Connecticut Books

I purchased this cookbook when it first was released and have been cooking from it ever since. Perhaps the most favorite thing from it is the apple spice cake with the carmel frosting. It is something my family looks forward to every autumn. I have found nothing in this book that is not simply wonderful. I read it and use it for inspiration every month of the year. Thank you for such a delightful, useful and delicious book.

This cookbook contains a wide range of recipes, and gives you ideas to compliment the weather that comes with the seasons. Many have become staples in our house. They have the aroma, to enhance your appetite, as well as good taste.

I've found that every recipe I've tried in this cookbook has turned out delicious! One of my favorites is a chocolate mocha cake - it's a birthday party favorite, just as the book suggests! I like the seasonal breakdown as a way to take advantage of seasonal foods. This is my favorite cookbook...and I have lots!

I am a self proclaimed bad cook, but every thing I've made out of this cookbook has impressed everyone that had it! Some recipes are a little complex, but all in all, the instructions are well written and easy to follow and the end results are fabulous! I recommend the Texas Chowder (Chili) - best chili I've ever had!

A Portrait of America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Many books have been written about the decline of American cities- but I have found none quite like this one.

Rae's book is not an abstract set of generalizations, but a case study of one city: New Haven, Connecticut.

The first half of the book begins by talking about the rise of New Haven. At the start of the 19th century, New Haven was just one of many small towns in south central Connecticut. But by 1910 it was an industrial powerhouse with 80% of the region's population. What went right?

Once railroads were invented in the early 19th century, intercity (between cities) transportation became much easier - but at the same time, intracity transportation was still cumbersome. So industry was centralized in a few downtowns, and most people lived within a mile of their work. And cheap energy (through coal and steam) benefited port cities which, like New Haven, lacked the power of falling water and thus did not have a large mill industry. Moreover, coal (unlike modern electricity) was also easier to transport between downtowns than within cities. So labor and capital were centralized in New Haven, which by 1910 was a crime-free, bustling, very urban place.

New Haven stopped growing as early as the 1920s, and started to shrink in the 1950s. What went wrong?

Rae lists a variety of factors- some that were beyond the control of any politician, and some that could have been controlled through more enlightened public policy.

In the first category, Rae mentions the rise of the automobile (which decentralized regions by making transportation within a region easier) and the rise of the electric power grid (which allowed cheap energy to go beyond regional cores). Television decimated the city's volunteer civic organizations, and national centralization of industry meant that local groceries were supplanted by regional supermarkets and New Haven's industries were bought by corporations headquartered in other cities and often moved around the country or around the globe.

In the second category, Rae criticizes highways that encouraged movement to suburbia, public housing projects that anchored low-skill people in urban cores that were losing low-skill manufacturing jobs, zoning that discouraged retail outside of a few commercial streets, New Deal housing agencies that discouraged investment in urban working-class neighborhoods, and urban renewal projects that bulldozed those neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s to build more highways and housing projects.

Was sprawl inevitable? Given the wide range of factors cited by Rae, some sprawl was inevitable- but the disastrous decline of New Haven probably wasn't.

This book chronicles the rich urban life of New Haven, CT, and the forces that brought about its decline in the postwar period. It dissects the misplaced theories underpinning the urban renewal movement and details the disastrous effects that these policies had on New Haven. While the book focuses on New Haven, the discussion is pertinent to urban renewal projects in dozens of US cities, and is of interest to anyone interested in the decline, and possible rebirth of urban life. One unique characteristic of this book is the quality of the writing: witty, insightful. Despite being a scholarly book, it reads like a novel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cities.

I found this to be an absorbing, detailed, and provocative political and social history of New Haven, with lessons and delightful insights for those interested in the future of our cities, suburbs, and communities. Only a well-respected Yale political scientist like Doug Rae, with the sophistication of someone who has experienced firsthand how policy and implementation collide, could have written as entertaining and perceptive a history. The book is an immense public service, and required reading for those interested in urban planning, redevelopment, and public policy. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Rae spins a story like a novelist, but this book is really a tour de force, assembling an impressive amount of data to explain how well-intentioned urban planning policies failed, and how America lost its sense of what creates livable cities. It's a terrific read for anyone interested in the tale of American urban evolution in the twentieth century, and a must-read for those involved in urban planning, public policy and politics.

Dr. Deroeck gives a birds eye view of the world of chiropractics from a unique perspective. Although he is a doctor, you get the feeling that he himself had been a patient at one time. A knowledgeable man that was able to help me make an important decision concerning chiropractics.

