Pennsylvania Books

David Lawrence, Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959-1963 and longtime Democratic Party leader in Pittsburgh, and to a lesser extent statewide, is the subject of this biography. While he directed the Pittsburgh Democratic Party for decades before serving as Pittsburgh's Mayor for 13 years and then capping his career as our Governor for four years, the one thing he refused to be called was "boss." While he was a leader, he refused to be considered by others as a boss, hence the title of this book.

Lawrence literally grew up in politics, volunteering in his first campaign at the age of nine. He performer various, mostly gopher and literature distribution tasks for the Democratic Party during the dark era when the Democratic Party was barely functioning. Lawrence rose to chair the Pittsburgh Democratic Party where he strove to create a political operation. Times were not good for Democrats: they would even lose the minority Jury Commissioner's seat to an independent candidate. At times, the electoral futility of the local Democrats would lead to calls for a new party chairman. Yet Lawrence held on for an important reason: no one else wanted to spend the amount of time Lawrence did in being the party chairman.

Lawrence brought slow but mixed successes to the Democratic Party. In 1929, he proudly announced that Democrats finally had enough supporters to place poll watchers at every Allegheny County precinct. On the negative side, the number of Democratic Party registrants fell in half while Lawrence was county chairman before it began increasing again. Lawrence even admitted that the Democratic organization frequently cooperated with the dominant Republican Party at times in return for patronage positions. Patronage then was very important, as half of the 5,200 registered Democrats in Allegheny County in the late 1920s held political jobs.

Two important events would shape politics, and with them, Lawrence's life. First, Republicans even back then were dishonest, as it was exposed that Republicans had illegally registered about 50,000 voters. This led the public to correctly identify the Republican Party as the party of corruption. Second, the election of Franklin Roosevelt and the efforts of Democratic Party's New Deal social programs to save America from depression transformed American politics. It would help David Lawrence's career that he was an early FDR supporter and that his work for Democrats won him much regard.

Following Roosevelt's election in 1932, George Earle became the first Democrat elected Governor in Pennsylvania since 1894. David Lawrence became Democratic State Chairman. In addition, Governor Earle selected Lawrence to serve as Secretary of the Commonwealth, which was a highly influential policy office. It also found Lawrence divided between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, as Lawrence continue to lead the Allegheny County Democrats. Meanwhile, Roosevelt's WPA program brought $70 million to Allegheny County, of which 80% of that went towards wages, brining many people out of the depression into employment. Soon, Democratic registration surpassed Republican registration in Pittsburgh. Lawrence is credited with building a powerful local Democratic Party organization, and it is noted that Republicans never won a major election in Pittsburgh from 1938 through 1966, when Lawrence died.

In Harrisburg, Lawrence was placed in charge of getting legislative approval of Governor Earle's Little New Deal proposals. Earle and Lawrence fortunately had cooperative Democratic House legislators, as the House had its first Democratic majority in half a century. Lawrence saw to it that the House Steering Committee consisted of members who supported the Little New Deal. Lawrence attended most House and Senate legislative sessions, sitting at the side with a vacant chair, where he provided his advice, often to a legislator sitting in the no longer vacant chair. Lawrence would call regular legislative caucuses where he would explain the Governor's, and the Democratic Party's, positions on issues facing them.

Lawrence, though, not only disliked being called a boss, he did not act like one. Caucus meetings were considered a place of free and open exchange. He allowed dissent, so long as the dissenting legislator had a good reason. Yet, it is noted that Lawrence usually got his way. If there was dissent, a controversial bill was tabled until passage could be secured later. It is noted most of the Earle-Lawrence legislation was passed the House. Yet, most of it was then defeated by the Senate, which still had a Republican majority.

Major legislative battles resulted over how to handle Pennsylvania's depression-era budget. The Chamber of Commerce projected that state government would require a $326 million budget in 1935-36 with projected revenues of $148 million, leaving a gap of $178 million that was even greater than revenues. Further, the Federal government required state government to provide $120 million in relief in order to continue qualified for Federal assistance. State Senator and Republican State Chairman Harvey Taylor announced that Senate Republicans would agree to only provide the Federal government with $57 million. Long negotiations provided for a 6% tax on corporate income and increased taxes on utilities, gas, cigarettes, and amusements.

