New Jersey Books

When I opened this book, I got chills. The church I atteneded as a child with my grandmother in Swedesboro, NJ is one of the pictures in this book. My mother cried as she looked through this book. It brought back so many memories of her upbringing in South Jersey. Her neighbor in Trenton NJ is even featured in the book as a Civil War Re-enactor whose group still frequently performs in South Jersey. The photos in this book are beautiful and candid. This was truly a "homecoming experience" for my family. This book is a testament to the many African-American men and women who lived full, productive, and wholesome lives in these often forgotten small towns. Looking at the pictures of the old black churches, I can almost hear the hymns being sung. Thank you Wendel White for this lovely trip down memory lane.

I found Small Towns, Black Lives to be visually stunning, historically intriguing and extremely thought evoking. This book invites the reader to discover, vicariously through an artist's personal journey and experience, black communities in Southern New Jersey. The beautifully captivating black and white photographs of people, buildings and meaningful landscapes are juxtaposed with thoughtful and informative text, which discreetly reveals these small communities to the reader. The photographs also appear to hint at volumes of dormant historical facts and information that has been unearthed and gathered by Wendel A. White. Both photographs and text provide a glimpse into the lives of a community that otherwise may have been overlooked. The essays in the book provide unique points of view from highly regarded educators, writers and artists as well as "food-for-thought" for the reader. The essays also provide supplementary resources of history and understanding in conjunction with what Wendel A. White has revealed of Small Towns, Black Lives.

I highly recommend Small Towns, Black Lives and urge that it be placed in classrooms, on coffee tables, and anyplace else where people can sit back and enjoy what unfolds from page to page.

Wendel White's _Small Towns, Black Lives_ is a significant and beautiful
book.

It is significant because White has revealed a little-known fact of
American life: that African-Americans occupied private places not easily
found on maps and, further, he has exposed the success of those lives in
those places. The work is filled with incredible photographs of black
schoolteachers, barbers, funeral directors and farmers who built their
own homes, gardened their land, sold their produce, raised their
families and taught their children. They did all of this in small towns
generally unnoticed by the larger society. A metaphoric example is
telling. On page 97, White has photographed a tiny cemetery headstone
covered with brush, fence posts and the flotsam of an uncaring society.
On the next page, after the abandoned cemetery has been cleared, White
again photographs the tiny headstone only, this time, it stands
surviving and dignified. White has uncovered black lives which, seen
through his eyes, stand revealed as surviving and incredibly dignified
in their simplicities.

The work is beautiful because of the stark power of his vision of how a
photograph and text can be united in reflecting the lives of those he
portrays. Struggling to express both the present state and the historic
subtext of these places and these lives, Wendel White fuses text and
picture into a whole thing. White, whose career as a photographer is
long and varied, has found that digital art has opened new
possibilities. Each print of this text has been carefully and thoroughly
shaped in digital media so that subtlety of black and white tones
underpin the subjects of the picture itself. For me, the photographs of
the old, segregated schools and abandoned black churches speak volumes
of the textures of the lives that learned and worshipped in those
places. They reveal the beauty of what survives and the sadness of what
we have all lost in their passing.

As I said, this is a significant and beautiful work; it touches all of
us and, in doing that, preserves what was almost lost.

kt

Great book. Story of woman native American. Thought the Lenni Lenape Indians had died out. Find out they are alive and strong in NJ.

I had no idea I've been waiting for words of wisdom from a Native American Elder. But Strong Medicine is (forgive me) just what the doctor ordered.

Marion "Strong Medicine" Gould's story is a big one. She has suffered. She inspires. She laughs. She shares wisdom you'll want to reflect on. And she does not shrink down from saying what many of us think but might not say out loud. (Or in a book.)

I'm not a history buff, but I loved learning about Strong Medicine's life--precisely because of the way Hearth presented the information. I didn't feel like I was getting a lesson. I felt like I was making a new friend. A really compassionate and wise and funny one.

This book is a gem! I acutally felt each story as though it were "Stong Medicine" actually speaking directly to me. I felt all emotions, happy, excited, anticipation, and sad as she told this beautiful story.

Amy captured her and this book will truly capture you!

What a testimony of true Native American life.

Peter Murphy's poems are haunting and funny by turns--and sometimes both at once. They demonstrate a mastery of condensation, pacing, and specificity. Stubborn Child tells the vivid story of a child shuttled from one household to another--and a self destructive man drinking, having sex with the wrong people, and finding his way out of dead end jobs to a complicated life in which he is a thoughtful teacher and a loving husband and father. In the vivid stories of what saves him, we get clues to what might save us as well--truth telling, respect, generosity, and humor.

Many people in the New Jersey area have heard of and known Peter E. Murphy and have looked hard for a collection of his work. Now, the looking has an end result. This is a fine overview of poems from various stages of the poet's life as a person and as an artist, exemplifying a wide array of roads to happiness. Of course, the happiness conveyed in the book has come with various prices, as only true happiness can. In all, Peter E. Murphy offers a poetic world of hope when misery and failure seems just as accessible.