This was an excellent explanation of what Chiropractic is about. It explains things in an easy to understand way for the general public yet is very useful for a chiropractor/chiropractic student to use to explain things in conversations or presentations. After going through graduate school you forget how to speak english, this should help.

I came across this book during a time when I was debating over whether I really wanted to become a medical doctor. This book taught me about what chiropractic truly is, and changed the course of my life forever. Prior to reading this book, I never thought chiropractic was more than a treatment for low back pain and even thought that it can be harmful.

But this book opened my mind and heart to this wonderful profession, that I am so proud to be a part of. A year after first reading this book, I completed my bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. A few months later, I eagerly began my chiropractic studies at Life University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since being in clinical practice for over 2 years, chiropractic has been everything I ever dreamed of and read about in this book.

Thanks Dr. DeRoek for a well-written and inspiring book.

Thanks a billion! I am in chiro school (National) and am so glad I did not go to medical school. I was unsure if I made the right decision because of hearing all the AMA megaphone advice on the web. If you're thinking of a career in chiropractic, definately check this out because it just may be what you want to be or exactly what you don't want. Just know the facts instead of the AMA pep rally. Do your own research and you can't go worng. Also, shadow different phyisicans - such as chiropractors (DC), osteopaths (DO), allopaths (MDs)...just do your homework. Personally, I'm learning everthing I can and then some about typical medical protocols and chiropractic protocols because I believe in holistic care which doesn't only mean cracking backs, it means having diagnostic skills equal to or better than other health disciplines.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning a little bit of history about the CT, W.Mass and Vermont. It is simply great reading for history buffs or folks who enjoy learning about the area and families that lived along the CT River at various times in history.

This is such an enjoyable read for a history lover. The magical stories and obscure tidbits from the Connecticut River Valleys history come to life in this well written book. The characters are three dimentional and the book makes you want to travel the length of the river just to see what it is like today! Take a trip to Deerfield, Amherst, Windsor and Old Saybrook...meet Mark Twain and others. I recommend it to anyone who has spent some time in this history rich area.

Long River Winding is a very interesting, reader friendly book with something for everyone. Anyone who likes history, travel and especially people, should find this a good book. It gives glimpses into people's lives, some famous and others not famous, with humor and sensitivity. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it.

I loved this book! Highly enjoyable for armchair travellers, history buffs, and lovers of New England lore. I felt as if I were travelling with the author through the Connecticut River Valley, past and present, having experiences like riding with the chief of police in Holyoke, Massachusetts, witnessing family life in Mark Twain's home in Hartford, or meeting "the feisty women of Old Saybrook." Heroes, villains, witches, and geniuses are all here. There are probably 40 or so little-known human stories of "life, love, and death"that took place in New England but are universal in their themes of humor, drama, and poignancy. Travel notes at the end of each chapter help you visit the sites mentioned by the author, making this book a useful travel guide as well as fun to read. I never realized how fascinating the Connecticut River Valley is. It's one of America's great places and best-kept secrets.

The Lords of Greenwich is one of the best books that I have read in many years. It is an exciting, fast-paced novel that delves into the dark connections among the worlds of sports, politics, and medicine. Extremely well written, alternately gripping and hilarious. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

The Lords of Greenwich is a twofer - both a delightful political novel and a fascinating mystery. Despite the fact that the book is presented as a mystery, I found the political novel to be every bit as compelling as the mystery storyline.

Dr. Bentivegna's insider knowledge of electoral politics gives a realistic edge to his accounts of the behind-the-scenes machinations of campaign managers. (Warning for those who think politics is a noble endeavor: This novel is bound to depress you.) The tale of a gubernatorial election in its last weeks is compelling. The on-the-money characterizations of the people who interact within a campaign framework are by turns humorous and caustic, giving one the sense that they spring from reality.

Parallel to the political novel is a well-crafted mystery. How did the gambling scam work? Who killed the ring-leader, and how did he die? When would the world of politics intersect with the world of thuggery? All these questions keep the reader turning pages until the very end of an eminently satisfying first novel. Do it again, Doc!

Dr Bentivegna has written an at-times hilarious and topical, but also frightening and compelling page-turner about greed, political shenanigans, medical malfeasance and the class system in "Lords of Greenwich." The book propels you into the byzantine political realities of Connecticut state politics, the gaming (jai-alai) industry, a fall from grace, and the consequences of greed, from the angle of a physician. A remarkable cast of characters are fleshed out, and at the same time, clever thoughts and ideas are scattered throughout the book to keep you laughing and guessing at how a down-on-his luck mechanic could win at gambling on games of jai-alai. The only thing that made this book not reach five stars was a less than credible resolution to the whole story, which required a fair amount of medical legerdemain to explicate to the non-subspecialist in corneal surgery the unbelievable (but almost possible) way the scam worked. Notwithstanding that, it was still a real good read.

