfeller's SINDIA, rumored to be smuggled Chinese national treasures. Though I've already bought two additional copies to give to relatives with homes on the Jersey Shore, this book deserves a much wider audience: it's for everyone who loves the sea or fears it, or, like most of us, do both."

The book has great revelance for all concerned residents of the Garden State. The author traces the forces that brought forth the creation of 566 local towns,the cost of running so many political subdivisions, how local governments are maintained (through elevated property taxes and sprawl/ratables race)and makes a great case for changing this political system.

The book is a fanastic blend of history, political intrigue and candid insights about institutionalized housing and employment discrimination against African-American, the poor, and now-families with school aged children.

The author even is so bold as to take on the notion of Home Rule. Showing that it is more of a "political" huddle (set up by special interest groups) rather than a real "legal" impediment to change. The author also attacks the "entrenched system" for allowing public officials to hold multiple political offices at once.

Overall this is an outstanding work by someone truly concerned with the future of his state.

This book answered so many questions I had about my adopted state of NJ. Mr. Karcher has written a well-researched and argued thesis. As NJ faces an unprecedented budget shortfall that will be borne on the backs of property tax payers it is time we reflect on how we got into this multiple municipal madness to begin with. With renewed calls for a constitutional convention to address tax reform I urge everyone from serious students of government to average taxpayers to read this book.

This book answered so many questions I had about my adopted state of NJ. Mr. Karcher has written a well-researched and argued thesis. As NJ faces an unprecedented budget shortfall that will be borne on the backs of property tax payers it is time we reflect on how we got into this multiple municipal madness to begin with. With renewed calls for a constitutional convention to address tax reform I urge everyone from serious students of government to average taxpayers to read this book.

Alan Karcher has done a remarkable job of explaining why NJ has as many municipalities (566) as it does for such a small state. Most of the reasons were petty and personal. Most were set for racial, ethnic, or religious reasons. Some were set up to keep out the wrong economic types. Most of these municipalities could not exist if the state government did not help them with money. Karcher has done a great job of offering a historical perspective of the state that started when our country was young and continues to today. He also has offered his vision of how to fix what is wrong with the system. Personally as a resident of NJ, I think that I could make ice cubes in very hot places before NJ changes its way of doing things. If you want to know why NJ is the way that it is and why it happened, then this is a great read. Karcher is also very knowledgeable of the inside workings of the state because he was the assembly leader during much of the 1980's.

The title is question-begging. The "madness" is the result of subdivision of governments by and for the people of New Jersey in order to attain a political goal. The 'Introduction' says municipal boundaries were drawn for personal and economic reasons. The 'Index' does not contain the entry "Company Town", even though it is mentioned in the text (as in Helmetta). Karcher does not mention how the 13 counties in 1776 became 21 counties in the 20th century. This was done for the right reasons: the people voted for it. In other states counties were created as the population increased so as to keep a manageable area. (Laura Ingalls Wilder mentions this in one of her books.) Claiming that 200 of the municipalities have small tax bases also ignores why that was not a problem under the 1844 NJ Constitution (p.4). Chapter 1 concludes with the 8 reasons they created municipalities. Karcher avoids the policies of NJ's power elite, such as the lack of Initiative & Referendum, the 1947 Constitution, etc. Any law to allow solving the problems would require a constitutional change (as in "mortmain" Chapter 2). The example of New York City as over-consolidation is due to its power elite's wish to have the greatest population in the country (p.18). Why would anyone want this for any state?

