New Jersey Books

Evie Rhodes is the author of this novel, CRISS CROSS. She is a novelist, award winning songwriter, and music video scriptwriter.

Evelyn Jordan-Wells bore two sons, Micah and Shaughn--one born of the devil.

Micah was a well known homicide detective. Murders were being committed and seemed like Micah was the only suspect, which no one knew about the evil and diabolical twin brother. This was a war between two brothers--one not knowing what was really happening, because of the father, the devil himself. This is a page turner with unforgettable characters. I highly recommend this book if you like suspense, thriller and satanic.

by Vanessa

Twins born within minutes of each other, Shaughn and Micah. One is the ultimate good. The other is the spawn of Criss Cross, the ultimate evil. But which is which?

There are serial murders being committed by a sadistic psychopath. Micah is the officer in charge of the investigations. He has a good track record for catching murderers, but now there is a web of doubt surrounding him. Could he be the murderer? He does have nightmares where he is there. He sees the crime being done. Are they just nightmares?

It is said that if the power of the twins is united, then Criss Cross will rule the earth. As the suspense grow,s the reader is drawn into the classic battle of good and evil. It's almost impossible to put down once started.

Armchair Interviews says: Though it is a classic battle of good and evil, Evie Rhodes' skillful writing keeps the pages turning.

Homicide detective Micah Jordan-Wells is Newark's brightest star until a predator starts
murdering women and children and layiny the blame on Micah. A great fiction with unaxpected twists and turns. Micah must enter the world of the unknown to excape the Criss Cross, Criss Cross was so good I've got to read Expired next.

Detective Micah Jordan-Wells has caught his fair share of murderers. But when he catches the serial killer known as Silky, he saves the city of Newark, New Jersey from a horrific killing spree. But the killings continue, and fingers and clues point to Micah. Micah has visions of the victims brutal deaths and an evil force is playing games with his mind. Micah's mother Evelyn holds the key that unlocks the secret to an evil past that began on the day of his birth.

Criss Cross is a powerful novel by Evie Rhodes. Rhodes skillfully mixed mystery and supernatural elements into this story. The reader will know from the very first page that this is not an ordinary novel but an extraordinary one. I liked the timeless battle of good and evil presented in the story. The fight that Micah had with the dark force in the physical, spiritual, and supernatural realm was nothing short of amazing. Criss Cross is a chilling novel that will keep you glued to the pages. With Criss Cross, Evie Rhodes proves she is here to stay.

Detective Micah Jordan-Wells is on the trail of a serial killer who is terrorizing Newark, New Jersey. This killer murders young women and marks their bodies with an "X". Somehow Micah is able to get into the minds of sick criminals, track them down and bring them to justice; making him Newark's best. CRISS CROSS by Evie Rhodes is his story.

Just as Micah thinks he has solved the crime of the dead women, six-year-old boys begin to die in much the same manner. How can Silky, who has been captured for these heinous murders, be responsible? Is it a copycat killer? It is up to Micah, his fellow detective Nugent and his boss, Wolfgang, to figure out the mystery that is horrifying all of Newark. This task is especially daunting since the evidence begins to point directly at Micah. Also, his long suffering girlfriend, Raven, might be getting just a little tired of not having Micah spend time with her. They've been going together for three years and he hasn't popped the question yet. Will their relationship be able to withstand this latest blast of crime?

CRISS CROSS is not only a good mystery, it is a superb horror story. The characters are intricately woven and intertwined. What is love and what is lust and how can a person tell the difference? Reality begins to blend with fantasy and the truth is hard to ascertain. Evie Rhodes has written a fanciful story of lust, love, murder and redemption. It slowed a bit toward the end but the build up to that end was enough to sustain interest. It is a book well worth reading.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ™Reviewers

Beth Sherman is an intriguing writer. I loved reading a book with familiar towns like Red Bank, Asbury Park and other local towns mentioned. She also mentioned how the Fannie Farmer candy store in Red Bank is now a Starbucks coffee shop. This is the perfect beach read. Try the whole series - I know I will!

Beth Sherman's Dead Man's Float is a simple, realistic, and entertaining mystery. The book begins with a little about Tigger Mills life and explains that he was a risk taker. Also explained is how a fire killed a little girl Ruthie and that Tigger may have started the fire. Tigger is never found guilty but leaves New Jersey. Anne, the main character, is talked about in the beginning and how she had a crush on Tigger. Well when twenty years go by and Tigger comes back, Anne starts having a crush on him all over again. After having dinner the next morning Tigger is found dead and suicide is suspected. Anne seems to be the only person that thinks otherwise until she meets Tigger's brother, Jack. Anne and Jack then try to figure who killed Tigger and if his murder is connected to the fire.
Anne is a character that readers can relate to because she has had hard times in her life. She's lost a loved one, her love life has been a little off, and she tries to live in a town where people still know her as the "crazy lady's daughter." The mystery of who killed Tigger is interesting and compelling, since a lot of people don't mind that he is dead. The book has two mysteries in one and it makes you think and try to connect it all. It's a good mixture of slight humor, mystery, and romance. Also the mixture of characters and their personalities can make you easily connect them with someone you may know. All in all this book is a can't stop reading type book.

Oh, I do like Anne Hardaway! In her mid-thirties, struggling with life, trying to earn an honest living, she's everywoman, rolled into one. Shy, insecure yet tough when she needs to be, Anne lives in the small oceanside town in which she was born, and has always lived. This is both good and bad. The good part is that she knows everyone and they know her.The bad part is that she knows everyone and they know her.