There's no fluff poetry here. Mr. Murphy's words are as raw and thought provoking as poetry can get. The personal insights that he writes about made the corner of my mouth stretch to a smurk and made me mutter, "this is awesome." I couldn't stop reading, and I haven't read poetry since Shel Silversein.

An illustrated celebration of the birth, demise, and resurrection of the nations's oldest seaside resort. Emil Salvini leads the reader through the Cape's two hundred tumultous years, which have forever earned it the moniker "Queen of the Seaside Resorts."

I found The Summer City by the Sea to be a truly fascinating account of Cape May. Mr. Salvini has truly mastered the craft of writing a historical book that holds your attention. After reading this book I bought a house in Cape May, so hats off to you Emil Salvini, best investment I ever made!

The Summer City by the Sea is a truly outstanding book. Salvini takes us on a journey that is both interesting and entertaining. Whether a resident or vacationer this book is sure to pull you into the incredible history of this elegant city. The illustrations, photographs, and text come together in a charming fashion. A perfect book to read on a cool summer day.

Peter Abresch has brought back everyone's favorite sleuthing seniors James P. Dandy and Dodee Swisher for another Eldershostel adventure. In Tip A Canoe, Jim and Dodee are in South Carolina for an "active" Elderhostel, canoeing on the Santee Dam lakes. Accompanying them on their journey is an assortment of colorful characters including a former FBI agent who sees a crime around every corner, an ecologist who believes all dams should be blown up, a retired Army general who isn't taking retirement well and several other odd couples. When the first body is found, the local sheriff makes it clear that he feels the death is accidental and that he doesn't need any help. But between Dodee and her natural curiosity and the suspicions of the FBI, Jim finds himself snooping around and dodging bad guys and trying to keep from incurring the wrath of the local sheriff who doesn't believe there is anything to investigate. But when the former FBI vanishes, even the sheriff admits that there might be something to investigate. When Jim and Dodee misread the clues and take off to investigate, they quickly find themselves literally up the creek without a paddle. Abresch has once again used the background of the Elderhostel program to bring us a witty, entertaining adventure.

This time, James P. Dandy promises, he won't get involved with the police. This time he'll use the Elderhostel to relax, spend some time with his girlfriend, and enjoy the beautiful South Carolina scenery and wildlife. Uh, maybe next time, Jim.

At first the bodies turning up don't really bother Jim--people have boating accidents all the time. When he finds a body under a canoe wedged upside down in a tree, he's more concerned. When one of his fellow Senior Citizens, this one an ex-FBI employee, vanishes, he has to get involved plunging both himself and his girlfriend Dodee into danger.

Author Peter Abresch does a wonderful job building distinctive characters, developing a romantic relationship that complements the mystery plot, and describing both the South Carolina setting and the staff and guests in the Elderhostel. Jim's fellow Elderhostel guests are all individual and, for the most part, pieces of work

Abresch writes with a light style and you'll find yourself smiling at both characters and Abresch's witty dialogue. Using Senior Citizens and an Elderhostel as the characters and setting is a nice change from the familiar twenty/thirty-something of mystery novels. Maybe TIP A CANOE won't save the world but it is one heck of a nice read.

Elderhostels are brief vacations that can be learning experiences for people over fifty-five years old. Maryland physical therapist James P. Dandy and Kansas Jayhawker artist-gallery owner Dodeee Swisher met at one and have been lovers ever since. The duo arranges to get together at an Elderhostel in South Carolina.

Jim prays that this time there are no dead bodies to interrupt his romantic rendezvous. However, he and Dodee find the corpse of natural resource agent Hank Davis in a nearby swamp. One of the other participants, a former FBI agent sees conspiracy written all over the death. Soon dynamite is missing and earlier an experienced boater drowns. Now an environmentalist talks of blowing up the dam. Dodee, with a reluctant Jim as her sidekick, begins seeking answers even though she knows she probably endangers their lives by doing so.

The James P. Dandy Elderhostel mysteries are funny yet exciting. The latest TIP A CANOE is one of the better entries in a strong series. Readers remain in the dark as to why the murders and who the killer is until the end of the novel due to a fabulous case of misdirection. Using passionate love between the middle age couple adds a dimension to this character-driven winning novel.

Harriet Klausne

This is a charming, easy-to-read account of one young girl's encounter with the American Revolution. All my children loved it - even the ones for whom it was too "young"! A well-told tale based on an actual event. This is a great story for putting your kids "in the shoes" of those who lived during the founding of our country.

I think this is the only book we've ever found in the Beginning Reader section that deals with a real, historical subject.

My daughter read it to herself and loved it.

I also read through it and found it to be a fascinating children's book.

