If you're looking for history: this is it, in its purest form. Out of America's past, the Mayflower "Adventurers" of 1620 speak in their own words - of ordeals and triumphs, of struggles and settlement and profound religious faith. Their memories are sometimes haunting . . "they saw the grim face of poverty coming upon them like an armed man"; their stories exciting . . "about midnight we heard a great and hideous cry, and our sentinel said, "Arm, Arm"; their words inspiring . . "you have been instruments to break the ice for others who come after with less difficulty, the honor shall be yours to the world's end."

The "honor" is certainly theirs in this American literary treasure of Pilgrim documents. Riveting. Hard to put down. Adelia and Robert Notson's compilation is a book that belongs in the library of all who cherish freedom and who admire those individuals of the past who sacrificed comfort and ease for the sake of freedom. It gives us hope that we too can overcome the struggles and hardships with which we are faced, even in the 21st. century.

"Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home," by Harry Kemelman, is a fascinating crime story featuring a ... rabbi as its hero. David Small is the rabbi of the synagogue in the "Yankee town" of Barnard's Crossing. As the book opens the rabbi is caught up in a political power struggle within his own congregation. But the situation gets even stickier when a crime is committed and the rabbi is drawn into the investigation. Illegal [substance] trade and racial prejudice complicate the matter.

This is a really fun read. Kemelman has a very engaging writing style, and the smart, stubborn Rabbi Small is a marvelous character. There is occasional dated language ...but overall the book really holds up.

The story offers a really intriguing look at a Jewish community and specifically at life within the synagogue. A number of interesting issues are raised--the role of the synagogue in society, the role of the rabbi, etc. A good book not only for lovers of crime fiction but also for those interested in Jewish-American studies.

"Swan Dive" by Jeremiah Healy is another very satisfying John Francis Cuddy mystery. A good fast paced story with gritty, colorful characters and an abundance of violence. Makes me want to read his next outing "Yesterday's News". Was well worth my hunt to find this out of print copy.

The heroine of Ted's Favorite Skirt is a hoops-shooting, Madame Bovary-reading American kid trying to figure it all out. As we follow Billie in and out of love, limning with her the edges of despair and hope, Warsh leads us deep into the "hum of human machinery", a territory where all but essentials are weeded out. Part bildungsroman, part commentary on American life in the 80s, Ted's Favorite Skirt is a trenchant, lovely wonder. --Laird Hunt , author of The Impossibly

Mrs. Fiske has carefully sorted through early documents and developed a thorough and friendly history of the Thomas Cook line. She presents new thoughts, supports them with evidence, and makes this book a very valuable resource for those working anywhere along this line. Two fat! volumes may be obtained (be sure to tell Amazon which, or both, that you want) and you'll learn more than you ever dreamed possible about the Cooks. There are a few errors as can be expected in a work of this size (Grandpa's middle name was Orlando, not Oleander) but they appear minor in relationship to the vast number of entries.

This book was very thought provoking and interesting. It had a pretty cover that was very glossy. I loved the cover. I decided to hang it up on my wall. If there was an art gallery for pretty and glossy covers, this would be the first entery. I also liked the book. It was very thought provoking and interesting.

Thank you, Roger Aziz for this great book! I've tried three of the Massachusetts locations and 5 NH spots recommended in "Tight Lines" and I caught my limit every time! Roger Aziz removes all of the mystery surrounding fly-fishing. He presents his techniques in a straightforward and easy to understand manner. I've sent copies of Tight Lines to friends in California, Florida and Montana because the flies, tips and fishing methods that Mr. Aziz teaches here can be successfully employed anywhere in the world where trout or bass are found.

This is a fantastic book for ages 6 to 9, about Tituba, the slave from the West Indies whose harmless but very sincere and sacred pagan beliefs and practices sparked the Salem Witch Trials. Besides telling a little known story of black slave history, it is particularly refreshing to read about the persecution of nature worshipping people, and how easy it can be to be accused of witchcraft for having an animistic religion. By seeing Tituba on nearly every page, in contemplation and at work, I completely identified with her. For once, this telling doesn't concentrate on the hysterics of the young girls. My daughter couldn't put it down, and the illustrations deftly remind one of Tituba's connection to West Indian culture,while being set in puritan New England. It really is a must-have for those interested in women's and witch heritage.

The Most Scenic Roads In Massachusetts: 20 Routes Off The Beaten Path by travel writer John Gibson offers Massachusetts tourists a chance to see historic towns, magnificent natural splendor, and find charming lodgings, as they follow twenty routes most particularly selected for their especial appeal, enhanced with easy-to-follow maps and black-and-white photographs. A relaxing and enjoyable road travel guide, The Most Scenic Roads In Massachusetts truly lives up to its title and is enthusiastically recommended for vacationers, business travelers, and even local folk looking for recreational day-trip and weekender ideas.

Matthew Dumont's powerful description of community psychiatry is a fascinating read as it delves into social commentary in an effort to understand the nature of mental illness and how we see it. You will be glued to this book as he zooms in on single individuals and fans out, viewing them within their family, political landscape, culture, environment.

He takes us through the history of what we take for granted as routine practice. As a nurse I have handed out methadone to patients to control heroin abuse, one was a newborn baby born of an addicted mother. In his book we see the history of competing ideologies of drug rehabilitation: community self help to get completely off drugs versus a drugged methadone constituency. Drugs dominated then, and they are dominating now.

Matthew Dumont confronts environmental hazards, such as lead and chemicals used in factories, that endanger the health of those who are exposed to them. We see the politics of preventing and treating exposure to toxins, and the frustration that accompanies such attempts.

Matthew Dumont challenges the pharmaceutical, biological approach that modern psychiatry is trending towards. This contrasts with the slow pace of community psychiatry, the long term trust that must be built between patient and psychiatrist for the patient to approach healing, as in his gripping account of "Queenie". A woman who murdered her own son, it took nearly fifteen years for her to remember the moments of the event and open up to Dr. Dumont in the healing that she needed. No shock treatment or drug could do that.

Dr. Dumont has no quick fixes, no easy answers. His left leaning politics are apparent, but he does not seem overly tied to any political agenda, and that challenges the reader. Just like there are no quick fixes to the problems of mental health, no little pill to make the problems go away, there are no quick fixes to the culture of medicine for profit, economics that promote wealth for some and poverty for others, environmental hazards that cannot be easily washed away; no political party will make everything okay.

Dr. Dumont contextualizes mental illness, and in so doing contextualizes family dysfunction and even crime. To contextualize does not mean to condone. It means we are all challenged to find its many faceted sources, and just keep trying, like Matthew Dumont did.