Nearly twenty years earlier -- the summer Annie graduated from high school, and the country celebrated it's Bi-Centennial -- a tragedy occurred in Oceanside Heights. A little girl died in a fire that destroyed an old hotel. The town's pre-eminent 'bad boy' was suspected, but before anything could really be proved--for or against-- Tigger Mills left town, never to return. Until this year.

Drawn to him as she had been all those years earlier, Anne has a brief encounter with Tigger, and the promise of more to come -- but the promise will be unfulfilled, as Tigger drowns early the next morning. His half-brother Jack comes home from New York City to find out what happened.

Various elements of small-town life take their turn on center stage: the religious campground aura that defines Oceanside Heights; renewing acquaintances with former school-mates, some of whom would rather stay distant; getting to know Jack and his new life; and over all, families then and now, and the many secrets buried and thought dead only to have them come to life again.

I loved this book. I love Ann Hardaway as a character, and will go search out books two and three in the series. The first two that I've read have been well written, with wonderful characterization (both the goodies and the baddies are fully realized), and the setting is marvelous. Reading one of these Jersey Shore Mysteries is almost as good as a week spent on the beach. Try one for yourself--I think you'll agree!

Anne Hardaway is shocked to see Tigger Mills has returned to her home town of Oceanside Heights, New Jersey. No one's seen him since the summer 20 years ago when he was accused of burning down a hotel and killing a little girl in the process. Attitudes in the town haven't changed, and Anne is one of the few people willing to talk to Tigger. When he confides that he's received a death threat, Anne thinks little of it. But the next morning, he's found floating in the surf. Teaming up with Tigger's brother Jack, she sets out to find who killed her friend. But the truth will take her into secrets she never suspected her neighbors were hiding. Can she sort through them all and learn the truth?

I thoroughly enjoyed this series debut. The resort town setting is fun and the characters are intriguing. I especially liked the two leads, and it was easy to feel sympathetic for them. What stood out most to me was the plot, however. The surprises never let up and keep you guessing. I was glued to the book, trying to figure out how everything fit together.

I will definitely be booking more time with Anne in Oceanside Heights. This series is a great way to spend a few hours relaxing at the beach, or anywhere else for that matter.

This is a great mystery novel that will keep you guessing right up until the end. The main character is very likable and the story moves quickly. A great relaxing summer read.

Martin Firestone can't figure out why his father, the eccentric painter Leo Firestone, is throwing a fit. All Martin did was tell his dad he'd been accepted to medical school. Then, Leo tells Martin a story about his own father, Dr. Samuel Firestone, an extraordinarily gifted doctor and living legend in the small city of Hobart, NJ, but a man with a serious character flaw. During the summer of 1943, while Leo worked as Samuel's extern, he witnessed some highly questionable behavior. When Leo decided his father was covering up a murder, he and his girlfriend, followed a trail of clues to find the truth. By the time they realized they were in far over their sixteen-year-old heads, it was too late to call off the investigation. But there are loose threads in Leo's story. Martin picks them up, and sixty years after the fact, goes snooping in Hobart. And like his father, he comes away with a whole lot more junk than he'd bargained for.

This is a terrific book that I just couldn't put down. The writing is powerful, the characters dynamic and the story fascinating. The author pulls you into the story with the first paragraph and gradually peels away the layers on a sixty year old mystery. The more you read the more you want to know. This book is not only about the destination (the solution of the mystery) it's also all about the journey to get there. It's a grand journey with a compelling ending and a fascinating look into the world of the past when doctors were perceived as gods who in the end were just as human as everyone else.

Karp's latest, a departure from his Thomas Perdue novels, is billed as a mystery and there is a mystery here, but the real story is one of 1940s medicine: issues, ethics, and a big personality in a small town.

It begins when Martin Firestone tells his eccentric artist father, Leo that he's been accepted to medical school and his father blows a gasket. He demands that Martin meet him for lunch, where he delivers the meat of the novel: a long, detailed narrative fueled by numerous manhattans. Leo's story covers the summer of 1943, when he joined his doctor father as a sort of apprentice. It was a summer that changed the course of his life.

A perceptive, observant teenager, Leo admires his father, Samuel, whose powers of diagnosis and healing are legendary in Hobart, NJ. But Samuel, wholly dedicated to his patients, willing to make house calls any time of the day or night, is nevertheless unable to cure his wife of her drug addiction, an affliction that goes unmentioned in the household.

Accompanying his father, Leo soon learns there's more to doctoring than medicine. Samuel's judgments about treatments often have a personal component and his personal judgments often run counter to Leo's less flexible moral standards.

But when his dad lies to him about a dead junkman's cause of death, Leo begins to suspect him of something more sinister than unorthodox adoption arrangements and excessive leniency towards drunken, negligent parents. Enlisting the aid of his musical friend Harmony, Leo worms his way into the daily business of the junkyard, whose owner (the dead man's adoptive father) nurses a deep hatred of his father.

Leo's absorbing narrative is richly shaded with the details of small-town, wartime life, the myriad secrets kept and shared by a community, the moral dilemmas of a strong-willed man, and the black and white judgments of youthful inexperience. And when it's completed, Martin, following in his father's footsteps, worries at the loose ends in his story and travels back two generations to unravel the still-festering secrets.

