Massachusetts Books

Someday was a terrific novel.I enjoyed reading about what life was like for Celie's family and friends. I also learned about a piece of history. I learned what it was like for many people during the Depression and how they handled certain situations. Celie always knew that 'someday' was comming but she never really expected it to come so fast. The town of Enfield is being destroyed to make a resovouir for Boston. Elizabeth Wheeler is detertmined to stay right where she is. She won't allow anyone to talk her into leaving. Celie and her mother have a hard time putting up with her. When Jake, a worker from the MDWSC, meets the Wheeler family Gran starts to warm up. Celie and her mom discover that they both have a crush on him and feelings are hurt. At the end Celie realizes everything that she's been doing wrong. She tells Chubby how much she loves him and he loves her in return. Celie is lost and confused. Gran died after they had to aution off all of her belongings and now Mama is making Celie move to Chicago. Celie just wants to be with the people she knows and loves, but it's not possible. Someday finally came.

Someday by Jackie French Koller is the best book I've read so far that is good from the begining to the end it is about Celie Wheeler,her Mother,Gram and her best friend Cubby who live in Enfield during 1938 which was flooded to create a reservoir for Bosten read the book and find out what happens

I picked this book up at the library one day when I didn't have much time for browsing around. I saw that it had an audio version and knew that typically only the better books get made into audio. Since I had a long car ride coming up, I grabbed the audio book and checked it out.

It is WONDERFUL. I can't believe I've never heard of the author or the book before. The characters -- daughter, Mom, Grandmom are all likeable and entertaining. They each have very different desires and the back and forth as they negotiate their daily lives is very funny and very believable. I haven't finished the book yet, as it outlasted the drive, but each day as I jump in my car I can hardly wait to get back to it (don't ask why someone old enough to drive a car is listening to a tape in the juvenile section).

Ms. Koller, this book is the berries!!! (Only the author, those who have read the book, or are fairly old will quite understand the meaning of that line).

The Symposium of Plato is a profoundly thought-provoking, entertaining and inspiring piece of philosophical writing. It is very short, yet infinitely more substantial than many longer works.

We are in Athens, 416 B.C.E. The scene is a banquet at the house of Agathon, who had the day before celebrated the victory of his tragedy. By the end of the party, seven men - and one absent but central woman - will have presented their views on the nature and meaning of Eros, or love.

There is no difficulty keeping the characters distinct in our minds. Plato has great fun contrasting the opinions - and verbal styles - of tragic poet, comic poet, politician, physician and the rest, allowing absurdities and profundities to mingle freely. Socrates is very appealing, saint-like, yet utterly down-to-earth, in his usual role of 'philosopher' - one who 'knows only that he does not know' - always in passionate search of the truth, but catching only revelatory glimpses of it.

Phaedrus gives the first speech, praising lovers' (especially homosexual) passion and loyalty, which makes them perform mighty and heroic deeds. Pausanias differentiates between virtuous, or spiritual love, and common, or bodily love. Virtuous love between men should not be primarily about sex, but about improvement and education of the soul. Eryximachus, the doctor, makes a mostly irrelevant (and boring) speech, claiming nature's contrasting elements illustrate the need to balance the healthy and unhealthy aspects of love. Aristophanes then delivers a brilliantly memorable speech, hilarious and poignant by turns, telling of how humans were once two-in-one, back to back, with two heads, four arms and four legs, with three combinations of sexes, male/male, male/female, and female/female. Their strength and speed made them threaten the gods, so Zeus cut them in half, leaving them to search forever for their other halves, and through loving attempt to regain their original oneness. Agathon then gives an over-the-top, ecstatic spech, praising love as the youngest, most graceful of the gods, saying he brought order to heaven itself, 'empties men of disaffection and fills them with affection', etc, climaxing with the suggestion we all follow in love's footsteps, 'sweetly singing in his honour'.

It is then Socrates' turn. He performs for all conversations that took place between himself when much younger and Diotima, a 'wise' woman from Mantineia, to whom he had gone for instruction in the highest truths of love. In sum, the lesson is that love is the desire for the everlasting possession of the good and beautiful, which brings happiness. We crave immortality, in order to be happy eternally. We love our offspring, artistic works, laws and institutions, because they are all attempts to achieve an immortal name. These, Diotima claims, are the 'lesser' mysteries of love.

