1 comments about A Voice from the Mountains.

1. Voice From The Mountains by sculptor and educator Anthony Caponi is a personal memoir of a remote village in the Apennines Mountains of central Italy, where Caponi spent his boyhood in the 1920s. Traditions handed down through the centuries and pride in the heart of day-to-day living mark the reflections and remembrances. Black-and-white photographs add an extra touch to this powerful account, which is written largely in an unusual style that strongly resembles free-verse poetry. Voice From The Mountains is a unique and superbly presented memoir.

No comments about A Childhood Remembered.

5 comments about Wonderful Passaic: Memories and Recollections.

1. Robert Rosenthal's book is a glorious narrative memoir. His style, naive, gentle and kind, takes the reader back into the uncomplicated moments of youth. In recounting his memories, we are transported through the history of Possaic, a town brimming with multiethnic culture. It is the essence of America and it touches your heart. I recommend this book ...it is a joy to read.



2. I did not grow up in an ethnically rich city like Passaic. In fact, the opposite was true, as I grew up in a suburb of Washington, DC. However, even though I did not grow up in the same town or even the same decade, there were amazing parallels.

   Parallels such as girls, or more precisely, the courage to talk to them. Or the camaraderie of boys growing up together and forming bonds that would last a lifetime. What about the big poker game and striptease? Wait a minute That didn't happen when I was seventeen (I sure wish it had though)! It did, however, happen to Bob Rosenthal.

   Yes, "Wonderful Passaic" is just that; wonderful. It will inspire your own (possibly forgotten) recollections of growing up.




3. Once upon a time, suburban America existed mainly as an adjunct to our older cities. Trolley lines and Model T's allowed former city residents to "spread out" in greener neighborhoods, while retaining access to the city's employment, shopping and professional services. Eventually, the suburbs grew independent of the urban centers; with mega-malls and edge-city office complexes, today's suburbanites need never tread the "Broadways" and "Market Streets" of old.
   
   When I was growing up in suburban New Jersey in the late 1950s and 1960s, enclosed malls and glass office buildings existed more on paper than along the highways (although the first ones soon became popular). Instead, there was a city near-by where I was taken whenever I needed a penicillin shot, a suit, a whipped-cream birthday cake, or a pair of glasses. I would spend most Sunday afternoons and every important holiday visiting my grandparents in that city - i.e., Passaic, NJ. Passaic and its namesake river defined the geography and economy of my own neighborhood. All roads led to Passaic; the important ones, anyway. Over time, however, Passaic lost its regional significance. Other than an occasional rock concert at the Capitol Theater, there was little reason to go to Passaic.
   
   I now regret that. Passaic was a place with character, home to many interesting characters. Thus, I was delighted to recently come across two books about Passaic and its socio-geographic extension across the river, Wallington. They were written by two fellows who are interesting characters themselves. One is Bob Rosenthal, who writes of growing up during the Depression and WW2 in "Wonderful Passaic". The other is Bill Michalski, who simultaneously grew up in Passaic and later Wallington, and lived to tell of it. He didn't live by much; certain of Michalski's adventures in his book, "Poland on the Passaic", are quite harrowing!
   
   Both authors flourished within a few miles of each other. Both had grandparents who came over from eastern Europe. And yet, there is surprisingly little overlap between their daily lives. They went to different schools, tended to different religious traditions (sometimes reluctantly), and spent their free time in different places doing different things. But that's the spice of urban life -- all the different possibilities that coexist within a mile or two. You can pick out some referents confirming that both authors were proximate in space and time. E.g., the Main Street shopping district; Rutts Hut, a famous hot-dog joint in nearby Clifton; citronella for mosquitoes; worries about polio; humiliating remedies for poison ivy; visits to anti-aircraft gun batteries (in northern Passaic for Rosenthal, in eastern Wallington for Michalski; obviously Passaic was important to WW2 air defense planners); and the significance to both men of the Korean War.
   