While Leo's narrative is the well-written heart of this novel, it's also its only real problem. It's too detailed and finely written to be a brooding man's drunken ramble to his son. I kept wondering why Leo couldn't have come to Martin with a box of pages, saying, "here's a story I should have shared with you years ago," or something like that. Though I didn't find this a small flaw, it didn't stop me reading this compelling novel, and it likely won't stop most readers.

This is not a classic mystery, but it is an absolutely remarkable piece of writing. I became completely immersed in the characters and their story. It is poignant, engrossing, tragic and truly excellent. Be prepared to give it your undivided attention as you'll want to do nothing less.

"First, Do No Harm," by Larry Karp, begins with a choice: Martin Firestone, son of powerful and eccentric artist Leo Firestone, announces his decision to leave his career in computers and enter medical school. To Martin's shock and amazement, his father is furious, and insists that Martin lunch with him the next day. He has a story to tell him, he says. And so he does.
Martin's grandfather, Leo tells him, was Dr. Samuel Firestone, a legendary diagnostician and healer in their small New Jersey city. Leo's story begins the summer he turns sixteen, when his father offers him the opportunity to work as his extern. Their work takes them throughout the city, and Leo witnesses his father's remarkable abilities. Leo also becomes aware of many mysterious connections between the gifted physician--the Sorcerer--and the owner of a family-owned scrap metal business--the Junkman. As the summer progresses, the connections multiply: a heart attack that doesn't look like a heart attack, a blackmail threat, too many "nieces" having their babies. Leo begins to suspect that his father is involved in covering up a murder, and more. He decides to investigate, along with his best friend, and as the investigation plays out, disaster ensues.
"First, Do No Harm" is a father's story, told to his son, as well as a son's story, told about his father. But within these two stories are individual histories, of an era, of a city, and of another father and his son. And the final story spans three generations and two families--the Sorcerer's and the Junkman's--and the choices they made along the way. Most of these choices were made for the best of reasons. And what followed from them was often good: lives were saved, babies found loving adoptive parents, young women were enabled to live productive lives. But these same choices spawned great harm, as well: abortions, addiction, black marketing of metal and of drugs, and finally, violent death. Martin's grandfather, a larger than life character, practiced medicine on an heroic scale--but with heroism, came hubris, that pride that drove him to push the Hippocratic oath beyond its limits, redefining civil and human laws on his own terms.
The writing here is first-rate. The dual narratives proceed clearly, and the cadence is assured. A physician himself, Karp conveys the depth and scope of Samuel's skills with authority. The sense of place--and time--is vivid; it wouldn't be a Larry Karp book without music, and the background music of the narrative is played on a variety of radios, all playing the music of 1943, in the cars and homes and offices the reader sees. There a music box, too, that connects Leo himself to the Junkman just as Leo's father was linked to his nemesis, the Junkman's father. It also connects Leo to a girl named Harmony, his first love and "soul mate;" surely her name is no coincidence.
The characters are equally vivid--they speak in their own voices, and they tell their own stories, from Leo the artist to Murray the junkman to the characters within each narrative. And all these narratives dovetail with one another, like the music that permeates the book. As the several narratives unfold, the truths become more painful and more violent, until, in the end, a weary Martin concludes that "With the best intentions, the Sorcerer and the Junkman paved twin highways to hell."
Two of Leo's paintings frame the conclusion of the novel. One stays with Leo, and the other, an unfinished work, passes on to Martin, to complete with his own life. What he has learned has been devastating, but out of that devastation has come resolution, and a possibility of a greater final good.
"First, Do No Harm" is Larry Karp's fourth, and finest, novel. The first three, featuring amateur sleuth Dr. Thomas Purdue, are set in New York City, in the world of antique music boxes, and are engaging, intelligent, and intricately plotted. They share the same vivid sense of place that's found in "First, Do No Harm." Karp lives in Seattle, where he is working on his next novel.

Martin Firestone is in his mid-twenties when he decides to make a career shift. He is accepted to medical school and tells his father, artist Leo Firestone. But Leo explodes with anger at Martin's announcement, demands he meet him for lunch where much of the novel takes place.

At lunch Leo Firestone tells when he acted as an extern for his physician father, Dr. Samuel Firestone during the summer of 1943. It was the summer he lost his boyhood, and his life changed forever.

Dr. Samuel Firestone practiced in Hobart, New Jersey and was considered a doctor whom everyone could count on no matter the emergency or time of day. An excellent diagnostician, Dr. Firestone knew the community's needs and secrets.

While working for his father, Leo learns about black-market adoptions, abortion, murder, his mother's drug addiction as well as breaking the law while the country is at war. With his childhood friend, Harmony, Leo investigates the activities of the scrapyard owned by evil Oscar, helpful Martin -- and the parts of his father's life that trouble him.

It is what happens after Leo finished his story that brings resolution to a lifetime of regret and sadness.

Karp's prose brings Hobart and the era alive. I will definitely read Karp's other works. Armchair Interviews says the story is compelling and the plot intriguing. The twists and turns will draw you in to capture and keep your attention

This product appears as a book about birds. I was very disappointed to find it was places to bird watch. There are no color photos, nor any pictures of NJ birds. I returned it.

There are now two editions of Boyle, the older version with an orange cover and the Barred Owl, and a newer version with a photo of a Hooded Warbler on the front. You'll want to make sure you get the latter, since many things have changed over the years.

