New Jersey Books

"Innocent Victims" recounts the 1997 murder of Eddie Werner, 11, by Sam Manzie, the mentally disturbed 15-year-old victim of 43-year-old pedophile Steve Simmons. It's a remarkably compelling & well-told story & it gets better as it goes along. One theme is the failure of the court system to respond to the warnings & pleas of Manzie's own parents before the murder. The scene where a prosecutor attacks Manzie's mother in court is genuinely enraging--it's an incredible moment that demonstrates how successfully the author pulls the reader into the story. It made me fervently wish the prosecutor lost his job. The real achievement of this book is getting the reader to care about all sides of the case. Brian J. Karem shows the pain & frustrations of both Werner's parents & Manzie's parents excellently, shows the consequences for both sides, the remarkable similarity between their situations. He shows the families' period of feuding in such a way that you don't judge them for hating each other, you empathize for both sides. And Karem goes above & beyond by presenting the pedophile's point of view in spite of its inherent odiousness. He shows who the pedophile is & lets you decide for yourself what to think (it's not a difficult decision). This was a complex case & Karem presents it very clearly, very economically & compellingly in a way that surely even those involved would find strikingly empathetic. The only people who emerge with dignity in this are Ed & Valerie Werner & Nick & Dolores Manzie. The justice system was at its indifferent worst from start to finish. Karem also manages to deal with thoroughly distasteful subjects sensitively. Excellent.

This was the first true crime book I had read by Brian J. Karem but I found it to be extremely well written and very detailed. Unfortunately, the facts of the case are a bit hard to stomach (especially if you are a parent) but Karen doesn't tip-toe around the gruesome details. I recommend this book to any fan of true crime.

I'd say a little over 1/4 of this book is accurate. I am not going to say who I am but I did know Sam very very well and a lot of the stuff the author "assumes" about Sam is just that - assumptions, not fact.

It probably would have been a decent true crime read if the facts had been there a bit more. Also, if it hadn't been about someone I cared about :(

Amazing. I couldn't put the book down. Stein did a spectacular job.

another example of dull, tired, unoriginal prose. Not worth the time or money.

This is a stunning book; heartbreaking, intelligent, and truly original. Stein's characters are completely believable, and he is not afraid to reveal their secrets. I'm impressed by the unflinching honesty of this book as it deals with a tough and contentious issue--race relations in America. This is Stein's third novel, and he just keeps getting better.

Is there an alternative to the exploitation,
boss domination, environmental havoc, dog-eat-dog
competition and other
ills of capitalism? "Well Soviet central
planning was tried and that failed," you say?
Hahnel and Albert argue that there is a third
alternative -- Participatory Economics or
ParEcon. (The other reviewer's description of
ParEcon is an inaccurate caricature.)
This book provides a concise introduction to
an economic model that is neither Soviet-style
central-planning nor based on the market. The
critique of both markets and central planning is
written clearly. At the same time, this book
contains formal proofs of the economic adequacy
of their model, and is therefore, in parts,
more technical than most of Albert and Hahnel's other
little books like "Moving Forward."

The short tract "The Political Economy of Participatory Economics" seems mostly to have been intended as a 'formal' statement and modelling of Parecon for the academic economist public. The first half of the work restates the case for Parecon in a summary, sort of academic way - for more on this, see Parecon: Life After Capitalism. Then, in response to a challenge by Allen Buchanan that nobody has been able to model an alternative to capitalist market economies yet, Albert & Hahnel create a modelling formula of the principles of Parecon, which they dub the "FMPE" (Formal Modelling of a Participatory Economy). This is highly superfluous on its own, given that it just mathematizes what they have already accessibly described in words, but it is a reflection of the sad state economics as a discipline is in that Albert & Hahnel have no choice but to do this if they want to get through to people in that field. Most important and useful here is the way Albert & Hahnel integrate their endogenous preferences theory, developed in their book Quiet Revolution in Welfare Economics, which will be of interest to heterodox economists.

Along the way, they also address some concerns about the feasibility of their plans, though not any of the more serious objections: their moral hatred of hierarchy leading them to dismiss central planning for no real reason, the degree of bureaucracy involved in their council system which seems to easily surpass that of central planning systems, and the way in which their ideas for consumers' councils greatly seems to exaggerate people's capacity to understand and formulate their own preferences. Then there's the issue that such councils would have to be quite intrusive, as nothing could be bought or sold without councils knowing about it, so that all know about the private life of all in at least that respect. Albert & Hahnel go extremely far in their egalitarianism as well, even proposing to pay more to less competent people who undertake more effort in sports, not just at the top level, but all the way down. But at the same time, they don't seem to have realized that their council system still greatly favors people who are more talented at formulating their preferences and demands over people who are shy, lack self-knowledge, are uncertain about their life-goals, etc.