Chapter 3 explains how one large township is now nine separate municipalities. Sectional conflicts created Monroe Township (p.21). Taxes also caused conflicts (p.23). When the War Department prohibited alcohol in townships, Sayreville changed to a "borough" (p.31). Chapter 4 tells how Shrewsbury Township became 75 separate towns. Some municipalities originated from private real-estate developments (Spring Lake, Deal). Sectional conflicts, alcohol prohibition, and local school control led to this fragmentation. 'Part II' goes into more detail on issues that caused fragmentation. [Are these unique to NJ?] 'Part III' discusses the factors that prevented consolidation of the largest cities. The New England rule was to base governments on townships; in most other states it was based on counties (with multiple small villages). Karcher's envy of Connecticut and Rhode Island is not explained (p.137). The "bias" was to choose an agrarian society over an urban society (p.138). Was that for lower costs? The state law limiting the amount that a town can borrow is correct (p.139). Can we trust a politician like Alexander Hamilton (p.140)? Karcher blames the politicians on page 144, but don't they just act for the power elite? Chapter 13 provides a post-mortem on the city of Camden (pp.160-162). Chapter 14 lists the missed opportunities of Newark on pages 175-176. Chapter 15 tells the problems of Jersey City (pp.189-190). [Could the power elite have take a bribe to cripple Jersey City?]

'Part IV' asks about correcting past mistakes. Karcher lists the advantages of local municipal government: more accountable, more responsive, allows more political power, a sense of place, testing for aspiring leaders (p.202). Chapter 17 has the 'Reasons for Change'. Suburban shopping and office malls were designed by Big Oil to sell automobiles and gasoline. They could be limited to locations along public transportation lines (buses not trolleys). They could be required to provide for housing as well as parking spaces. Suggested solutions are in Chapter 18. Karcher believes NJ should have about 200 municipalities having over 40,000 people, but doesn't explain what the trade-offs would be. Perhaps Karcher's hidden agenda is on page 217: privatization of local services! Forcing people to pay more for these services is not a solution for high costs. A ruling elite that controls the political party machines will do nothing that lessens their power, money, and control. Can reshuffling the townships eliminate the graft and corruption found in the power elite? If not, where's the cure?
What I learned from this book is that most of NJ's problems were caused by state government and its ruling class. Those who benefit from these policies will not correct them.

I liked this book because of the hard hits. The author has so many good details in this book it makes you feel like you are in it.

The book is about a kid named Manny who decides to play football. The problem is that he is not that big but he has a lot of speed. Will Manny be able to play and make a bone crushing hit, or will he be benched all year.

I recommend this book to football fans and to any one who likes football. There are also other books by Rich Wallace such as Double fake, Fast company, and Technical foul.

The Book Review of the Roar of the Crowd

Hi, my name is Sam and I'm going to tell you why you should read The Roar of The Crowd by Rich Wallace. I recommend this book for children whose ages are 8-12. I also recommend this book for people who like football. In this review you'll find out the setting, characters, and theme.

This book has a lot of setting but there is 1 main setting. That main setting is on the football field because they mainly play on the field. 3 other settings are at home, school, and the practice field. So the book has 4 settings.

There are 4 important characters in this book, but there is 1 main character to me. That character is Manny. He is a football player for the Hudson City Hornets. Manny's problem is that Coach Reynolds won't let him play. The 3 other important characters are Donald, Vinnie, and Coach Reynolds.

This books theme is about playing football. It's playing football because it mostly talks about football. Other than that it is growing up because Manny is growing barely in this book. If you read this book you might find a different theme.

Where getting close to the end so I want say a few things. Will Manny ever get a position and if he does will he be able to hold on to it? Read the book to find out. I hope I convinced you to read The Roar of The Crowd. That's all I got to say now it's time to say goodbye.

The Book Review of the Roar of the Crowd

Hi, my name is Sam and I'm going to tell you why you should read The Roar of The Crowd by Rich Wallace. I recommend this book for children whose ages are 8-12. I also recommend this book for people who like football. In this review you'll find out the setting, characters, and theme.

This book has a lot of setting but there is 1 main setting. That main setting is on the football field because they mainly play on the field. 3 other settings are at home, school, and the practice field. So the book has 4 settings.

There are 4 important characters in this book, but there is 1 main character to me. That character is Manny. He is a football player for the Hudson City Hornets. Manny's problem is that Coach Reynolds won't let him play. The 3 other important characters are Donald, Vinnie, and Coach Reynolds.