This book is just as useful for seasoned birders as it is for the beginner, or the person new to New Jersey. Beginners will appreciate its review of New Jersey's best birding destinations; seasoned pros will enjoy the depth of the information and the amount of detail on nesting species and accounts of rarities.

For us locals, "Bird Finding" is great for those days when you want to hop in the car and travel to somewhere a little different, or if you want to explore a familiar destination a little more closely. The book offers detailed directions (although some of the exit numbers and streets have changed since its publication date), including which trail to follow, which tree to investigate, etc. Its accuracy is remarkable. It's clear Bill Boyle knows each location intimately and visits them often.

This is a must-have for any birder living in the state (and there are lots), and any vacationer planning to spend more than a weekend in New Jersey.

It is one of the milder species of blasphemy, I suppose, to call any book one's "bible"; but since its appearance 17 years ago (!), Bill Boyle's NJBFG has served thousands of the birding faithful as ritual object and authoritative companion alike. My own copy of the first printing, with its ugly laminated binding in shreds and the bookblock bulging from tipped-in notes, photocopies, and clippings, is probably the single most used volume in my birding library: field guides come and go, but for nearly two decades now, Boyle has come and gone wherever I have.
Just how intensive my use of the book has been came clear to me with the arrival--"long-awaited," in the reviewer's cliche--of the second edition. As I read through the new treatments of areas long familiar to me, I discovered that (like many NJ birders) I'd actually memorized verbatim great chunks of the first edition, and that I noticed every new word and every new turn of phrase in the revised accounts. If it is true that every obsession is at its base religious, then this book truly is the birder's bible.
The birder's bible: divine in inspiration, certainly, but here and there the mortal nature of its human author peeks through. As anyone who has ever written anything knows, it is even more difficult to revise than to write, and this revised edition has some flaws that were not apparent in the first. There are far more copy-editing errors this time around, and the index--more important than ever, given the new book's rather breathless layout--is not an infallible help (just try to find the main entry for Merrill Creek!). Compared to the enjoyably expansive style of the first edition, the new entries strike me as occasionally a bit too concise, a problem that might have been eased by simply eliminating even more of the old sections treating sites that, like the Institute Woods, now offer (in Boyle's words) "the mere shadow" of their former glory; valuable space is also sacrificed to a number of new full-page illustrations.
These things having been said, the book is still an outstanding example of the bird-finding guide. The maps seem to be largely up to date and accurate (Sussex County birders: are Rockport and Blackdirt marshes really the same place?), the annotated species list is even more useful than in the first edition, and the binding isn't likely to crackle and peel. It will take only weeks, I am sure, for New Jersey birders to start quoting this new Boyle, chapter and verse.

Despite its small size and large population, New Jersey is one of the prime locations in North America for spotting birds. First, it holds a strategic position along the Atlantic flyway, which insures that a wide variety of migrating species pass through in both the spring and fall. Second, it has a wide variety of habitats within rather short distances of each other: seacoast, salt marshes, coastal plain, pine barrens, lakes, mountains, forests, etc.

By nearly any measure of interest to birders, such as typical number of species seen in an average year (over 330) and maximum found in a given day (over 250), New Jersey is surpassed only by California and Texas. A birder with average skill and energy can find over 100 species in a day during peak migration in May; the best teams of elite birders can find 200-230 on a day in May, and Bill Boyle has been a member of some of them.

The book is organized geographically, with each chapter devoted to a prime birding spot, and the chapters arranged by region. Most chapters have an excellent map, plus detailed text on how the birding differs by season, and on the relative scarcity or abundance of the various species found there. Driving directions are precise and easy to follow.

The only problem, and a growing one, is this: indispensable as this book is, it is now 15 years old, and showing its age. Roads have changed. Some birding areas have been lost to development. Others are simply no longer accessible. And birds change their habits: some old hot spots aren't so hot anymore, and new ones have arisen. This book cried out for a revised edition at least 5 years ago, but one does not seem to be in the works. No other book as comprehensive and as well-presented is available, so this is still the bible for NJ birders. Just be ready (a) to do some more homework before visiting any given site mentioned in this book or (b) risk some disappointment. All in all, I'd say that this book is still about 75% accurate.

It is interesting that Amazon asks whether one is over 13 years old when you are going to review a book here. I am sure a thirteen year old would LOVE this book. I know I would have if I were 13. It is just the kind of book I read back then (early 1960's) AND enjoyed.

I feel sorry thst the Basilone family could not find a better writer than Mr. Proser to write this book.

FIRST the attempt at first person NARRATIVE is off putting. Mr. Proser did not do enough research into actual military history, OR the history of the period to be able to pull his trick off. I find it outrageous (bordering on sacriligeious) that he felt competent to insert himself "into" the head of John Basilone- one of the Marine Corps' GREATEST heros.

Mr. Proser has a mighty high opinion of his writing skills that I do not share.

He mixes up facts, introduces wording/phrases that are not only incorrect for the period, but lifted almost directly from Hollywood "Marine" movies from the Sands of Iwo Jima to Heartbreak Ridge. He should be ashamed of himself.

He also makes the mistake, in trying to set scenes, of ascribing to Basilone information/knowledge he could not have known at the time that Proser has him saying them.

Second, when ANYONE writes military history, you need to have MAPS that allow one to understand the Strategic AND Tactical situation. This book is woefully inadequate in this department.