The 'greater' proceed from the 'lesser' in ascending steps. From the love of one beautiful body the lover creates 'fair notions', then he sees all bodies are similar and equally worthy of love. From bodies he proceeds to the beauty of the virtuous mind, then the beauties of institutions and laws, climbing from there to the beauties of the sciences, until, after much growth in wisdom, he reaches the vision of all creation as beautiful. The final step is to rise to the contemplation of unchanging, eternal, absolute beauty itself. To spend your life in union with perfect beauty allows you to bring forth 'real' things, not 'images', and 'be immortal, if mortal man may'.

A drunken Alcibiades bursts in at this point, and gives a rambling, often funny, speech about his love for Socrates and how he - a very beautiful man - was spurned sexually by him. He describes Socrates' near-supernatural control of himself, totally above the effects of pain and pleasure. The book ends with Socrates' companions all falling asleep as dawn breaks (after all-night drinking) and his going about his usual day.

Throughout the Symposium, Plato makes it clear that sexual relations are not the best thing for 'lovers'; they who wish for the highest happiness must seek to grow in virtue and wisdom and become increasingly detached from earthly pleasures. This is the origin of the phrase 'Platonic love'. Women were not considered their intellectual and spiritual equals at the time, so men of sophistication had to look to each other for emotional sustenance.

What then, we may ask, can the Symposium offer human beings today who are not interested in purely mystical/intellectual living and prefer the sexual and emotional satisfactions of personal relationships?

A great deal, I believe. In his introduction Benjamin Jowett states that Plato 'is conscious that the highest and noblest things in the world are not easily severed from the sensual desires, or may even be regarded as a spiritualized form of them'. In other words, earthly pleasures and transcendent ones are inextricable. Plato used words such as 'good' and 'virtue' to describe freeing oneself from the world of the senses, by using our reason to choose correctly who - or what - to attach to as we move through life. If we choose correctly, be it friends, sexual or lifetime partners, we strengthen our sense of inner freedom, until finally we experience it at the deepest, mystical level - the profound shift in consciousness that Plato was pointing to as the highest good - which in and of itself is morally and values-neutral.

The genius of Plato is that he communicates the total commitment required to attain perfect freedom and the moral obligation of all human beings to strive for the happiness it alone can deliver.

This book started it all for me. It stood out in the sociology section of floor 3 at the library. They say that you can't judge a book by its cover, but often, a cover will tell you a lot about the book.

That's how it was with this one. The cover was funky, with half-finished etchings. What was written inside was even better. It was a beautiful discourse on the nature of Love. From Agathon's (it was Agathon that told of Achilles and Patroclus...wasn't it?) tale of devotion, Aristophanes' haunting fable about our "other halves" (and the interludes in between, especially the one about hiccoughs) to Socrates' speech on love "involving the mind and not the body", this is a timeless and highly accessable study.

Read it a few years ago, and have been into philosophy ever since.

Not only should this book be the literary book-fellow to any Classics student, but an absolute must for every human being on the face of the planet. Griffins' translation is not only beautifully rendered/translated but extremely funky and contemporary. It is so applicable to our own modern interpertations of life, the universe,and everything, that you will easily forget than it was written over 2,500 years ago. In addition, the book design values are astounding. The fonts, both English and Greek, are lovely that even the reader who has never studied Greek will fall in love with the flowing lines.

Frank Conroy speaks from the heart. Nantucket Island has gone through some dramatic changes in
the last 30 years, most not for the better. For some of us that still live here, it`s wonderful to be able to read and remember those times when the Island felt like a place of sanctuary from all else. The stories give the reader the felling that the Grey Lady`s Skirt has been torn but her sole has not been touched.
Thank you Mr. Conroy
A Chef from the Rock

I just started this book this morning and am almost done. It made me nostalgic for my old home, the way it used to be, yes, but for those of us who have had to leave Nantucket for one reason or another, it will always be a wonderful place. Reading it I feel like I am on a wonderful visit home. It's one of those books you don't want to end but at the same time can't put down!

I'm one of the author's three sons, so I won't pretend to be unbiased. But listen, this book is great, empirically speaking. Dad light-heartedly provides a fun and fascinating window into the small island so many of us love.

Can't wait for the next novel. Please keep writing Kelly.