Lords of Greenwich almost certainly belongs at the top of the N.Y. Times best seller list. Dr. Bentivegna appears to present a stellar cautionary tale of greed, lust and greed, judging by the cover. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his brother. Just as soon as he sends me a copy, I'm sure it will be a rewarding read.

I liked this book. Nice photos, good value. I can't say that I will go back and read it again, but it had decent information on the first read and great art.

Informative and well written with beautiful color photos of the miniatures. A book we'll treasure.

I began my interest in miniature paintings several years ago, but found that long searches on the internet rarely produced any new information on this topic. Owning about 4 "worthwhile" books in my collection on the subject, I anxiously awaited Robin Jaffee Frank's book (which I became aware was "in the works" about 6 months before publication). I hoped that this book would be the frosting on the cake of knowledge I possessed on miniatures. I was delighted to find it is the cake itself. Miniature itself in size, it contains a whopping 358 pages packed with information and insights, along with plenty of full-size illustrations. It's presented in a format that can be easily followed, with many paintings also shown magnfied to enhance the concept being presented. You will want to take your time in reading and relishing this book, there's alot of information here. Well worth the wait.

This is a wonderful book on American miniatures and mourning portraits. Ostensibly a catalogue of the Yale collection, it also gives a great history of miniatures in their cultural context, a discussion of miniature painters and processes, and a synopsis of the tradition of mourning items. Very well researched and well written. Beautiful pictures of miniatures, most at actual size, and many enlarged to reveal tiny details. This book is accessible to both scholars and the interested public.

This isn't actually a review - I'm a bit biased, being the author of this book. I want to share the exciting news that BY THE SWORD is on the International Reading Association (IRA) Children's and Young Adults' Book Award 2008 Notable Books List in the Intermediate/Non-Fiction category. BY THE SWORD is 1 of 3 in this category.

I hope you enjoy my book, in which I aim to add a human face to history.

BY THE SWORD is a touching Revolutionary War story told from a unique perspective. A young teacher, just twenty-two years old, is moved to enlist in George Washington's army. Neither he nor his beloved horse, Highlander, is prepared for battle. As Selene Castrovilla begins her story, "Benjamin Tallmadge had never killed before." When he fires his musket for the first time, he takes off, "not looking to see if he'd hit anyone." Young readers will identify with his reluctance.
The Battle of Long Island unfolds with breathtaking intimacy. We are close to the man and his horse as they weather a British assault, the lack of sleep, poor food, drenching rains, contradictory orders, and their own fears, in order to help save Washington's army from annihilation. Selene Castrovilla's prose evokes the anxiety of war with painterly details, but without drenching young readers in the carnage.
When Benjamin, in the heat of retreat, forgets Highlander, he receives permission to go back, by boat, to retrieve him. So this story is also about a brave young man who risks his life to save his beloved horse. As cannonballs from the fierce, advancing Hessians (mercenaries on the British side) narrowly miss Benjamin's retreating boat with Highlander safe on board, readers of all ages will be cheering.
Bill Farnsworth's expressive oil paintings on canvas enhance the text, from the flash of musket fire to the thick blanket of fog that kept the British fleet idling long enough for Washington's army to escape. Detailed endpaper maps enable readers to follow the troops. The author's research notes, timeline, suggested places to visit, and detailed bibliography of sources makes this an absolute must-have book for all teachers and students of history, for anyone interested in the birth of the United States of America. .

Do you want your kids to actually read a book, enjoy it and learn something too? Well, this is the book for them. It's a good read, action packed, interesting and surprise, surprise ... you learn some local history. Selene Castrovilla sucks you into Benjamin Tallmadge's world even if history is not your thing. Coupled with wonderful illustrations by William Farnsworth this book is a must have.

I am not a teacher, nor a poet. But, this book speaks to me! The first night I read the entire collection of poems. I related well to the bittersweet emotions one experiences while preparing for a major life change; in the author's case, retirement. I continually read 'Snow Day' to remind myself, a mother of two small children, to preserve my "downtime" for reconnecting with myself. "House cleaning and bill paying [can always] will wait awhile." This collection of poems is brilliant and heart-warming!