Democrats gained control of both legislative chambers in the 1936 elections. The Little New Deal, in what is considered as the greater era of liberal legislative in Pennsylvania's history, was passed. 365 of Governor Earle's 371 proposals were enacted with Lawrence's help. Administration bills would appear in pink folders so legislators would know they came from the Governor. Major legislation allowing collective bargaining, providing teacher tenure, creating a Department of Public Assistance, protecting employee rights, creating the Labor Relations Board, providing slum clearance and public housing, outlawing unfair bank practices, and creating the nation's first turnpike all became law.

On the negative side, Lawrence began a life-long feud with Attorney General Charles Margiotti. Margiotti accused Lawrence of illegally requiring county Democratic Party organizations to raise funds from patronage workers. Although Lawrence would be found not guilty after the fall elections, the scandal helped the Republicans return to power on election day. Lawrence was removed as Democratic State Chairman.

Personal tragedy would changed Lawrence's life and career. After two of his sons were killed in an automobile accident, Lawrence threw himself back into his work. He sought and regained his position as Democratic State Committee. While working to keep Democratic factions together, it was discovered the only candidate for Pittsburgh Mayor agreeable to the major factions was himself. Lawrence then ran for, and was elected, Mayor.

Lawrence set up to become a great Mayor. He met privately with New York's famed Machiavellian local policy maker Robert Moses for ideas on how to succeed. As Mayor, he spent many hours negotiating labor contracts and in dealing with disgruntled council members. He worked hard for flood control programs and lobbied hard for a dam that finally began construction in 1949. He fought the air quality problem by requiring the use of smokeless coal, knowing that this would, and did, cause many voters to turn against him when they were forced to pay more for this coal. Lawrence guided the Lower Hill redevelopment program which, at the time, was the largest such project undertaken although without a past for guidelines, resulted in mixed opinions of success. As Mayor, Lawrence implemented the Civic Unity Council to handle incidences of racial and religious discrimination. While this early Council had limited effectiveness, it was groundbreaking and would lead Lawrence to a later Presidential appointment.

In 1958, David Lawrence was elected Governor. After observing the previous Governor's struggles with the legislature, Governor Lawrence worked more towards legislative cooperation. For instance, he won legislative approval to increase the sales tax by agreeing to exemptions that legislators wanted. He won successes in balancing the state budget, establishing medical care for low income senior citizens, creating a law that registered and regulated lobbyists, prohibiting billboards besides interstate highways, and strengthening air pollution laws and fair employment laws. Interestingly, Lawrence maintained his Pittsburgh ties and would return to Pittsburgh most weekends to continue serving as Chairman of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Lawrence was proud that he inherited a state budget deficit and ended his term as Governor with a $16.6 billion surplus in Fiscal Year 1961-62. Yet, to his chagrin, the taxes he raised in order to achieve this became a campaign issue that helped elected Republican Bill Scranton over Democrat Richardson Dilworth as Governor in 1962.

David Lawrence urged John Kennedy to select Lyndon Johnson as his 1960 running mate and even game the nominating speech for Johnson at the Democratic National Convention. In 1963, President Kennedy named Lawrence to chair the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity in Housing. Lawrence found this work frustrating at times as it would not be until after his death that the anti-discriminatory commercial housing lending practices he argued for would be adopted.

David Lawrence had a great career of ups and downs throughout several of Pennsylvania's political eras. In sum, he ranks as one of the great political giants in state history. Just don't say he was a boss.

Most often some of the most influential men in politics are ignored. This book on David L. Lawrence shows how important the man was to changing the way Pittsburgh and cities did businesses. Kudos to Mr. Weber on this biography of one of the finest mayors of the 20th century.

Down The Susquehanna To The Chesapeake by Jack Brubaker (columnist for the Lancaster New Era) traces the course of the Susquehanna River as it winds through New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland ending at the Chesapeak bay. Comprised of 56 brief chapters discussing key locations along the route, as well as how the river changes from its sources to the sea, the reader is informed as to how natural resources influence and shape the lives of the people and the communities along the way. Brubaker deftly examines both the natural and human history of the river, exploring how it has been both used and abused, its current condition and its future prospects. Of special note is how this unusually shallow, rocky river has substantially altered its drainage pattern over geologic time and how it continues to cut channels while erasing and creating islands. Enhanced with more than 70 maps and illustrations, Down The Susquehanna To The Chesapeake is a fascinating, well written, highly recommended treatise and would serve as an admirable model to writing about and exploring the histories of other major American rivers.