   And despite the many differences in their temperaments, interests and family traditions, Rosenthal and Michalski have a lot in common. They were both among the first in their families to go to college, assume professional careers, and serve their county in important ways. Their books both focus on humor, but have their tender moments: Rosenthal recalling his grammar school girlfriend and an incident that ended their friendship, and Michalski reminiscing about the pet crow that he brought up. And they both exhibit a mix of independence, talent and pluck. Enough pluck, in fact, to believe that their growing-up stories were entertaining and find book publishers willing to take a chance on finding a couple thousand interested readers.
   
   Bob Rosenthal and Bill Michalski have helped me to understand various things about my parents (who hailed from these same towns). And they provide a valuable lesson on how Americans got by in less prosperous times - and even laughed, in spite of the hardships! I hope that America's robust economy and high standards of living will hold despite a future that promises global warming, oil scarcity, continued terrorism, deepening debt, and intensifying global competition. If not, though . . . perhaps the frugality of Michalski's mother, along with Grandpa Rosenthal's belief in America and education, will be needed once more.
   
   P.S. Would love to see a joint effort by these guys with reflections on the U.S. today. Title: "America-on-the-Passaic".



4. Reading Wonderful Passaic, brought back the happiness of my childhood in Passaic, New Jersey. Anyone who was born, brought up and graduated from High School like I did will love this book as well as the others Bob Rosenthal has written, especially Memories of the Y.



5. The book provided an interesting picture that reminded me of the town I knew, but the recollections were quite different from my experiences growing up in Passaic.

No comments about Joseph Gavi.

5 comments about First and Last Seasons: A Father, A Son, and Sunday Afternoon Football.

1. I didn't think it possible that anyone could really describe what it was like to grow up in the small Cleveland suburb of Euclid, Ohio, and how it feels to return there as an adult. But Dan McGraw has done just that. Cleveland has been referred to as 'the Land of Oz,' and Dan McGraw's book gives the reader a bitter-sweet taste of what it means to be called a `Clevelander.'

   Although I don't personally know Dan McGraw, I grew up right on the Lake Erie lakefront about a mile from where he and his family lived.

   His accurate, colorful descriptions of the locations and people in and around the Cleveland area are right on the mark. The book really `tells it like it is' when one is faced with the illness and death of a parent, and one's identity as it relates to their parents and their neighborhood.

   What is it like going back to your old neighborhood and finding things have changed but yet remain the same? It is an interesting paradox that really comes out in the story, as does Dan McGraw's attitude as he experiences a myriad of mixed emotions toward life and the city he both loved and hated.

   It is a book certainly everyone can identify with, and forces one to raise questions about their own experiences with family and friends, as well as one's upbringing. The book expresses the feeling held by many Clevelanders that growing up in the city by the lake was depressing yet exhilirating, dull yet exciting, comforting yet agitating.

   Don't miss this interesting biography of a man who saw through to the inner meaning of what it is to be a son, a father, a caregiver, and a resident of what has got to be the strangest, most unique area in America.




2. Dan McGraw made me laugh at deathbed tales and cry about football and it was well worth every page.



3. The book was supposed to be about the author spending the first season of the Brown's with his dying father. But like so many things in life it does not go exactly as planned and the father dies after the first preseason game. The author improvises a little and does backwards looks at his relationship with his father. He also examines the strange relationship between a town and its team. The town pays for the stadium to bring the Brown's back, but it is not really a team of the common Clevelander, which is probably true of most of the NFL. While these are the two main topics (the author's relationship with his father and the new Browns) the author bounces around on other topics such as his own drinking issues and race relations in America (or at least Cleveland). In almost every topic he touches he shows how life is almost more complicated and messy that it seems it should be. Overall, a good read for football fans.



4. I must admit being prejudice about this book. This book was written for me.

   I grew up in Cleveland in the 70's and 80's and was a big Cleveland Brown's fan. I actually attended the last Championship game a professional Cleveland team won...the 1963 NFL title game. So, I understand the pain Clevelander's have experienced for the past 40 years.