Kelly Dwyer makes a perfect example of how life really is. She shows the troubles of a young women trying to overcome the fears of everyday life. With the help of a ragged winged angel, who offers litle hope, Laura must discover the meaning of life the hard way. Living with the guilt of assisting her father to his death, she attempts to make a new life in the city which appears to be farthest away on the map. This novel shows the much deeper and terrible truth of life. I have read it three times, and each time I get a better idea of how wicked the world really is and not as perfect as we wish it to be. I would recommend this novel to people who are just starting out on their own. I myself am only 16 and already I am more aware of the things in life that real and true because of this novel.

Kelly Dwyer has written what I consider to be one of the most luminous and beautifully written books thatI have ever read. Actually, I have read it four times and I plan to reread it many times. It is the story I wish I had written. With poetry, grace and soul, she writes of a traumatized young woman, Laura Neuman, and her search for her past, herself and her spirituality. I only wish she would write another book soon. I found this story to be so beautiful and so well written that I have recommended it and given it as a present to everyone I can.

As a descendent of "John T. Hilton" A sincere Thank you to Frank Dorman for his portayal of our families with grace and diginity. His love for genealogy and Massachusetts History allowed our families story to be told. "Twenty Families of Color in Massachusetts" reflects the original twenties involvement and contribution to their community. Once Again as a descendant Thank You.

The author has created a wonderful collection of family histories spanning the Colonial era to the Computer age. Any student or scholar of African-American history and or genealogy should add this fine volume to their own research library. The well researched material and scholarship of this work will make this volume very useful to the African-American historians and genealogist for many years to come.

With the inclusion of readable yet unsympathetic narratives and illustrations, the author has taken the usual genealogical offerings to a new level. Many of his heretofore unknown subjects have been treated with humanity and dignity. The author evidences sound and balanced scholarship, and his work is appropriate for a broad audience of readers. Dorman's "Twenty Families of Color..." is a significant contribtion to the growing body of literature of Afro-American history and culture. And its readership should not be limited to other genealogist and Afro-Americans alone. Louise Daniel Hutchinson, Historian

Daniel Valentine is a detective of the first water--intelligent, handsome, and gay, he teams up with Clarisse Lovelace in "Vermilion," the first book featuring this fearsome duo in a first-rate comedy suspense series (all with a color in the title, ala John D. MacDonald). Set in Boston (as are the following three), Valentine starts looking into the death of a young hustler, found dead on the lawn of an outspoken homophobic legislator.

Perhaps better known for its tea parties and baked beans, nonetheless, the city of Boston is all aghast at this latest turn of events, especially the political factions and the gay community. Of course, the police have set this case on "top priority." Valentine, who works as a bartender by night and a detective by day, involves his best friend, Clarisse (who's a not-so-inspired straight real estate agent). Author Nathan Aldyne balances well the suspense and intrigue of the murder and its implications with some very wry, dry humor that makes fast reading reading this novel.

Of course, by book's end, the murder is solved--but not without first involving some very smart sleuthing and calculations on the part of Valentine and Clarisse, a path that leads them into some very seedy, questionable, and dangerous areas.

Nathan Aldyne is also the author of "Cobalt," "Canary," and "Slate." ...

When these books first came out (80's) I do not remember there being a lot in this particular genre (except for the Brandstetter mysteries - which were much more serious.) Now these humorous gay detective stories seem to be everywhere, but the ones I've read come nowhere close to these gems.

Vermillion is the first of 4. The others are Cobalt, Slate and Canary. (Actually, they could almost be the titles of Pet Shop Boys albums ...) Anyway, the Boston/P-town settings are great, the Daniel & Clarisse team is hysterical, the stories solid, and the 80's period --once current with the first publication -- is sweetly nostalgiac.

If you want a good, light, comic romp .. get these books. And hold onto them .. they come and go quickly from print.

Okay, I admit I'm a fanatic when it comes to this author's books. He wrote horror novels under his real name (Michael McDowell) that I could not get enough of as a teen. I still reread them all. Then just as I came out, I discovered he co-wrote these four books, and I devoured them as well. I think they are part of the reason I now live in Massachusetts...kidding, but they are tightly plotted mysteries set in pre-HIV Boston & Provincetown. Buy them lest they go out of print again!

This was great! Being raised in Lawrence, Mass, I found this right up my alley. I have Irish on my father's side and both my dad and his father were formen at the Arlington mills up on Broadway. I love the history, the nostalgia and the poetry. I included a few poems in my book about the area "A Summer with Charlie" now also listed on Amazon. I always wondered where I got my poetry inclination. It wasn't in my immediate family. I think I got it via osmosis from the type of man described in this book. I must have just breathed it in with all the mill smoke, dust, dirt and sweat. This is a good one. It easy history.