Someday, someone will write a definitive, respectful biography of this great American Warrior - THIS AIN'T IT!

If you are interested in a personal story of WWII, then this is an excellent book. Rather than getting into the details of the conflicts this book focuses on the personal story of John Basilone - one of the handful of true American Heroes from WWII.

Written in the first person with an ample dose of personal details from his family, this book truly brings Manilla John back to life for many. I've been studying WWII for only 10 years and have read my share of the technical assessments of the important battles in WWII. This book stands out in my mind because it puts the reader in touch with the qualities of America's best young men and women of the 1940's; selflessness, courage, a supreme sense of duty, and in Basilon's case, a supreme sense of destiny.

Highly recommended for anyone with a passing interest in WWII, or for anyone who wants to learn about what made America's young people "tick" 60 years ago.

He knew he was going to die, and he just kept on fighting. He never abandoned his marines and thats just what he should have done. Its how the writer makes this so real that is so inspiring, not that his deeds werent great, but there have probably been thousands who have done just what he did, they just werent famous. But overall this is a good book. I like how it takes us to a time when being "patriotic" didnt get us arrested or sued.

Wonderfully moving and well written insight into a true American hero. It is a must read for all patriotic Americans and almost a responsiblity for us all to be aware of one of the US Marine's best.

My friend loaned me this book to read and I must say that it gave me a new found appreciation of what those men and women did for us in WWII. This book was very easy to read, and should be included in the curriculum of every Recent American History course taught in High School or College. I HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy of this book. I have already purchased a copy for myself after reading my friends copy.

How many "experts", liberal and conservative, comment on how awful inner city public school education is? How may of these experts would ever set foot into one of these classrooms, let alone make an impact on the kids? Mark Gerson did just that. After teaching in an inner city Catholic school for a year, he lets the kids speak for themselves. The kids don't ask for pity and don't ask for more government funding. They demand - and earn - respect, because they are succeeding despite tremendous adversity. Mark offers a blueprint for how inner city schools can inspire excellence. It doesn't take government money. It takes teachers who expect excellence, and parents who demand no less. The book works even better on another level, for the reader gets to know some wonderful children through the eyes of their teacher. Mark strings together anecdotes about the children's lives, both in school and out. Some will make you laugh out loud. Others are heartwrenching. All are told with sensitivity by an author who would rather introduce you to individuals than to social pathologies.

As an urban educator, no book is more valuable to me than this one. Understanding the problems of today's urban schools means reading Gerson's In The Classroom.

In the Classroom is one fast read: I downed it in one night. Right from the beginning, Gerson's account of teaching in the inner city is gripping. Tired, old assumptions are put to rest and new, provocative questions are raised by someone who was actually "there". Perhaps the best aspect of this book is the dialogue. The dialogue is so vivid that reader is taking a seat in Gerson's classroom. If it is not already clear, I highly recommend this book

If you're like me, you're a sort of level-headed, moderate-to-conservative American who is sick and tired of political extremism, government bureaucracy, and dumb ideas. You know what you like, and you base your political ideology on common sense, plain and simple. If all that is true, you'll enjoy Gerson's story of a spending a year in an inner-city New Jersey Catholic high school teaching American history. Gerson is the sort of guy who is not afraid to pull punches. If a student does something wrong, he is punished rather than pampered (eg, forced to listen to Sinatra during detention), and the results are amazing. A must-read

As a written work, this book does enough to hold the reader's attention. Stories about the inner-city--and further, education there--rarely lack the gripping content that at least satisfies the reader's curiosities about life in such an unimaginable place. Gerson's sketch of his year teaching in an inner-city high school was rather mundane, but from that is what the intrigue of his story comes.

Throughout his book, Gerson lays out a generic educational philosophy that he finds to work: firm discipline, parental involvement, and interest of the teacher in the students' lives. Unfortunately, the major problem with this book is that Gerson delivers a misleading message to the reader. He implicitly states because the above tactics worked at his school and in his classroom, they will work in any inner-city school and classroom.

Gerson goes to lengths to describe the lack of resources that private schools such as his had, painting his school as a place with mountains to climb. What Gerson fails to consider in his simplistic view is the great advantages that private schools have. 1) Because private schools are private, they are able to keep students on a much shorter leash when it comes to conduct. Private schools can choose who they educate. If a student is a consistent problem he or she can be removed from the school, thereby meaning the student will probably end up in a public school. Public schools must educate all students regardless of behavior. 2) Generally, parents who send their kids to private schools are more involved in their child's education. These parents are making a major sacrifice to send him or her to their school of choice and are more apt to take ownership of their child's academic performance. To fail to do so would be a great risk on a substantial investment.

In summary, this is a worthwhile book but do not let Gerson's presentation be the only snapshot you get of inner-city education. It hardly paints the whole picture.

Jen offers handy information in her guide to the South Jersey Shore. (I can call her Jen as opposed to "the author" because feel like I know her already since I read her blog http://downtheshorewithjen.blogspot.com/ which contains invaluable updates to the Guide). It's a stellar guide for complete newbies to the shore, and a very handy guide if you already think you know the area but plan to travel off of what you may consider YOUR island to inland towns or other shore towns. I should say there's room for improvement and I shall give my recommendations for the 2nd edition but I think she has hit an untapped market in Travel books and has done a splendid job in her initial outing. Her writing itself deserves no criticism and she's now widely considered and expert on the subject in the Philadelphia media.