   McGraw moves back to Cleveland to spend time with his Father who is dying and to cover the first year experience of the "new" Browns. It sounds like a smaltzy experience, but it is anything but.

   The power of the book is the complete honesty that McGraw relates about his Dad and himself. There is no sugar coating of the "good and bad" about their character and their relationship.

   McGraw also gives an accurate description of how Cleveland has been homogenized into "any town" USA and gives a feel for today's predictable NFL machine. I'm one of those "don't care about the new Browns" type.

   I would love to sit down and have a beer with Dan in one of those old crappy Cleveland bars.




5. While I applaud the author's honesty, I am saddened by his unnwillingness to grow and change from this experience. For all his just-as-I-am bravada, Mr. McGraw, in the end, seems destined to drink away his life as a means of running away from himself. I found it fascinating -- and a tad pathetic -- that he writes with such confidence about his so-called life. But like his drinking, it's obviously just a way of ignoring the truth. His "drink a beer and do it again" life has that swashbuckling feel of life lived boldly. But it's really a selfish life. And I can't help but wonder when he's going to grow up, look in the mirror and ask himself: Is this how I want my daughter to remember me when I'm gone? When she writes her book on me? I can't remember when I've read a book that offered so little hope or inspiration.

5 comments about Redemption of the Shattered: A Teenager's Healing Journey Through Sandtray Therapy.

1. Bob Livingstone offers the reader a very personal and powerful account of his story of bereavement. His journey reflects the complexity and multi-layered aspects of a central concern of the human condition: grief. Bob's struggle is our struggle, the search for meaning, integration, and resolution of loss in our lives. Bob teaches us the importance of self-exploration and how willingness to face our own demons can eventually lead to healing. This is a story of hope.



2. Redemption Of The Shattered by Bob Livingstone is an emotional self propelled path toward healing. I enjoyed it for many reasons. Mainly, I was releived by the ease at which I, a lay person, could read and comprehend the book. Sandtray therapy was a foreign topic to me, but after reading this book, I feel I understand it and its usefulness. Secondly, the format of the book, sandtray, analysis, family discussion and questions is well thought out and practical. It lends to a usefulness in my own life. Finally, Mr. Livingstone connects with the reader by sharing his own struggles and pain, his "Healing Journey" through his sandtray therpay sessions. In doing so, he is a testament to the effectiveness of a therapy process in which he so clearly believes. I would recommend this book to any teenager or adult struggling with emotional pain.



3. "There can never be enough discovery vehicles to help lead people out of the all-too-often confusing wilderness of their pasts. Redemption of the Shattered is a valuable tool on the road to wellness."
   
   Russell Friedman, co-author of The Grief Recovery Handbook and When Children Grieve.



4. Written and published by Bob Livingstone, Redemption Of The Shattered: A Teenager's Healing Journey Through Sandtray Therapy is a compelling blend of candid memoir with personal spiritual testimony. Here recounted is Livingstone's individual experiences and the near devastating pain of coping with the early loss of his father. Redemption Of The Shattered is highly recommended as a profound and engaging voyage of self-discovery, insight, and the recovery from familial grief.



5. When was the last time you took a stroll along the beach at dawn, while there were very few people around? The air is crisp; the clap of the water is magnified; the bits of shell prick your soles. You kneel down and cup some of the sand in your hand, remembering the times when you played on the beach as a child. There is a peaceful aura. The ocean water washes away your troubles as it slowly disintegrates your new sand castle. If you have never experienced this before, plan a morning trip to a nearby beach, and witness the calming effects.

   "Redemption of the Shattered" describes how the author used the act of playing in the sand to heal the emotional scars from his teenage years. With the help of a Sandtray therapist, he reenacts significant scenes of his life, by choosing from hundreds of miniature figures. Each chapter has a narrative, a commentary and family discussion questions. The narrative or mini "play" describes the event from his viewpoint as a teenager. A commentary follows the narrative, which explains his feelings of the event in retrospect. Then there are family discussion questions, asking the reader how they would feel in similar scenarios.