This books theme is about playing football. It's playing football because it mostly talks about football. Other than that it is growing up because Manny is growing barely in this book. If you read this book you might find a different theme.

Where getting close to the end so I want say a few things. Will Manny ever get a position and if he does will he be able to hold on to it? Read the book to find out. I hope I convinced you to read The Roar of The Crowd. That's all I got to say now it's time to say goodbye.

Manny is coming homw from football practice with his friend Donald when they stopped by the local groccery store to get something to eat. They looked at the discount bin and instead of getting something from the bin they get a pie and take it to the check-out counter. They check-out lady says that it isn't marked so they lie and say it was. They also pick up some sodas. They eat the pie and then go to thier own house and when Manny gets home and Sal is waiting for him because their mom isn't home yet. Sal is Manny's younger brother. Later in the book Manny starts to get good at football and he scores a couple of touchdowns and is really excited about it. He also gets the chance to start on the first team and run the ball.

This was a simply amazing book. I just couldnt put it down.If only the book had like 10 more chapters.To me it was one of the best books I've ever read. I give props to Rich Wallace. He's simply an amazing author.

Trumped offers deep insight into Donald Trump's New Jersey casinos from the perspective of a top executive (Jack O'Donnell) who left the organization on bad terms. This insight offered in the book is extremely engrossing especially if you find the inner workings of casinos intriguing.

Jack O'Donnell is not fond of Trump in the least and despises the manner in which he runs his organization, particularly the casinos. O'Donnell presents a very detailed depiction of what takes place behind the scenes of the casinos as well as his qualified opinions on Trump's failings at the time.

There will be some difficulty trying to determine if many of the details regarding Trump's economic issues are described as factual or with a certain degree of hostility. We are only provided with one side of the events and ultimately we may never know if the account provided is presented with complete accuracy or merely tainted with extreme bias that might be expected of a disgruntled ex-employee. My estimate is that the truth likely falls somewhere in the middle. It should also be noted that since Trump's massive financial difficulties in the early 90s, something O'Donnell seemed to have maintained delight in, Trump has not only rebounded but appears to be more successful and wealthier than ever, yet O'Donnell has all but vanished from public view.

Despite Trumped being a potentially opinionated piece, there is no question the material is considerably entertaining. No matter your feelings toward Trump (or for that matter O'Donnell), I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in a behind the scenes account of Trump's casinos and/or a fascination with high stakes business enterprise.

Good book. Gives you insight into how Donald Trump thinks and makes decisions.

This was a well written book by someone with inside knowledge of the Trump organization. The reader learns a lot about Trump's personal life and the inner workings of the casino industry. Highly recommended.

I've always wondered how Donald Trump could go bankrupt running a casino, this book is a fascinating read on how it happened. Jack O'Donnell was a high ranking executive in Trump's casino operations, and for a time actually ran his only consistently profitable casino, Trump Plaza (at least it was consistently profitable until Jack O'Donnell quit). Jack details in fascinating detail Donald Trump's erratic behavior, lack of knowledge of the casino business, and all the "fuzzy math" surrounding the junk bonds that financed Trump's acquistions. This book shows very clearly what goes on behind the hype surrounding the myth of Donald Trump, it is very highly recommended.

This book recounts firsthand through the eyes of Jack O'Donnell, a man who for a time ran the Trump Plaza and intimately dealt with all of the Donald's casino holdings in AC, Trump's rise and fall in the Atlantic City gaming industry. I came at the book from two ends, for one I am facinated by the casino industry and high dollar business in general, and two when you mix in a volatile personality like Trump's the end result is a fast read that was throughly satisfying. O'Donnell's prose reads like a novel as he recounts Trump's slick business dealings and initial success. Things start to sour as the Donald makes a string of strategic errors and allows his ego to cloud his perception of reality leaving his business holdings on the brink of financial ruin. Anyone interested in Trump should make this a first purchase as the Donald is disected in an unflinchingly intimate light by a man who spoke with him almost daily for three years. Others interested in high finance and the casino industry will also enjoy this book.