None of the above objections need defeat the proposal, but I do think Parecon needs an extra round of tinkering or two, with more ideas from more traditional socialist models put in instead of the rather overly egalitarian and optimistic proposal as it stands now. And it's telling that even an absolutely convinced socialist like me would accuse them of those things, precisely the faults socialism in general is often accused of by right-wing philistines; therefore, I may be wrong and underestimating people (as well as Albert & Hahnel), but it's also possible that Parecon as it is now is too much of a good thing.

In any case this booklet is probably not the first one one would want to buy to understand Parecon and the arguments about it, since this is really mostly aimed at economists. The book "Parecon" itself (link above) as well as Moving Forward: Program for a Participatory Economy might be a better buy for that.

I buy a product because I find it useful and if someone makes something better then I spend my money on that instead. There's a simplicity to that system I can understand. Instead, these guys say classlessness is more important, so dump the market and have a committee of self managing workers decide on the product's worth and then mediate and refine their desires in the light of feedback by other committees taking into account issues of classlessness, race and environmental impact. Pay will be decided on the basis of who has made the most effort and sacrifice in making the product. As far as books are concerned, the committee of self participatory workers will decide the worth of the book and whether or not it is worth making the neccessary sacrifice to make the book and then presumably send it to the printers so they can have a meeting as to whether they wish to participate in printing the book and send back their imput as to their desires and the commitee will have another participatory self managing meeting to take this into account and come to a mutually beneficial agreement on whether or not to proceed. This simpler system falls apart over one unanswerable question. What the hell are we going to do about Oliver Stone?

The story has been told before in a Pulitzer Prize nominated book entitled, "The Ditchdigger's Daughters" which was made into a Cable TV movie. The writing style is simplistic and rambling with no direction. It's a great story, but it was written better by her sister, Yvonne.

A Suitcase full of dreams remained, for the most part, unpacked during Itasker Thornton's lifetime.

I did read DitchDigger's Daughter by one of the Thornton sisters.
I liked it, was inspired and yet I knew there was more to the story.

Learning about the other sisters was illuminating. However, understanding the mother's role in their lives added a lot to my understanding of one black family's successful pursuit of higher education and professions of note.

And the excitement is palpable as you travel vicariously with the family when they compete at the Apollo in New York City.

My heart was heavy when I read the chapter "A spirit broken etc.". Itasker, the mom, raised successful daughters ,overcame many challenges and was very talented. Yet she felt her life had little meaning.

I suspect Itasker did not feel loved enough by her children because she did sufficiently love herself.

My whole life is about service and as I approach the third chapter of my life, reading about Itasker's life caused me to think again.

Will I have similar regrets??? I recommend that women of service read this and that men who think that they can 'make' it happen in their children's lives, reflect on the effect Donald had on his wife and children. Could he have done it another way with the same effect. You have to decide.

It is a good read for thinking people who want to challenge their beliefs about what makes a 'perfect family'.

This book was a historical view of how an african american mother had lots of dreams for her own life, but gave all her dreams up for the nurturing of her daughters. She helped them to achieve their dreams and out of six daughters 2 became M.D.'s 1 became an attorney with a Juris Doctrate, 1 a dentist, 1 a court stenographer. and 1 nurse. In reading this book it helped me to realize that I too have dreams that I need to take out of my suitcase. Excellent reading.

I have read many of Alice Nestleton's mysteries, but I think this is her best yet!!

The true pity in reading this book is that is was a really good mystery. I think Adamson should tell stories over a camp fire and let a listener write the book. Her grammer and word usage was so poor it really detracted from the story. However, I will probably end up reading more from her anyway because I was intrigued through the end on the plot.

A compelling story of a company witha sleazy history. I read the book when it came out and can't remember the details other than that I really enjoyed it.

An interesting and quick read about an exciting story. However, although the book is highly entertaining for a reader curious about the origins and development of Resorts it does lack substance and detail. Many of the stories in the book are somewhat vague and appear to be included merely as a measure of sensationalism rather than to make a specific point. The main executives in the book could also have been described in more detail.

This is the sort of book that surprises you as you read it. It is tightly edited but at first seems rather pedestrian. There is the pall of gloom and depression that one would expect from a criminal lawyer's tales of prosecuting and defending clients in Newark, New Jersey. Yet as the pages go by the book gains in power and effect. It's a dirty business, unfair, but one that has to be done and in the end one that we are doing as best we can, perhaps.

Seymour is a card-carrying, bleeding-heart liberal who visited the Soviet Union as a college student in a friendship program in the sixties, a Jew whose father walked halfway across Eastern Europe to immigrate to the US, a man who gets a lot of personal satisfaction from defending the underdogs of society. One of the surprises in the book is how much he reveals about himself that is not positive. Yet he does manage to bottom line it that he is a good guy.