The View from Shanty Pond is a great find if you are interested in reading about the lives of NE Irish immigrants who lived and worked in mill cities like Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts.

The book is very well written. It describes many aspects of life in Lawrence as seen through the eyes and poems of Peter Cassidy ("the Shanty Pond poet"). Cassidy lived from 1861 to 1938. Cassidy's poems are very down to earth and at times touching in their sincerity and simplicity.

The author explains the historical background of the period (and the poems) using just the right level of detail. The subjects covered in the book include work in and strikes against the textile mills, the role of religion and politics in immigrant life, sports (baseball and boxing), saloons, World War I, Prohibition, and the Depression.

If you enjoy an account of real people living their lives through tumultuous times, you will enjoy this book.

The View From Shanty Pond is a unique blending the historical writings of Joseph Blanchette with those of Peter Cassidy, the author's late great-grandfather to present the reader with a true and compelling account of the Irish immigrant experience in America at the turn of the 20th Century. Blanchette combines his own prose with the period poems and songs of his great-grandfather and in doing so deftly weaves a rich fabric of folk, local and national history that is as entertaining as it is informative. Lively, charming, original, painstakingly researched, incorporating a wealth of information from Peter Cassidy's scrapbooks of poetry, songs, newspaper articles, photos, and memorabilia, The View From Shanty Pond is a compelling window-in-time through which we can come to understand and appreciate the Irish immigrant experience in the burgeoning and industrial America of yesteryear. Highly recommended.

book came more quickly than other books purchased through independent sellers. amazon got it to me quickly, wrapped in plastic, and in great condition!

This book describes the social capital found in Villa Victoria, a Boston Puerto Rican barrio. Mario Small documents how the community organized in order to create their own new community (and to fight gentrification). He then returns to Villa Victoria and describes the decline of social capital in the form of civic engagement (attending meetings, associations, etc. He also describes that although one form of social capital has declined within the community (attending meetings), that another form of social capital (bridging with middle class networks) has risen.

This book is nothing short of genius. Great work, thorough research. This book is truly a masterpiece.

Boston is a great city, and Walking Boston was a great book to accompany my fiancé and I on our trip. We completed several of the suggested walks, and found some quant cafes and historic buildings. Good maps too.

Boston is a great city, and Walking Boston was a great book to accompany my fiancé and I on our trip. We completed several of the suggested walks, and found some quant cafes and historic buildings. Good maps too.

This is a great booklet for seeing parts of Boston that are famous as well as more quiet areas. The maps help lots and the size is convenient to stow away as you do the walks. The photos spruce up the book.
It is endorsed by the ava which has a web site to list more walks

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AJ

This is a remarkably clear, insightful, and readable study on the topic of social deviance. It is one of the rare academic studies that is also an enjoyable read - combining plainly stated theories with a compelling story to illustrate the theoretical points. While the reviewer from Seattle seems to view this book as providing ammunition for an anti-"right wing Christian" agenda, I found it to be much more value-neutral, and not a polemical work at all. It brackets out of the argument judgements on the validity of the theological points held by the Puritans, and focuses instead on the social forces that led to the Salem witch-hunt. Erikson presents this historical episode as a particularly clear case of the more generic social phenomenon of a witch-hunt. His framework for understanding the events in Salem can be applied equally well to other historical witch-hunts, such as the Stalinist purges in the Soviet Union and the McCarthy hearings in the United States.

This book is a real eye opener for those of us who have been taught how wonderful our founding fathers were, searching for religious freedom and all. Freedom was apparantly something for themselves, not others. I think this book should be required reading in high school if not in college. Certainly it should be required in any born again Christian type school. It would likely annoy many religious rightests but might just save one or two budding liberals out there.

This book should be required reading for anyone interested in political science, history of religion, American history, or for anyone who is a right wing Christian. It is well researched and historically accurate. The writing style is a joy to read. Having been taught how wonderful our founding fathers were and how they left England to escape religious persecution, it is quite an eye-opener to read this book. Apparantly religious freedom was reserved only for the Puritans themselves, not others. Anyone who didn't believe as they did was thoroughly sanctioned if not removed. They weren't leaving Europe to escape religious persecution, they were looking for a new country in which to locate their own brand of bigotry. Maybe if this were required reading in Christian right wing schools, a few budding liberals could still be saved.