In a compelling story, told poetically, Melnyczuk, takes us on a gripping journey. Along the way, he illuminates the path of Ukrainian families, post WWII, coming to America to begin again. The minefields of history, stuggles with being "other", ghosts of those who never made the trip and rigid standards enforced within a community of immigrants will be familiar to many from other places, other devasations who attempted to start new lives in the USA.
Beautifully told, this is the tale of a young man coming to terms with a tragedy worthy of the Greeks, playied out in a run down New Jersey apartment that is his best friend's home. While suffering to find a place for himself in the New World, the narrator, Ned Blud, must make sense of the lives intertwined with his own-lives both complex and mundane but etched in the chaos of loss.
We are asked to pomder the place of the past in forging a future, the obligation of children to the grief of parents, the sacrificess, as well as, the benefits of assimilation and the strength of the individual within and without community. Finally, however, the question that Melyyczuk demands we answer is what role memory plays in being human.

The narrator of Askold Melnyczuk's masterful novel, a successful physician, thinks that to a large extent he has escaped the past - the troubled lives of his Ukranian immigrant friends - and become successfully assimilated into the American dream of upward mobility. In the course of the novel he learns that the past is not like the pages of a photo album that you can leaf through when the spirit moves you; rather, it lives within you, influences and molds you, whether you want it to or not, and can spring out at you, like a tiger crouching in the bushes outside your sunny suburban home. A difficult theme, and Melnyczuk handles it well.

We are each a storehouse of the accumulative pain that we have experienced, handed down to us by our parents and other significants -- how we recognize, view and process that pain draws the boundaries of the way in which we live our lives. Some people have a tougher time dealing with their past than others -- and when, as in the case of Nick Blud, the narrator of Askold Melnyczuk's dark, rich and extremely moving novel, that pain is multiplied by the suffering endured by his parents and grandparents, it's an almost insurmountable task. To make matters even more difficult for him, his parents -- Ukranian immigrants who have made a new life in America -- are reluctant to give many details about what they experienced in WWII in their homeland. This novel chronicles Nick's journey inward and backward to fill in the gaps in his family's past and come to terms with them. There are several characters in the novel who are making this journey -- and, indeed, aren't we all, to varying degrees? Each of them has their own discoveries to make, their own ghosts to exorcize, their own truths to define. Some of them are up to the challenge -- and some of them fail in devastating ways.

The mood of Melnyczuk's novel is dark -- but the writing is very rich, expressing the desperation and hope, the pain and joy, the terror and exultation in which his characters are awash. The emotions here run strong and deep, and they are honestly -- at times brutally so -- portrayed. A premise is expressed toward the end of the novel -- and this isn't a spoiling revelation, don't worry -- about the nature of darkness and light in our lives: 'Death, a writer once observed, is the dark backing a mirror needs if we are to see anything'. We need one in order to know and appreciate the other.

I found the novel to be modrately compelling for the first 100 pages -- then it picked up steam and held me unrelentingly in its grip for the duration of the story. The characterizations are full, developed vivdly, and memorable. This is one of the more unusual tales I've come across in the last year or so -- very entertaining on one level, and very instructive on another. I'll have to check out the author's earlier novel, WHAT IS TOLD -- I'm extremely impressed with the skills and style he has shown in this book.

The narrator of Askold Melnyczuk's masterful novel, a successful physician, thinks that to a large extent he has escaped the past - the troubled lives of his Ukranian immigrant friends - and become successfully assimilated into the American dream of upward mobility. In the course of the novel he learns that the past is not like the pages of a photo album that you can leaf through when the spirit moves you; rather, it lives within you, influences and molds you, whether you want it to or not, and can spring out at you, like a tiger crouching in the bushes outside your sunny suburban home. A difficult theme, and Melnyczuk handles it well.