It should come as no surprise that I would pick up DOWN THE SUSQUEHANNA TO THE CHESAPEAKE since I live within a few blocks (and, gratefully, a few feet above the flood plain) of the beautiful Susquehanna River. However, I read it not because I heard about it from local sources but because the estimable literary critic, Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post, named it as a top non-fiction book of 2002, a competitive year for quality publishing. In other words, this book is that good and I recommend it not only to fellow citizens of the huge watershed that feeds the river but to everyone.

Author Jack Brubaker reminds me of John McPhee as he deftly corrals a considerable volume of information on both natural and human history into a fine narrative. The Susquehanna offers universal lessons in the human effect on our waters and the effect of the waters on humans. The river is an important feature in Pre-Columbian cultures in North America and its European contacts go all the way back to 1588. Settlements as far north as Northumberland were originally considered as possible sites for our nation's capital. The river is an often ironic education in the development of American commerce and the Industrial and technological revolutions. It is the seat of Three Mile Island, the victim of Hurricane Agnes, the source of our drinking water, the playground of sportsmen, and, down river, the power behind major electrical companies. It is at once strong and fragile, feeding yet threatening the Chesapeake Bay. Its obvious non-navigability has frustrated developers for nearly four centuries now, though someone in Congress decided to have it declared navigable. There are thousands of stories to tell and Brubaker pulls together the most representative in a lucid trip from the headsprings to the Susquehanna's actual submerged mouth at the edge of the Atlantic.

This book is an incredibly charming read, made even better by the beautiful pictures. I enjoyed it so much that I have given several copies of this book to friends and family. When I grow up (?), I want to be an archaeologist!!

Thank you, Naomi Miller, for giving me many evenings of pleasure.

Amazon.com had a mistake in the listing (since corrected) which prompted me to write and take the opportunity to transmit what my friends say about the book (I, of course, would be too prejudiced to write my own review):

One of the people pictured in the book wrote to me: "Thanks a million for your wonderful book. I've just spent a while taking refuge from a grumpy evening by flipping through it, pausing to read about the parts of your life I don't know. How wonderfully generous of you to enshrine us like this, with such precise evocation of time, space, foolishness & purpose."

Another friend wrote:"Your lovely book of drawings and watercolors arrived yeaterday. [We] were immediately entranced by the images and text--such an amusing, informative down-to-earth description life on the dig. The watercolors are really wonderful, but I've always known that.... I had never seen the Shiraz bazaar or Malyan village scenes. Then there are all the pals: ...--they evoke such memories! Is that Dash, the Wonder Dog, on the back cover? Remember, he had a "thing' for you, invading your bedroom with his cargo of fleas! And there he is, wagging his tail at your photograph. Plate 16 is a sweet rendering of my favorite view of Yassihöyük. The Euphrates views are as close as I ever need to get to that old river. Finally, I love all the little sketches scattered throughout--especially the birds and animals. Thanks again for the originals, which I treasure, and thanks for the book. ..."

And another friend wrote: "...Your book is wonderful: your narrative is a delight to read and you know how much I admire your watercolors--each is exquisite w/ great sureness of line, balance of composition pacing & repetition that makes a whole of the multi-paneled ones, and of course great use of colors to die for. I love them! I am lucky to have seen many in incomparable person but there were some that were new to me--the luminosity of the originals and your wonderful backlighting were undiminished in reproduction. Of course we love best of all discovering new things in the plates with each reading.
Congratulations in getting your book out. I am so happy that everyone else will get to share in the pleasure of looking at them.
Thank you again, I am most proud to possess a copy so wonderfully inscribed!"

I won't bore you with the rest of the rave reviews!

The book covers a broad gamut of subjects and genres (film, poetry, etc.), and presents many interesting ideas. It is a pleasure to read for literature and visual art lovers alike. Many of the analyses employ a Freudian theory approach. I found the text useful for my doctoral research on animation of objects, specifically because it made me aware of the difficulty in differentiating between animation that is inherent in the object versus animation generated in the eyes (and brain) of the beholders.