   Bob Livingstone shares the tough parts of his life with the world. It takes a strong person to open up, and say, "This happened to me, and here's how I received healing." He knows how life can be dangerously cyclical, especially within families. "Redemption of the Shattered" shows how Sandtray therapy helped to mend the cracks in his circle of life. This book should be recommended reading not only for emotionally wounded teenagers, but also for adults who need to heal the sands of time.

No comments about House of Fields: Memories of a Rural Education (Great Lakes Books).

5 comments about Shadows in My House of Sunshine.

1. Emilie shares her facinating life, a journey of discovery and finding the strength from within. The words sing!!



2. Shadows in My House of SunshineThis book is a true page-turner! From the moment I picked up Shadows in My House of Sunshine until the moment I finished it I was completely enthralled! Ms. Betts works magic with her words. It is a truly amazing experience to go on her journey of over eight decades from the Great Depression to September 11th . Her personal and honest account of her life is an inspiration! A must read! This book would make a great gift!



3. In Emilie Betts' 85 years of life, she has lived in seven states and twenty nine different dwellings. Her nomadic life began when her family suffered great loss during the 1929 Stock Market Crash which left them homeless. Rather than being bitter about her life, Betts has used those experiences to paint a rich portrait of life for a child, turned woman through much of our nation's history.
   
   Beginning with the period immediately before the Stock Market Crash, Betts' book takes the reader on a journey that continues past the September 11th World Trade Center disaster. Her quest to find "home" and to re-create the life she knew as a child (her house of sunshine) before the financial ruin of her family is the common thread throughout this book.
   
   Readers watch Betts grow from an innocent child to a wise-before-her-time young adult and then a wife, mother and matriarch of her family. The very real impact of first the Stock Market Crash and then World War II are seen through the eyes of a woman. Reflective, confused, forever changed--these are just a few of the words to describe the way in which she approaches the telling of these events. Relationships, family crisis with alcohol, finding one's self, and searching for the true meaning of home are all brought together to take the reader through the sunshine and shadows of this amazingly complex life.
   
   Unfortunately, Betts's book did not receive the professional editing attention that her otherwise remarkable story deserves. There are numerous misplaced punctuation marks, run-on paragraphs, and strangely placed spacing. Worse, there are many words that don't make sense until the reader realizes that the automated spell-checker has produced an incorrect homonym. These editing problems made the otherwise pleasurable reading a chore.
   
   by Lee Ambrose
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



4. I read this book in one weekend; I didn't want to put it down. Though I come from a different generation, I could relate to so many feelings Emilie Betts expresses in it, especially those of a young wife and a new mother. Her description of that period in her life brought my own experience back, and made me relate to the author even more. When I came upon the unexpected surprise at the end, I actually said out loud, "Ha, so there! Good for Emilie!"



5. I liked how the author used the many houses she lived in as the framework for recounting her life. She goes from hard times to financial comfort with plenty of joys and sorrows along the way. A first hand view of a child's experience during the Depression. An excellent recounting for today's young women to see how far we've come since the 1940s. Also a view of what the 1960s was like for young married corporate types.
   Shadows in My House of Sunshine

1 comments about The Body of Brooklyn (Sightline Books).

1. This is a truly wonderful and unique book. Lazar's voice--conversational but concentrated, self-aware but entirely un-coy, and often just plain out funny-is unlike the voice of any other nonfiction writer I know, and his approach to his subjects is never hackneyed. He can write about such familiar topics as family, sexuality, culture and how they inform his sense of his own identity and identity in general and line by line, paragraph by paragraph, you never get that sense of "oh, he's taking X familiar line" that almost every writer gives. That's what I think the one of the blurbs means by describing Lazar as a writer's writer's writer: people who have read deeply and widely will perhaps appreciate this collection most, since they are most likely to understand the subtle brilliance that illuminates every page.

No comments about In My Mind's Eye.