Jen knows what she is talking about. Besides spending her life as a shoobie, (someone who isn't a local, but a tourist no matter how frequently they may visit), she also spent additional time living the life of the local talking to the year round residents and looking for interesting tidbits that even she missed in her years vacationing down the shore. Because every Philadelphian and inland South Jersey resident "thinks" they know everything about the shore doesn't mean they truly do. Jen was looking for what they don't know, as this is most likely her largest audience. What really shows from her blog and this book is she's passionate about the area and has devoted the past few years to her research on the subject. I'm positive there's been no shortage of enjoyment in her endeavors as she continually goes out of her way providing information on the weekly events via her blog and I have no doubt that A.) there will be another edition and B.) that she will improve upon what is already a solid guide.

As for my recommendations, my first complaint is the fact that she has mini-golf courses listed for every town, except Wildwood. I noticed because I purchased the book to catch up on what I have missed over my 20 year absence from the area. And for the most part she filled me in. But miniature golf was always one of my favorite things to do when going down the shore and the info is non-existent for Wildwood.

Secondly I would add more restaurant/bar reviews. If you are going to call something complete, make it "complete". I'm sorry but I want it all if I'm looking at a guide. I realize this takes time that she hasn't had yet and I agree she covered the basics but I hope the second edition adds more, to make this a complete guide. Perhaps with what seems like a success in her first publication, her publishers will allow a beefier 2nd ed.
And finally something she may not realize, as she is not as removed from NJ and the shore as I am, is the lack of info about some other things that perhaps I didn't care or know about when growing up but I am passionate about today. And that's what also makes South Jersey and the Jersey Shore interesting to someone who perhaps didn't grow up there, or hasn't been back in a long time, that is Farmer's Markets and Fish markets. In these times, with gas prices as they are, more people are looking towards local items and I find that tourists are interested in what makes the local area special. And S Jersey is awash in not only Corn and Tomatoes but a wide variety of produce it is after all called the Garden State even though most people don¡¦t understand why. People think of NY, pollution, and overcrowding, when they think of New Jersey. I live in Vermont and this is what people think New Jersey is.

And let's not forget that Cape May is a Huge fishing port. Granted you expect fresh fish (or at least you should) if you have even an inkling about shore towns, but this is a guide, so it should presume you don't know anything. What are the local fish we should look for on the menu, and what markets and restaurants serve them? You would be surprised at how many places do not take advantage of the bounty surrounding them simply because they rely on their purveyor SYSCO. Personally, I refuse to go to any restaurant that serves Dungeness crab or fish from Chile. Why eat a foreign and/or previously frozen fish when you can have fish caught and brought into Cape may that day!!? Straight off the boat! It blows my mind how many places on the Jersey Shore are not getting their fish on a daily basis straight from the docks. Lazy and/or bad chefs are the only excuse. And they don't deserve you patronage. And why go to a supermarket when you can hop off an island and find produce grown only 15 miles away! This is the information that will make this a complete guide.
For those who right now are saying ¡§what are the answers to these questions?¡¨. I will give you this one piece of information you should not avoid. If you like oysters, seek out Cape May Salts. You can frequently get them at the Lobster House in Cape May [(3 weeks ago they were 7.95 per dozen and well worth it), regular oysters were 4.95, which I consider very inexpensive]. Info on the Lobster house is included in the book or simply google them). These oysters were brought back from near extinction, are now sustainably harvested and are out of this world. They should not be missed if you are an oyster lover. Truly one of many treasures that the South Jersey shore holds.

All that being said Jen has done an admirable job. She has solid information that is helpful indeed. She could improve by adding my suggestions as well as the suggestions of others. And I know I'm not the only one who offered their 2 centsº on what ¡§should¡¨ have been in there since Jen isn¡¦t the only person that is passionate about the Shore, she¡¦s just the first person that put together a decent guide to it. Buy the book. And when the 2nd edition comes out, buy that too, because I have a feeling that if the vocal masses have their say about things that weren't included then the next edition will go on to be known as the South Jersey Shore Bible , a book no one should be without.

I brought Jen Miller's guide to Wildwood last week for our annual family trip with my in-laws. Everybody, including the kids, found something new and interesting in it, even though we've been vacationing in Wildwood Crest for years now. Even if you think you know all there is to see and do down the shore, pick this gem up and take it to the beach with you.

This book really didn't offer anything new; I was hoping for something a bit like the Weird U.S.A. series that gives the reader more obscure things to see and do.

I've spent my life at the Jersey shore. As a kid, I marveled at the Diving Horse on Steel Pier. I grew up with Mr. Peanut. When I had kids of my own, I took them to Wildwood and Ocean City and Sea Isle. Then, without the crowd, I discovered the peace and beauty of Cape May.

This is what Jen Miller's book captures so well. Every shore is different. Every shore has its personality and purpose. You can't tell one from another without a really good scorecard. That's what this book is. Miller does an excellent job of capturing the psyche of each resort. The fact that she also turns this into a really good guidebook is a pure bonus.

It's one of those books you'll highlight, scribble in, tear out and send to friends. I'm buying copies for a lot of folks I know. Maybe even Mr. Peanut.