This is one of the few books of criticism which I return to for inspiration: it reminds me why I decided to become a literary critic. The book constructs a quirky pantheon of stories about statues and bodies: the artists discussed include Shakespeare, Charlie Chaplin, Wittgenstein, Pushkin, and Freud, among others. The arguments are always both surprising and wholly persuasive, and the writing has a sumptuous elegance. I am delighted that the book is being reprinted in paperback, and I hope that it gets the attention it deserves.

I have several books from this publisher and this is one of the best. Due to the loss of so many homes and businesses from the purposed Tocks Island Dam project, this book is an excellent record of what once was in the Pocono area along the Delaware on the PA side. The photo captions provide the text in this series and they are both informative and well written.

This book is exactly what I'd hoped it would be. Lots of information and photos of the Poconos/ Delaware Water Gap area. We wanted to know something about the history of this area, we just purchased a home here.

There is no more thoughtful observer of Pennsylvania politics than Jack Treadway. In this one-of-a-kind book, Treadway brings his insights to the history of 20th century elections in the Keystone State. The result of this massive undertaking is groundbreaking. Trends heretofore unseen by strategists and political pundits are revealed in a way that helps us understand the past and prepare for the future.

Although many of the readers of this book will be college and graduate students, anyone who wants to understand Pennsylvania politics should read this book and thank Treadway for taking the time to compile it.

This book provides an excellent portrayal of how Pennsylvania's history and politics are intertwined. It further shows how political trends help shape this history, and how these trends continue and reemerge.

Readers note how Pennsylvania, the second largest state with the country's third and seventh largest cities in 1900, had its most 20th century population growth primarily along the New York border while the rest of the state's growth stagnated. Of interest, the growth of suburbia fairly stabilized the proportional makeup of the state as the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas were 47% of the state's population in 1900 and 51% in 2000.

The 20th century saw Pennsylvania change from a state whose economy was based upon the coal and steel industries, to one where manufacturing fell from 30% of the workforce as late as 1970 to 16% in 2000, into a state where service industries now dominate with 34% of the workforce in 2000. This has also created wage shifts as there have been decreases in higher paid manufacturing jobs as lower paid service jobs have increased.

The 20th century also saw the rise of the Democratic Party from one where its urban Democratic leaders cut deals for campaign inactivity in return for patronage jobs from Republican office holders to one in which statewide Republican domination yielded to competition and ultimately to where Democrats surpassed Republicans in voter registration in addition to establishing themselves as the dominant urban party while Republicans dominated suburban and rural voting communities.

The 19th century saw the rise of the Republican political machinery as led by Simon Cameron in the 1860s and 1870s and then Mattew Quay in the 1880s and 1890s. Voter registry laws led to ease of registering voters of the dominant party and ease of striking voters of the challenging party. The Republican one party dominance led to scandals as when it was discovered interest on the state's bank accounts were going to Quay instead of the state. Quay was acquitted of charges yet was refused by the U.S. Senate to be seated as a member of the Senate. Quay resolved the matter by bribing state legislators to elect him back into the U.S. Senate. Boies Penrose took over leadership of the Republican Party following Quay's death in 1903. Voter fraud was widespread with estimates there may have been 50,000 to 80,000 fake names on the voter registration lists as well as commonplace multiple voting by single voters. Penrose was a strong leader although his death in 1921 left the party without a prepared successor which partially led to a weakening of the state Republican Party from then on.

While Republican Party dominance decreased during the 20th century, the author notes that both parties lost influence from the 1960s on. Voters have become more independent in registration and in voting patterns since. The author relates this to historical patterns of independent voting that existed even during times of one party machine dominance.

While Democrats have achieved more registered voters than those registered Republican, the author notes that Republicans have higher turn outs at elections than Democrats. Berwood Yost estimates Pennsylvania actually is a state with a 250,000 Republican statewide voting advantage despite official records giving the registration edge to Democrats. Ticket splitting affects elections, as the author observes that about 20% of voters vote for different parties when voting for President and then U.S. Congress.