I read this book several weeks ago but have not tried to comment until now. The book is well written, however the story is grim, it is like listening to one musical note that does not change. The theme is a familiar story of once wealthy people who upon emigrating find themselves living a life that is less satisfying than they could have imagined. One individual, who did break out and move onward and upward, is drawn back by a vague summons regarding some crisis, and this is what the body of the book explores.

The summons that returns Dr. Blud to his boyhood haunts in New Jersey must be vague to bring him back. There is nothing that justifies why this man would ever return to this neighborhood, so a mystery is needed to spark his curiosity and the return. The summons comes from Adriana the mother of his best childhood friend. Upon his arrival the past is explored and it is unremittingly grim, sometimes tragic, often brutally intentioned. And this is where I lost the thread. The immigrant tale of misery has been written about so many times and so well, that entering the genre takes more than desire. Much of the book is a distraction, which is contrived by Adriana to allow time to make a claim.

When the book reaches its close the author has used a somewhat clever device that explains why the reader has been forced, together with the Dr., by Adriana to endure the recitation of so much history. For this reader it was somewhat of a consolation for an otherwise bland read. It did not suddenly make clear and necessary all that the reader was put through, however it did provide some interest.

Perhaps I missed something with this work. I would suggest the book to others who have a gap in their reading time they need to fill; I would not make reading the book a priority.

Cutting the Cheese reminds me of a good old fashioned stage play, very fast paced and irresistibly witty. Vivid characters take the stage, and in the middle of all the fussing and commotion there is Luke, his life coming to a complete stand still when he sets eyes on this complete stranger. Or should I say the stranger sets eyes on him ?
Great fun !

Every character in this twisted little comedy may seem like a stereotype, but stereotypes exist for a reason. I have personally met people in my life who are exactly like these characters. I have no trouble envisioning them acting in just this way.
This is one nail-biting, back-stabbing, hair-pulling thrill of a ride. With the sweetest of love stories set right in the middle.
I laughed so hard, I felt guilty, because I felt like I was laughing at myself and some of my closest friends.
Cheese and wine will never be the same again.
I give this naughty little treat two over-the-head snaps!

This brief, funny book packs a lot of sharp observations on what we do for love or for money as played out at an evening meeting/party at the home of Sugar Daddy Roy Otterson. To paraphrase the song, Patterson looks at all kinds of love: fresh and still unspoiled, love/lust that is slightly soiled with meretricious desire, the mellow love of middle age. The author manages to cover this gamut without being judgmental, though the characters, with wildy disparate agendas, (the Lesbians' agenda, to their frustration, is mainly that of the meeting), are often bitchy and downright hostile. Patterson, as omniscient narrator, understands that our lives and our relationships are full of agendas, often hidden, somtimes greedy, and he refuses to favor one character over another, even the newbie. A fun book (each chapter is named with a different kind of cheese) that belongs on every shelf, though it could use some editing (a problem we indies are known for).

Being straight, this book provided a whole new insight for me into the gay and lesbian world. Someone close to me, I suspect is gay. I realize that it is scary coming out, and taking those first steps into a new world. I really felt for the newbie, not knowing who to trust, who would be a reliable friends, and who was foe. For me, it was hard to keep track of so many characters, but that is probably my own problem. Also, being a proof reader at work, the many typos and spelling errors were distracting, but that will hopefully be fixed after Libby's comments. :)
All in all, a fun read, with interesting characters, and definitely a broadening of my horizons since this is not usually my type of book. But I believe in supporting the indie author, and I hope many others will too!

