Massachusetts Books

There's something most of us find fascinating about the lineages of persons of note, whether they're royalty, U.S. presidents, movie stars, military leaders, or literary and historical figures like Pocahontas and Louisa May Alcott. The Virginia ancestry of the Queen Mother is relatively well known, as are the New England cousins of the late Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York -- but did you know Elvis Presley, Jimmy Carter, and Jesse Helms are all collaterally related? Roberts is probably the leading expert at this sort of thing, especially when it comes to uncovering surprising connections, like the British royal descent of Karl Marx's wife (whose grandmother was Scottish), and he carefully lays out examples of what might be called "genealogical evolution," demonstating that genealogy really is inclusive, not exclusive. Many British, European, and American contemporaries are much more closely related than we often realize. There are also a number of descents contributed by guest columnists which maintain the same high standard of documentation.

There are now a number of critical studies of the Nobel laureate's fiction, but none replaces Clingman's authoritative guide. The book proves particularly useful to American readers, as Clingman provides cogent discussions of the historical and political setting of Gordimer's apartheid-era writing.

Lists the Prouty family members in the Old Burial Ground behind the Spencer, Mass. Congregational Church. The cemetery was walked in 2000 by the author who compared it with the earlier transcription.

I don't own this book yet, but I have looked at it in libraries. It is a very useful book, and I would love to purchase it. It's just that I don't want to pay out this amount of money for a book right now. Maybe later.

I had the pleasure of attending one of Professor Joel Freedman's US History classes at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, NY. Joel Freedman was a strong advocate for the mistreated patients at the Foxboro State Hospital in Massachusetts. His push for change sparked the beginning of reform in our nation's institutions and hospitals for the mentally retarded. I think you will find this book interesting and exciting as he relives the investigations of Massachusetts' mental institutions.

-Brian Barrett

The biography of Brad Washburn makes a terrific yarn, even for us armchair adventurers. This is a well-told tale, with a transcribed "oral history" from Mr. Washburn, interspersed with the narrative supplied by Mr. Smith. The significance of Mr. Washburn's life, and what makes this book worth reading, is that his mountaineering adventures were part of the 20th century's final conquest of high places in this world. The high mountains were the last frontier, and Mr. Washburn lived it, wrote about it, mapped it, and (more importantly) photographed it. Fortunately, National Geographic chose to include a variety of Mr. Washburn's best photographs. His friendship with, and admiration for, Ansel Adams is apparent. Buy this for the read, but also buy it as a coffee table book.

I am a big fan of Kate Waters' books, "Samuel Eaton's Day" and "Sarah Morton's Day". It was with great excitement that I found this book to accompany them ! All too many books about the pilgrims either portray them as "Evil bigots" or as the glossed over "wouldn't it be fun to be a pilgrim ?" portrayal. I enjoy all of these books because they give an accurate, historical representation of the times. ON THE MAYFLOWER, in particular, gives both a peek into the day to day living on board the ship, as well as the view as seen from a child's perspective. I highly reccomend this book !

Peter Temes checking in here.

I'm sorry to see the anger in the review posted by the student at Lynn English. I'm glad that he acknowledges that he has not read the book yet -- he says things about it that are simply untrue. Once he has the chance to read it, I trust that he'll see a nuanced view of his school, the good with the bad, and a great deal of respect paid to his fellow students and his teachers. Enough respect, in fact, that full portraits -- not merely the easy, heroic aspects of educators and students in a challenging position -- emerge.

For the record, I've written no articles about Lynn English in the Boston area press, or elsewhere, though a few articles about the book -- not all of them positive -- have appeared.

Our Little Golf Club is a delightful read! Douglas brings to life the charm and quaintness of this prestigous golf course peppered with anecdotes from the Bush and Walker families. This book is a must have for every history buff, golf lover, as well as any one who has visited Kennybunkport and fallen in love with Maine.

If Amazon sales ranking and number of user reviews are indicators of how a book is received and appreciated, then it is sad that not many people read or appreciate this book by Robert Finch.

I consider myself to be among the lucky ones who have stumbled across this gem. This is the second book by Robert Finch that I have read (the first being "Common Ground"), and I find it to have the same consistency and quality as the first book. Some essays, such as "Cutting in" (about beached pilot whales), "A Swallow Summer" are unsentimental narratives of natural phenomena, in which I find myself always struck by the clarity of his writing and the accuracy of the descriptions. Some essays have more of a human touch, such as "An Alewife Lesson" and "A Summer Place"; indeed, although they can undoubtedly be considered nature writings, one can argue that the natural phenomena in them have to take a backseat -- they are more about people and their behavior in nature. "What the Stones Said" has a mythical tinge, keenly reminding one of Thoreau's writings. "North Beach Journal" is the longest essay in the book, and it is an intimate account of one's journey into and out of solitude (at least that is how I read it).

I do not always agree with Mr. Finch's behavior. For example, in "The Seals of Jeremy Point", he described how he charged toward a group of sunning seals -- but at least he is honest to tell us the story. I think I understand why he did it though, for he said in the book "... it is not our impulses that are bad, but the manner and scale on which we have chosen to express them". Yes, the problem is scale, we eventually will crowd out everything else, and perhaps ourselves in the end.