This book is quite unique & even better than the author's previous book on the rail-trails of New England. Three things distinguish this book from others:

(1) Insight into the history of the railroads.

(2) Useful & reliable descriptions of each trail.

(3) Needs of both cyclists & hikers are addressed.

A must-have for any rail-trail rider or hiker who wondered about the railroads that once ruled the trail.

For anyone interested in either discovering new trails to ride your bike on in new jersey or someone with an interest in rail
roading in the garden state the book is highly recommended. I live in northern n.j. (west paterson) and have taken the book with me on rides through some of the longer northern n.j. trails and have found the directions to the trail the sites to see and the remaining RR structures along the trail described very accurately. (Although the author seems to have missed mentioning the RR mile markers remaining on the essex branch by my house! ) Anyway i am 33 y.o. and i find that these long trails are sometimes a nice break from the more typical mtn. biking type of riding i also like to do in some of new jersey's other state parks. Dont get me wrong though ,these trails can certainly provide a great workout too. I recommend the southern section of the columbia trail through ken lockwood gorge as the nicest area in northern n.j.

In the first weeks of owning the book, I have done 3 of the hikes so far, Governor's Mtn, Manor circular, and Carris Hill, although I was already familiar with the parking lots, trailheads through many years mtn biking and hiking in the area, I found the descriptions to be top notch and accurate. Using those descriptions and a simple NYNJTC topo map (with GPS coordinates!) navigation is a snap. GPS is practically unnecessary since most of the trails are well marked. Even though I have only done three of the trips in there, I am very familiar with most of the places mentioned there, the Palisades, Wawayanda, Jockey Hollow, etc. as I've hiked or biked there before I got this book. The book is an excellent day trip for the beginner to intermediate day tripper, fits nicely even in small camelback type devices. My only wish is they included the trail blaze color in the maps they provide, makes for faster quick reference when hiking.

Jay

I love the way this book is organized. Rather than describe a series of hiking opportunities in New Jersey, the authors carefully culled through hundreds of trails and picked out the most exciting hikes in the state. They even patched together multiple trails in within most parks so you would get the best bang out of the time invested. The descriptions are accurate and fun to read. I tried three of them so far and look forward to doing the other 47.

Christopher Brooks surely did his homework in writing 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: New York City: with northern New Jersey, southwestern Connecticut, and western Long Island. The details on the many hikes in the Tri State area are very helpful. One can easily trace around the suggested trails that Brooks provides. Also Brooks adds a little history to many of the recommended trails.

He gives equal emphasis to New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, and the Hudson Region. Also a comprehensive index is provided so the reader can easily distinguish flat hikes from vigorous climbs to ones to bring the children on. Every base is covered as this book is a fantastic guide for anyone looking to explore new hiking trails in the New York area.

You would think that a hike in New York City would take you from say Central Park to Battery Park along the sidewalks. To my surprise, the Brooks have found all of these hikes within a reasonable distance from the city. As a for instance, the Pelham Bay Park is 2,766 acres in size with 13 miles of shoreline. It's also reachable by public transport. (Take the #6 train followed by the Bx29 bus.) The hiking there is flat, shoreline and all that. Or there's Norvin Green where you'll need sturdy hiking shoes, and find multiple deep-water streams to cross in a 9.3 mile up and down trail. Other hikes include wildlife refuges, state forests, national recreation areas, swamps, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, ocean shores. You can get away from the concrete.

As a book, the layout makes it easy to find things. The overall maps lead you to the general area you may find interesting. The descriptions of each of the 60 hikes includes a description, a detailed map of each, elevation profile, and directions - usually by automobile and public transport. As the back cover says, If you live near NYC, get it.

This is a masterful political and economic study of the Revolution, from the point of view of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence who was an advocate of the middle and working classes. It contains economic, social and political ideas still worth considering. Abraham Clark represents a proud and unique tradition in America in which the idea of equality is central. He feared tyranny in the form of the wealthy gaining power over the poor, and institutions over the individual. As the author states, he fought every form of privilege: social, military, economic or political. His economic vision and ability made him a major player in shaping our new country.

This is a masterful study of the political and economic undercurrents of the American Revolution. Abraham Clark, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, was an advocate for the middle and working classes. He fought against privilege in every form, often pitting himself against the most powerful, and wealthy, leaders of the Revolution. He feared that America would establish a country in which the domination of the poor by the wealthy would continue. He was also concerned that "new sources of tyranny" would "arise from American centers of power." His economic ideas and initiatives centered on "leveling the playing field" and are still worth considering. Most of his work was in this area, both on the national and state level. Called an "excentric genius" by one of his enemies, Clark's actions were extremely popular among the people of his district. He was held publicly accountable for every major bill which passed during his tenure in the state legislature. As a member of Congress, he was an ardent supporter of James Madison's policies and measures in the area of commerce.