A casual afternoon spent with your nearest and dearest 'activist' friends discussing the best way to go about expanding your group's influence on the wider community, while supping over wine and cheese. What could be simpler or more civil? Unfortunately almost every character in this convoluted clash of cross purposes and hidden agendas seems to be the reincarnated souls of some of the most vilest, back stabbing, boot licking neophytes to ever grace a royal court. Into the center of this snake pit wanders poor befuddled Luke. Idealistically romantic Luke. In over his head and sinking fast, will the bewildered and beguiling young newbie ever find his knight in shining armor?
The characters are vivid; (I'm certain I know one or two personally), the setting is masterfully detailed; (I could easily see it as a movie, or better yet... a theatrical production) and the pace; frantic and fevered. Hold on tight, because this trip through the lavender 'newbie shredder' is not for the faint of heart.
Wickedly Funny!!!

I think Jim did a great job explaining tactics and habits but I would have like to have seen more detailed maps and charts on when the fish were running and where.

This is a MUST book for Surf fishermen in New Jersey. He makes it so easy to move up and down the coastline and know locations and local spots to get started. It is an indispensible reference book. Unlike so many fishing books that tell you to go to this lake or this town, he takes you there and helps you get started with specific spots and descriptions and seasonal timelines for different species. I've bought more than one to put in my car and surf bags. I never want travel the state surf fishing and exploring new spots without Jims expert book.

I recently read the book "Fishing the New Jersey Coast" by author Jim Freda. Jim does a great job at explaining some of the best places to find striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, and other coastal species. I found the book to be very helpful in my pursuit of better fishing. If you are interested in learning more about fishing and how to catch the big ones, I strongly recommend you buy this book.

I started reading this book to see what the author had to say about the area where I fish most. However, when I finished that chapter I promptly went to page one and read it from cover to cover. Lots of great info throughout!!! Anyone who fishes NJ should read this book! I will be refering to this book for many years to come.

Fishing The New Jersey Coast by professional saltwater fishing guide Jim Freda is a quality reference specifically tailored to help novice and experienced fishermen alike find the best places along the new Jersey coastline to bring in a fresh, tasty catch. Aside from a brief introduction to the art of fly fishing, the majority of Fishing the New Jersey Coast is devoted to very specific sections of New Jersey coastline fishing areas, from Upper Raritan Bay to Cape May Point. With its friendly, easy-to-understand advice and highly detailed layout, Fishing The New Jersey Coast is a "must" for any serious New Jersey area bound angler!

The book as a whole was pretty good, but I do have one major problem with this book. There were some instances where the book stated that Kenneth Taylor had probably faced some kind of sexual abuse in his past, and then at the very end of the book it quotes his mother as saying that she had heard that some mothers performed fellatio on their infant children to ease teething pain.
To me this made it seem like the author was trying to imply that perhaps Kenneth's mother had been the one to sexually abuse him. Maybe I am just super-sensitive, but that's the way I took it and I was somewhat offended by it.

I've re-read this book many times - which means it is well-written and fascinating. Peter Maas obtained as much information as he could so that readers would be able to understand the background of the characters in this true crime story. Although it leaves you wanting to know more about Ken's parents, especially his mother (how did she turn out so differently than her own mother, Jean?), he does the best he can...apparently in this case, a psychopath was born, not made. Some of the people involved (Marilyn), you just want to smack upside the head...I also wondered why and how could Therese stay with Ken knowing that he beat her so badly on their honeymoon that she almost died. Why did she refuse to see the truth? She paid for it with her life.

Peter Maas is a good, solid writer. This is the book that was the basis of the TV movie starring Valerie Bertinelli. However, there is much more detail in the book. For example, there is more of the background of the victim and the dentist/murderer. It also seems that the victim did use cocaine, although Maas does strees that it was only "recreational." (???--what is recreational?) Also, he admits that he beat her up in Mexico. It's a page burner.