As for state legislative elections, the author observes that these elections have become less competitive from 1892 through 1972, except for an increase in competitive elections during the 1930s. Further study notes that legislative elections during the 1970s through the 1990s remained relatively uncompetitive. This is attributed to incumbents being more apt to seek reelection and then enjoying high reelection rates. Also, it is noted that the victory margins for legislative incumbents have tended to increase during the 1980s and 1990s. Thus even when there were significant shifts in party voting patterns in legislative elections by political party, these large victory margins, coupled with both parties tending to have similar numbers of seats at risk, have not resulted in significant changes in legislative representation by party. Thus it is noted that neither Democrat Casey's 68% of the vote for Governor in 1990 nor Republican Ridge's 65% of the vote for Governor in 1998 translated into legislative victories for their party's candidates. Democrats increased their number of Democratic state legislators by four in 1990 and while Republicans found themselves reducing their number of legislators by one in 1998. The author believes there is a maximum of 60 out of 203 state legislative seats where either party has a chance of winning.

General Assembly members in 1901 were more apt to have been people who rose up the political ranks having served in another elective office than General Assembly members in 1995. The author also finds legislators had more partisan backgrounds in 1995 than in 1901. State Senators held their positions the longest, on average, during the 20th century than any other elected position, followed by members of Congress.

This is an excellent descriptive and analytical book that allows readers to learn the results of Pennsylvania's elections. It is highly recommended for students of Pennsylvania politics.

Hilary Masters, a writer's writer, has shaped a vivid novel. At a critical point in his life, Sam Emerson takes stock of where he has been and what his life has meant. The result is a saga that spans continents and decades. Like all of us, the past inhabits Sam's life despite the decades that slipped by. Through a series of flashbacks, Sam relives his unusual childhood filled not with stock characters but deeply imagined people who have histories and souls. "Elegy for Sam Emerson" is compassionate, sharp, and rich with vivid detail. Masters writes perceptively about such diverse subjects as gardening, food, France, Pittsburg, the theatre, race and love. Here he describes a common stone, "All of the past, Emerson thinks, can be kept in a stone. Just an ordinary flat smooth piece of granite you might pick up by a stream and hold to feel its texture, its silent pulse and perfect weight, before you toss it into the water. There goes the Ice Age, and the dinosaurs, Caesar's legions, Lewis and Clark, and Frank Sinatra - the whole catalog of the planet going ker-plunk at midstream. But if you held the stone a little longer, all the sounds and flavors of the past fit themselves into your hand." I enthusiastically recommend this novel. If only there were more books like it.

Elegy for Sam Emerson is a beautifully written work. Not only is the story line captivating, but it is one of those novels that the language and syntax alone make it worth reading. Hilary Masters is indeed a master of the written word.

With her struggles through life she really does make a difference to her poor black students. She works in a high school in the center city Philadelphia. I should know alot about it because I had to do a report on it.

There are things you learn in college about "how to teach," and then there are things you learn in life about teaching. Ms. Decker teaches us lessons, in teaching life. I encourage everyone to read this, but especially new teachers. Too often we think our lack of experience is a negative attribute, yet Ms. Decker has shown how vital it is for schools to have new teachers. Not necessarily young--but new teachers, who are willing and eager to try different techniques.

Anyone who uses the American health care system or works in it should read this book. This story of a Harvard doctor with a brain tumor shows why there is so much needless suffering within our health care system. It's not going to start getting better unless we all look at the problem and do our part to fix it.

Despite its bland title this is a harrowing expose of the relationship between doctors, hospitals and patients. It's also a moving personal story about catastrophe, agonizing recovery and adjustment.

A week after graduating with honors from Harvard Medical School, Heymann suffered a severe seizure and was rushed to the emergency room. Awakening with no memory of the event, she found her arms and legs strapped to a hard slab. Unable to move, surrounded by strangers, she was terrified and kept calling for her husband, wondering what "they" had done to him. No one answered her cries.

And this was only the beginning. As Heymann describes the nightmare of awaiting diagnosis, clinging to the stoicism she learned as a medical student - good patients are quiet patients - she begins to understand that hospitals are constructed around the convenience of the professionals. She reflects on the small things that might ease a patient's anxiety - knowledge mostly. Explanations about what is happening and what they can expect of themselves on release.

