Massachusetts Books

John Howe has written a marvelous book on an important subject, one that resonates in the early 21st century. He argues that in the revolutionary era there was a profound change in discursive practices that mirrored the politics of those dramatic times. It had been assumed that language was "fixed in meaning and exact in expression, its vocabulary and grammar based on timeless standards, its meaning existing apart from the shifting currents of historical change." Howe has done the scholarly spade work necessary to demonstrate that the Federalists changed all that by fashioning a language "whose grammar and vocabulary were understood to change over time, whose meaning derived from its immediate historical context, and whose purpose was to facilitate rather than restrain political initiative, thus serving the needs of an unfolding future." Anyone who has ever mulled over the challenge of recovering the "orginal intent" of the framers of the Constitution will find this book richly rewarding, for Howe is a superb scholar and a gifted writer in his own right.

Just hold this book in your hands and you can feel the dedication and energy that went into preserving the history of the Lawrence Police force. Full of pictorials of officers past and present, you can see the changes in the uniforms, equipment and in the city in which these Heros Wearing Blue have dedicated there lives to. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a sense of patriotisim as much as this author has.

Oh boy, if you were raised in Lawrence like me, you have got to have this two volume set. The memories are awesome. I've written my own little book of memories about good old Lawrence "A Summer with Charlie" now on Amazon. But with my book you have to make up your own imaginary pictures. This book has it all - The Old Palace and Broadway Theaters, the corner variety stores, those old immigrant faces that you grew up with, the parades down Essex Street, the rows of tenement houses, the labor strikes and the mill disasters, the good times and the bad times, the cobble stone streets, the buses, the bakeries and breweries. I just start looking at some of those faces and names and I'm gone - back to the 50's and 60's.

but let's get a few facts straight. First, this same volume was published by the Huntington Library in 1975 -- and the complete volume is presented as facsimile. Second, the editing of that volume, and the introduction thereto, were by Thomas G. Barnes.

Barnes made the same assertion as Dunn: that this volume was the first codification of (British colony) law on this continent. In fact, the earliest codification I find is that of New-Plimoth Colony for 1636, as contained in the 1836 volume (available in Hein reprint) _The Compact With the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth_, as originally edited by William Brigham.

Interesting how a narrow expertise can so easily, for lack of research, leave out a fact bearing upon a claim made centrally relevant and given such great import.

Betty Jean Craige is an integrative thinker who lucidly weaves together strands of information from many fields to create important insights about contemporary culture. Her subject here is "the emergence of cultural holism," and some of the various strands in her loom of information are philosophy (ancient, modern and postmodern), history, natural science (Darwinian, systems and chaos theory; ecology), literature and literary theory, education, religion, feminism, civil rights, and animal rights--to name only these. Craige's interdisciplinary research and writing, which she says is based on the assumption that "the understanding of any aspect of a culture requires an understanding of the whole," includes several very readable books. LAYING THE LADDER DOWN (a metaphor referring to the deconstruction--figurative and literal--of the hierachical vertical social order that has prevailed since prehistory) goes a long way in helping us to behold the larger design of the whole of the complex human tapestry we call culture

Preparing for death is not fun, but for parents of children with special needs it is especially necessary to give some real thought to planning a child's long-term future. This book is a straightforward reference that makes the process a little less daunting and is great preparation for communicating knowledgeably with a lawyer and a financial planner. It sets forth the right questions without insinuating what the best choices might be, including those about how estate planning choices siblings and the extended family. All of the options are presented so that parents, in consultation with their attorney, can make the best possible plans with as little angst as possible.

This book became my bible many years ago when I worked in housing services as a paralegal. Even though I have moved from Mass I still put the basics to the test in NH. This book is filled with valuable information and resources. Having spent most of my time in a housing court, I know that this book has been put to the test by Lawyers, Judges, and many other professionals in and out of the field of housing. If you are a tenant there is no longer an excuse for being a victim. Everything you need to know about rental housing, unfair debt collection practices, consumer protection, subsidized housing, rent control, mobil homes, and much more is contained in this book.

This remarkable book is based on a collection of 75 letters written by members of one family who were part of a Massachusetts utopian community from 1843 to 1847. The book provides a vivid glimpse of the personal lives of that family, as well as a first-hand view of life in such a community, and its historical context. James and Dolly Stetson of Brooklyn, CT, facing economic difficulty, moved with their children to Northampton, MA, in 1843 to join the Northampton Association of Education and Industry. They shared the community's progressive values, such as the abolition of slavery, religious tolerance, liberal education, and equality between races and sexes. Sojourner Truth was also a member of this community for a while. Most of the letters were written by Dolly and her children to their father, who was often on the road selling the community's product: silk. Three additional chapters provide authoritative accounts of the social, political, economic, and historical context in which this community lived, faltered, and ultimately disbanded. An excellent choice for anyone interested in this dynamic period in American history, and the lives of one very energetic fammily.

The 33rd recipient of the Juniper Prize for poetry, "Letters of Transit" is an anthology of poetry from grant winner Theodore Worozbyt. Focusing on the value of the middle ground, "Letters of Transit" is a unique set of verse touching on the many subjects of our world, both pleasant and unpleasant. The result is a collection spanning matters from the strange to the mundane, to the magnificent. "Letters of Transit" is a must for poetry fans.

Boston Private Investigator Carlotta Carlyle remains engaged to her mob-tied fiancé Sam Gianelli, although she has humongous doubts about his recent activity; Sam vanished rather than confront rumors tying him to a dead female (see HEART OF THE WORLD). While Carlotta considers ending their relationship, Jessica Franklin shows her a picture of Sam in a compromising position. Carlotta knows how easy it is to fix a photo, her doubt meter rises stratospherically.

Soon after their encounter, Franklin is killed in a hit-and-run incident. The police investigate with Carlyle as the obvious prime and only suspect; especially when they learn Jessica Franklin is a fake ID and the victim is connected to the Cape Cod homicide that raised the sleuth's marital hesitation antennas. Like a smart lawyer in trouble, Carlyle knows a sleuth likewise needs to get outside representation; she asks her former boss and mentor at BPD, retired Joseph Mooney to help her. Like old times they head to Cape Cod to unravel the simple yet increasingly convoluted truth.

The direct sequel to the superb HEART OF THE WORLD is an excellent tale as the beleaguered heroine initially struggles with answering to marry or not to marry, but soon finds herself in deep trouble. The story line is fast-paced and impossible to put down, but especially entertaining is the teaming up of Carlyle and Mooney. LIE DOWN WITH THE DEVIL will be on the short list for best mystery of 2008 by most detective novel fans as Linda Barnes provides a powerhouse.

Harriet Klausner