Entralling from the first page to the last. If you've seen the movie, DEFINATELY read the book. Michael Ontkean's portrayal of Ken Taylor is terrific. Being from Indina, I was especially interested due to the custody battle that came as a result of Taylor bludgeoning his wife to death. The fact that this story is true is what makes it so horrible. My heart ached, not only for the child, but for Teresa's family members who were put through not only having to deal with her murder, but the idea of her child being in the custody of Ken Taylor's parents. Louise Fletcher, who plays Ken Taylor's mother gives a chilling reference to a mother turning a ridiculously blind eye to the fact that her son was a manipulative cold blooded murderer with very strange sexual appetites (records indicated that calls were made from the scene of the murder to 900-sex lines while Teresa lay dead on the floor). A chilling account.

I saw the 1991 miniseries of "In A Child's Name" before I had ever read the book, and I must say that, in both cases, I was saddened and angered at the murder of a beautiful, innocent mother and also by the manipulation of an innocent child, who was ultimately the real victim, along with his mother. Ultimately, however, I was moved by the family's coming together to raise the baby boy left by his loving mother and cold-hearted father. The book does go deeper into the horror of what happened after the young mother's murder than the miniseries. However, both tell the tragic but ultimately uplifting story about abuse, murder, cold-hearted manipulation, and ultimate strength and love.

As a teacher of a 6th Grade class in a New York City public school, it is very rare to find a Principal who cares about the children in their school. There are other school administrators who allow students to literally " Run the school ". Disruptions of any kind in the school setting are not to be tolarated. In many instances, it is the Principal of a school who " Lays Down the Law ". Those in the education profession that take on the mindset of Principal Clark will have model school and classroom settings to be proud of. Principal Clark's demeanor is definately needed in the urban school environmment to bring about positive results.

Feel good I have a Dream speeches are not going to reform urban schools in America, tough love and discipline will. Obviously the above reviewer went to a nice middle class school, because these urban ones, like Chicago Public, are a nightmare and quite dangerous. One feels like their in a correctional facilty instead of a learning center. Gang members and drugdealers are not in need of saving by teachers. Thats not their job. They are their to teach. Youth who have decided to be urban terrorists need to be kicked out and let the correctional facilities handle them if their parents can't. 2700 shouldn't suffer because bleeding hearts want to stuff 300 miscreants and thugs in with them. Those 300 need to be in a boot camp. Gangs should be zero intolerable, not tolerated. But who cares if poor urban youth are terrorized by gangs in their school? While the ehite kids get a nice safe education.

If you enjoyed the movie "Lean on Me" you will love this novel written by the main character, Principal Joe Clark. As a teacher myself, this is a must read for anyone interested in the importance of education in a multicultural diverse or poverty stricken environment. I love this book and give it my highest recommendation!

The previous reviewer, as a teacher, should know that a nonfiction work such as this one, which is part-autobiography, part-pitch plan, is not a "novel." What people like Joe Clark -- and the zillions who were regrettably wooed by Morgan Freeman's bat-wielding rendition of him in the schmaltzy, tearjerking movie "Lean on Me" -- is that what America's urban schoolchildren need most urgently is not a beating near the home-stretch of a losing race but a fair chance from the get-go. We American have always believed starts with quality equal education for alll. A proposal like this doesn't make for a feel-good movie because it involves heady-sounding things like funding redistribution, rezoning and real attempts at racial and socioeconomic integration. But it would go a lot further toward making meaningful and lasting change than Clark's "boot 'em if they fail" and "beat the failure out of them" mentality. By the way, two-thirds of the 300 students Clark expelled from East Side High in Paterson, New Jersey now occupy cells in the Passaic County Jail. This costs the county and the state of New Jersey a great deal. How much less would it have cost if we had provided them with a real, functional education from childhood on?

I strongly recommend reading this book. As an a young administrator in a public school, it is nice to see someone with the desire and drive to do what is right for kids. The story of Eastside and what Mr. Clark did there is truly inspirational. One of the reviews about this book criticized Mr. Clark because a large majority of the 300 students he expelled from Eastside are now in prison. At some point, you must sacrifice the few for the good of the many. Imagine how many more would be in prison if he had not done what he did. I think that anyone that cares about the state of public education right now needs to read this book.