Heymann had bled into her brain and surgery was recommended. The operation was botched, through medical oversight, but Heymann's anger about this is less than her anger at the lies, evasions and brush-offs which follow. After numerous conflicting reports, her doctor tells her the hemangioma had all been removed. But one of the books most chilling passages comes later. The pathologist's study concluded that her hemangioma had not been removed. Her doctor never informed her of this report (she does not say how she learned of it).

Discharged after surgery, Heymann is so weak that watching television is too taxing and caring for her toddler son is impossible. No one was prepared for the sort of care she would need. And Heymann herself refuses to compromise her ambitions. She believes strongly that meaning in life comes from helping others. She and her husband (also a doctor) had always intended to work in a clinic in a third world country. They also want a second child.

So she embarks on her grueling internship as soon as possible, terrified of the seizures which may wreck her career. Numerous heart-tugging case histories are interspersed with her own halting progress. Explaining procedures and home care to her patients, she shows how the frightened "difficult" patients are calmed and easier to treat when given a modicum of understanding.

This well-written, moving and deeply scary memoir should be widely read but probably won't be. In a letter Heymann wrote to the New England Journal of Medicine protesting prejudice against people with seizures she described herself as "a physician who has both treated patients with seizures and lived with seizures." The Journal removed only four words. "They would not print that I had lived with seizures, only that I had treated others."

The Estuary's Gift is a beautiful and poignant expression of the connections between people and the coastal environment. Through eight delightfully written essays, Griffith entertains and educates in a poetic, lyrical style that draws the reader into a world that few of us know. Griffith teaches the reader about North Carolina's rich history in commercial fishing by introducing us to the people whose lives are linked to this industry. No matter where you are live, this book will show you the connections between your next seafood dinner , or vacation to the beach, and a unique way of life along the North Carolina coast. If you are from coastal North Carolina, don't be surprised if you see the lives of friends and family reflected in this book.

Through his years of research, Dr. Griffith introduces us to some of the many men and women who as commercial fishermen are deeply rooted in an industry that is much more than a source of income. The North Carolina coast is home to some of the oldest fishing families in the country, and this book speaks for these families and others who make a living from the coastal environment. These people have a sense of culture, community, and history from their lives as fishermen that is threatened by fishing regulations and influences of population growth. These men and women also have an intimate knowledge of the water and its ever-changing conditions that sometimes result in problems for the seafood industry and the future of the esturaries. As they try to express problems they see from their daily contact with the water, many are ignored by rule makers or "experts" in government. Catch limits, closed/open fishing areas, equipment regulations, and license requirements are all examples of policies that were developed by "experts" who do not see the daily effects the rules have in commercial fishing and the coastal ecosystem.

Griffith also addresses how the population boom that along the coast that has impacted the health of the estuaries and the coastal communities. He discusses the impacts of "gift shop" fisheries and revisionist developments that transform the traditional fishing communities into retirement and tourist boutiques that have little appreciation of the past.

The Estuary's Gift is an intimate portrait of a changing way of life that is reflected in changes in communities and families along the coast. By involving us in the lives of men and women who are some of the many estuary's gifts, it speaks for voices not often heard.

These delightfully written eight essays beautifully illustrate the concept of bioregionalism. Telling the stories of the commercial fishers of the Mid-Atlantic, the people who live along the coast of the Albemarle Sound and the Chesapeake Bay and who are farmers, fishers, and crabbers making a living from the water, David Griffin weaves together a powerful tale of the interrelationship of people and their natural environment. Based on extensive interviews over the past ten years, done in part for studies of fishing reglations for the government of North Carolina and others, the reader hears the voices and concerns of the fishers who for generations have lived in harmony with the estuary and its gifts of fish and shellfish. Threatened now by pollution down the Neuse River from the industrial farms, forestry and mining, the fishers are attempting to adapt and earn their living in other ways. They protest the regulations put in place to save the resource from being overfished. So here is a different side of the story from that put forth by many environmentalists, told in the fishers' own words, with empathy for their plight. At what price will the North Carolina and Virginia coastlines be developed for condos and fancy vacation houses? You be the judge of what we are winning and what we are losing.