This is a book that it is easy to underestimate. I came to it through following a citation in a law review article. At first I thought it was little more than a run-of-the-mill account of how criminal defense lawyers set about their job. I was a little uncomfortable about the Damascene conversion that Wishman claims followed a confrontation with "Mrs Lewis", a rape victim that he had bruisingly cross-examined. In my experience lawyers, and I include myself among them, are not given to navel gazing, self-doubts and bouts of introspection.

However, by the end of the book Wishman had won me over. The book operates very much on two levels. One is aimed at a broad lay readership and deals with the FAQs that lay persons put to criminal defense lawyers. Wishman deals with these confidently and entertainingly - usually using war stories to illustrate his points. He does a good line in self-deprecation. I particularly liked the tale about the police officer with acute hearing that he uses to illustrate the old advice that you should never ask a question to which you do not know the answer.

The second level is one that is really aimed at a professional readership. The subtext of the book is concerned with the ethical dimensions of zealous advocacy. Wishman is all too aware that Donald Schon's "Reflective Practitioner" is more of an aspiration than a reality. He uses the device of his confrontation with Mrs Lewis as a starting point for examining what lawyers, whether for the defense or prosecution, should be doing and how much responsibility they should accept for their behavior in the courtroom. Practitioners who have spent any significant amount of time in the courtroom will recognize many of the dilemmas Wishman discusses - and perhaps will be encouraged to reflect on their role and performance in the way that Schon proposed.

All in all, an easy and enlightening read for both laymen and lawyers.

A surprisingly enjoyable history of the New Jersey Shore. An easy read that is worth picking up over and over. One point: the author says that the Twin Lights at Navesink Highlands sit on the highest point on the eastern seaboard. That's accuarte only for NJ seaboard; Staten Island NY is the highest point on the Atlantic, eastern seaboard -- from my history. Regardless, read this book; it's a joy.

Roberts' "Down the Jersey Shore" is packed with historical facts, photos and information. While his style is scholarly, he seems to neglect the passionate side of life in this special place. I found myself hoping he would explore the contemporary shore lifestyle, as a compliment to his historical fact-finding.

The late Dr. Herbert Kraft was a renowned scholar of the archeology and history of the Lenape Indians of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While exploring Lenape sites along the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey, Kraft became familiar with the legend of the "old Mine Road," reputed by local folklorists to be the "oldest road in America." The road was allegedly built in the mid 17th century by Dutch copper miners moving down into New Jersey from Esopus New York.

Using historical and archeological sources, Kraft marshals a convincing array of documentary and technical evidence that succinctly demolishes the myth that the Dutch, or anyone else in the 17th century, built a road along the Jersey side of the Delaware River, and reveals that the story is of fairly recent origin. The burden of proof now lies with anyone who claims otherwise.

"The Dutch, the Indians and the Quest for Copper" is devoted to the thesis that the "legend" of Dutch mining at Pahaquarry (New Jersey) in the 1650s has no basis in fact. About half of the book is concerned with the Lenape Indians of the area, and is totally irrelevant to the main thesis. Apparently this is all to support the thesis that (restated) "no damned idiot would be wandering around in the wilderness 100 miles from the nearest settlement to discover such a mine in the first place". Mr. Kraft ignores the fact that the French were all over the interior of North America by that time. While Mr. Kraft succeeds in demonstrating that the legend is at best exaggerated, his thesis ultimately fails. None of the evidence he provides disproves the possibility of Dutch mining on the site in the 1650s. Apparently one of his key points is archeological evidence based on digs he supervised-yet he never presents any results of those digs. Most of the chapters fail to met their reasonable objectives in many ways. For example there is a chapter on the history of copper smelting, that provides a nice summary of the prehistoric development, but does not extend up to 1650, to explain exactly what technology was available. A major point of his thesis is that the Dutch couldn't have smelted the ore anyway, but yet he fails to describe what technology was available to them and why that would have failed. Mr. Kraft also presents a brief history of mining technology-which would be unintelligible to anyone not already familiar with the subject, but also useless to such an individual. Mr. Kraft discusses subsequent mining at the site, but less adequately than magazine articles I've seen. Overall, Mr. Krafts book is of interest only to those individuals with a very specific interest in the legend of Dutch mines on the site in the 1650s. Everything worthwhile that Mr. Kraft has to say on this subject could fit into 5 or 6 pages.

This book was equal parts fishing advice and stories about fishing at Round Valley. A fair bit of it was pretty general information. The questions I was most interested in getting answers to, e.g., where to fish from shore, types of fish in Round Valley, best lures to use, I could probably have asked the park rangers... A so-so book overall.

Manny knows Round Valley Reservoir better than most. He includes practical "how-to" information on techniques and presentation. Read this book, and you'll have more than enough insight to get started.