This is an engaging personal account of a high school teacher's thoughts and preparation on the eve of retirement captured in 25 tightly written, emotion-packed, image-rich poems. Apprehension collides with anticipation, nagging uncertainties, numerous possibilities:

"Sometimes my brain brews a mix of chemicals
That washes over me like a toxic tide.
What will I do if I made the wrong choice?
Retirement feels claustrophobic.
The attraction of being unfettered and free
Opposes the fear of isolation and loneliness
Like combatants in a wrestling match.
I am ambivalent."


Mr. Margolis' choice is met with conflicting advice; his brother counsels against retiring. It would be worthwhile reading for anyone contemplating retirement, especially so for those in the education profession.

Beyond his retirement dilemma, he offers a refreshing but perhaps antiquated philosophy on education:

"I believe children are responsible for their learning...
Homework is intended for students...
Children should adapt to teachers...
Schools can demand good behavior...
Sometimes, failure is the best teacher.
Students who are always propped-up will never
Grow strong enough to stand by themselves."

In his Introduction, Mr. Margolis posits that "I do not think of retirement as rest." One is naturally curious to see how his retirement evolved. Has he been as prolific as he was in his last year of teaching? Perhaps the author will offer a sequel addressing how he fared in retirement. Given his gift for expression, such an enterprise would be profitable for readers.

As a poet myself, I am generally fascinated with the subject; nonetheless, at the present point in my life, my time is often not my own and I no longer have time for much pleasure reading. I am wary of the same old thing, and the new and the avante-garde is too often just rubbish repackaged as the unique or ultra-modern. Thus, if I'm going to take the time to read on my personal time, it had better have merit. One work I've recently made the time to peruse and I have enjoyed reading is Class Dismissed! A Teacher Says Goodbye. Charlie Margolis' collection is concise (just 25 poems), not overwhelming nor overly sentimental, and yet the topics examined are weighty and worthy of more than one read. Charlie's poems have a simplicity and forthrightness that is charming, and it is that overall charm that forces us to keep flipping the pages. Maybe it is that Charlie writes for his own soul, without the confines of anyone else's ideas of how poetry should be presented; in short, he is not out to impress what we might term the "poetry establishment." His words are directed less by form and function than by the free-flowing yet carefully-crafted "stream of consciousness" spirit of a man facing the closing of one door and the opening of numerous others. Still, Charlie is an artist. He was a teacher of art for many years, and Charlie has a respect for the craft of presentation, whether he is sharing his drawings, his photography or, in this case, his poetry. Charlie's poems speak to the heart of the reader; his lines are delicate and lyrical, passionate and dynamic, yet palpable. Class Dismissed! is accessible to a diverse audience, not necessarily only to teachers or to students. The Connecticut Education Association chose to publish Charlie's work likely because of Charlie's insight (as a CT public school teacher for 35 years) into facing the prospect of retirement. Charlie wrote the poems included here as a chronicle of his thoughts as he goes through his last year of teaching. He takes us through poetic examinations with titles such as "Indecision," "Open House," "Inservice Day," "Rules," "Unemployment Opportunity," "Counting the Days," "Days Like These," all leading up to the inevitable "Goodbye" and then "the Mourning After." Any teacher of any age can surely relate to the myriad of emotions Charlie faces during his last year of employment in the public schools. If you are a teacher, this is a book that deserves a place on your bookshelf. If you know someone who is heading to retirement, this work would be a very appropriate gift. If you think you too may have a retirement somewhere in your future, then you will surely relate to the themes of this book. I think Charlie has done a terrific job, and I encourage you to add his work to your home library.

A great read for those of us who labored and persevered in getting our degrees at public universities. This book should be read by everyone ten years after finishing school just so to remind ourselves that the, "good `ole days" of college and graduate school weren't always so good.

My only question is, Mr. Akey - When is your next book coming out?

How can someone write this well and not be nationally known? This book reads like James Dickey, pure poetry. The words are meticiously crafted. The story is both painful and exhilarating. Steve Akey has a story to tell that virtually any of us can relate to. I loved this book. Come out with another, please.

Steven Akey writes of his time in college in a way that made me relive my own (less painful, thank goodness) but largely forgotten college experience. His feelings of lonelieness and alienation are intense, and yet related with a sense of grace and humor that I found irresistable. I'll try to get my college-age kids to read this. I am sure they will find it highly entertaining, and I think they will also come away knowing that even the most pathetic and nearly invisible geek they may encounter is also liable to be a real, breathing (suffering) person different only in small ways from themselves.