Like many who purchase this book, I'm not new to shore vacationing but have been spending short summer trips there since I was a little girl. Now grown and married, we've been toying with the idea of packing up and moving there. I share this to let you know what I was looking for in a guidebook. I wanted a feel for what it might be like to live there, head to the other towns, see what cultural events are availible in the off-season, etc. In essence, to go beyond the boardwalk but yet still get a feel for the best of what there is to see and do at the shore. I've purchased SEVERAL books on the topic but this book is by far the best and the one I continually refer back to. It might not have the pretty, coffee table feel that other books on the shore possess, (though it does have SEVERAL, fun black/white photos). What it lacks in esthetics, it more than makes up for in information. To start, the author fills you in on little fascinating details and sidebars that relate to the location's culture, history or both. The room/dining descriptions have a friendly feel, as if a local herself were describing the establishments to you in person, detailing thier pros, cons, and points of interest. Definitally not the feel of traditional stuffy guidebooks I have read in the past. This is a book I look forward to reading. It's a little bit culture, a whole lot of "what-to-do", a dash of history, and a healty dose of love for the shore. Thank you for this wonderful, insightful book! Give us more!

The Pulaski Skyway was Americas first super highway. It has been in the Sopranos and many other movies. What is not nearly as well known is the politics behind building the skyway. "The Last Three Miles" is a fascinating read of both the bridge and the politics of Jersey City at the time of the building. The book is about the building of the Pulaski Skyway, but it is actually about the times and politics, corruption and murder during the building of the bridge. It is also about the failures of the bridge when it was built. The bridge was about getting trucks and cars off the local roads and it failed miserably at the truck objective. The explanation of why still haunt the Northern New Jersey area to this day.

Frank Hague is truly one of Americas most memorable mayors in America. He ran Jersey City with an iron fist for more than thirty years. Hague was so powerful that Franklin Delano Roosevelt left Hague alone. This is important to keep in mind when reading the book.

This book reads like good novel. It is well written and gives the life and times of this period true life. As in all things, Stephen Hart writes about the good and the bad of those times. Hart writes about the matter of fact corruption and yet the bridge is built as well as hospitals and other institutions that ended serving the community. This book should not be missed. Highly recommended.

Fascinating topic, but seems more focused on union-labor relations and politics than the highway itself. Lacks maps to back up descriptions of local geography, and the conclusion was extremely weak.

Some other books about New Jersey history and geography that I found a better read are Robert Sullivan's excellent Meadowlands, Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike by Gillespie and Rockland, and for the true hardcore transportation geeks and wonks out there: Doig's Empire on the Hudson.

Let me start by saying that I was born in Jersey City in 1940 and lived there until 1956. My father had his business there and after I finished school, I wound up in the family business. Because my dad was always interested and somewhat involved in politics, I still retain some knowledge and awareness of that one of a kind era.

I can vividly remember going to Journal Square and passing over the manmade cuts that looked like canyons to a young boy. And when I attended Dickinson High School, looking down on the approaching traffic to the Holland Tunnel.

This is a book that I've been looking for someone to write for many years. If you are from Jersey City or Hudson County and were born before 1950, so many memories will return. If you have any interest in machine politics, union labor or history in general, this is a great find. I couldn't put the book down and was very disappointed when I was finished.

Mister Hart could do us all a favor by supplementing his research and writing a complete history of Jersey City (Hudson County).

The Last Three Miles has as its most specific focus the construction of what is now known as the Pulaski Skyway. Serving as macrocosm are the machinations of politicos and union men and corporations before and during the construction of America's first viaduct/superhighway. The cast of characters is nigh Shakespearean, and Steven Hart is particularly good at breathing life into the major players. Foremost is Frank Hague, Irish tough and one of America's great political bosses. Serving as foil is Teddy Brandle, the thuggish union boss who becomes rich and powerful by playing ball with Hague, and whose dispute with his patron over the construction of a hospital leads to the climactic labor struggle which serves as climax in Hart's narrative. Also making an appearance is railroad engineer, intrepid world-traveler and lothario Fred Lavis. There are many others.

In less deft hands, the book could easily have exceeded 500 pages, and been rendered unreadable to anyone not a historian by the inclusion of tedious minutiae. Hart's great gift is whittling down the story to its most concise threads, threads that pull the reader happily along. He tells his tale with wit and vigour, somehow managing not to skimp on essential context, situating his New Jersey narrative within the larger framework of labor woes and Tammany Hall-style 'democracy' and federal intervention in local public works. It's a great read. I laughed out loud at several points, most heartily during a catalog of the salaries and 'duties' of several well-paid Hague henchmen. Hart even manages to take the reader on a harrowing ride along the Skyway's hazardous route.

Hart treats his subjects fairly and allows their flaws largely to speak for themselves, which is refreshing. It's easy to condemn guys like Hague and Brandle for their paranoia and brutish excesses, ignoring their often astonishing achievements. The Last Three Miles documents both in an entertaining and enlightening manner, reminding us that this was how things got done for much of our history.

The Last Three Miles is not merely a story of the hopes, woes, and struggles behind the completion of a public works engineering feat that failed to live up to intended purposes. It's a story of a nation evolving from humble roots to industrial and economic supremacy, often in a ham-fisted, blundering fashion.

I'll nestle it on the bookcase between Plunkitt of Tammany Hall and The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

There's something repulsive, yet strangely compelling, about the Pulaski Skyway, the grimy eyesore that the author aptly describes as "a uniquely efficient generator of traffic accidents." Deride it you must, but the Skyway is a fitting landmark for the squalid industrial wasteland it straddles. You'll want to buy and read this book in a hurry, before the inevitable collapse of the rusty hulk -- which even today, after some 75 years of service, plays a vital role spewing traffic in and out of New York City. It can't be too long before the monstrosity falls down, as anyone can attest who regularly drives the wretched span linking the Holland Tunnel and points west.

This well-researched little book tells the complete story of the Skyway's ill-starred design and construction. But by way of context, it necessarily tackles a much bigger story: the life and times of the notoriously corrupt Frank Hague, long-serving mayor/dictator of Jersey City, and the bloody battles waged by trade unions locked out of the Skyway project -- a forgotten, sad chapter in America's history.

The almanac series are an indispensable guide for all travellers - we use them for the state in which we live (NJ) and love to have them when we go on short jaunts to nearby states (PA, NY, DE etc). Can't tell you how many times we have been rescued from standing in a traffic jam on the highway because of the almanac.

We drive a lot so these maps are great for moving someplace new and learning the area plus it helps to give or get directions from other people. For the most part we have found them to be correct for 99% of the time. A lot better then the folded maps and so much more detail ie. drive ways and dirt roads in the country We have 4 other Delorme state Atlas & Gazetteer maps that are used a lot. We even had to buy a second of one state because it was used so much. It would be nice to laminate the pages that are used the most.

I bought this book for a very specific purpose, locating local lakes and waterways and determining their source and where they led. This book has served its purpose well.
The pages are designed so that enough detail of surrounding areas can be examined without having to change pages (a big problem with folding maps that when unfolded become unwieldy and difficult to manage). Significant detail is included for each page, including smaller streams and back roads.
A great feature included in the first pages of the book is a listing of many campgrounds, fishing spots, scenic places, and hunting locations. Each with a table denoting what each location has available, such as whether a specific fishing location has a boat ramp.
Once again, this book has served the purpose I intended for it. It could serve as your "I'm lost" or "Road Closed" map in your car (although too big for my glove box) or it could be your resource to a multitude of outdoor activities throughout the state.

I bought this book for someone who just received a kayak. After the commotion of birthday present opening subsided, he spent about a hour just looking over all the wonderfully detailed maps with his father-in-law. That's how I knew this atlas was the best present I could give. Everything the other reviewers wrote is true.

If you are a paddler, fisherman, hiker, camper skier or just plain outdoor enthusiast, this is the guide for you. In addition to pages of topographic maps which cover the entire state, the atlas also includes an index of all outdoor recreational activities and the recreational areas that support each. Complete listings of NJ golf courses, ski areas, scenic drives & trails, wildlife viewing areas, hunting & fishing areas and a very comprehensive list of public and private campgrounds make this a reference you will want to have to plan your next NJ outdoor adventure.

Although this is not a collection of street maps, some street maps of larger cities such as Trenton, Jersey City, Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, Hackensack, Paterson and Atlantic City are included.

I have long loved going to the New Jersey beaches. And I remember, as a child, seeing ribs of boats imbedded in the sand from forgotten wrecks. I even remember an oil-soaked beach at the start of World War II. But I had no idea of the extent of the mortal danger that this shore presented to mariners, especially in the early days. This book is a gripping description of disaster and courageous rescue along this coast. The documentation is filled with many personal details which bring these descriptions of tragedy and courage to life.

New Jersey Shipwrecks: 350 Years In The Graveyard Of The Atlantic is an extensively researched chronicle of shipwrecks in the New Jersey area from 1642 to the modern day. Illustrated throughout in black-and-white with numerous vintage photographs and artworks, New Jersey Shipwrecks commands the browser's attention with its gripping true tales of life, death, survival, and rescue. A welcome contribution to modern nautical history, analyzing individual disasters throughout history in depth and vivid detail.

What an adventure! Here are true stories of bravery and harrowing danger, stories that will call up all the courage and daring-do of real men and women, many lost at sea, some saved. Story after story is captivating, even haunting. The art work, the research, the authentic story-telling make this a book for anyone who has ever dreamed of life on the very high and very treacherous seas. Better than "Mutiny," better than "The Perfect Storm." Here are a hundred perfect storms, with photos and all the characters are real. No names have been changed. What a magnificent book!

If you've never stood on deck and smelled fresh salt, if you haven't felt the surf break around your feet at the shore, get this book and you'll be hooked! Great illustrations and photographs are surrounded by scintillating writing from an author who obviously has had a long love affair with the ocean. This book may be non-fiction but it will grip your interest as much as any of the great classic sea novels.

"Knowing Margaret Thomas Buchholz and her talent, as a fan of her earlier books, I was prepared for NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS to be a treat, but it's more than that: it's a treasure. Both its pictures and narrative wallop the reader with a typhoon's power. (One wreck survivor describes wind hard enough "to blow one's hair out by the roots") The photographs and prose of NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS grab hold of our imagination and emotions, bringing us back in time to witness dozens of shipwrecks, their victims and heroes. NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS also provides us with mysteries to ponder, including the source of the 1934 fire that engulfed the Morro Castle Luxury Liner, claming 134 lives, or the true cargo of John P. Rockerfeller's SINDIA, rumored to be smuggled Chinese national treasures. Though I've already bought two additional copies to give to relatives with homes on the Jersey Shore, this book deserves a much wider audience: it's for everyone who loves the sea or fears it, or, like most of us, do both."