Kathy Harrison is not the kind of person who can just sit back and watch others suffer. She isn't the kind of person who feels like making a charitable contribution is doing her part to make the world a better place. Kathy Harrison is one of a special breed of people: someone who is willing to make sacrifices in order to make others happy. For Kathy, those sacrifices mean opening up her home --- and her heart --- to the neediest children in the world. Kathy Harrison is a foster parent but, more importantly, she is a hero to over one hundred children that she has helped through their toughest times.

In ANOTHER PLACE AT THE TABLE, Harrison makes no attempts to glamorize her role as a foster parent. She doesn't make herself out to be a saint. She simply tells it like it is, complete with the disheartening stories of children who have been neglected, abused and abandoned. But throughout the struggles she recounts in her book, there is always a glimmer of light: the children she has helped rehabilitate, the foster children who have found wonderful permanent homes, and the children who Harrison and her husband have adopted themselves. Despite her battles with the social services system, Kathy Harrison has made a difference.

ANOTHER PLACE AT THE TABLE is emotionally draining and fulfilling at the same time. While the subject matter is not lighthearted, the writing is excellent and the reading is fast-paced. Harrison has presented an open, honest view of her life --- faults included. Perhaps that is what makes the book exceptional.

Reflecting on the stories in this book, the phrase "Truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind. In a world where so many of us live such comfortable lives with caring families, it is hard to believe that the events in this book really happened. And no invented character could rival the personalities of those living in the Harrison household. ANOTHER PLACE AT THE TABLE tells not only the story of Kathy Harrison and her foster children but also the story of foster families across the nation. It will bring you to tears and will make you angry. It won't make you laugh and it doesn't have a happy ending. But it will make you think about the foster care system, and maybe it will encourage you to make a difference.

--- Reviewed by Melissa Brown

Another Place at the Table is the story of a family who progress from adopting two children in need to becoming full time/overtime/all the time foster parents of handfuls of children with major 'issues.' But more than that, it's a story of the social services quagmire, the birth mothers of these kids, and the kids themselves.
Of interest to all who like the truth in human interest stories.
And besides that, it's well written. Read it, and pass it on to a friend. Or better yet, buy two copies and GIVE one to a friend.

Kathy's Harrison's memoir of her life as a foster parent to over one hundred children is at times funny, sad, and heart-wrenching, but always completely honest. She is honest about her own failures and weaknesses, about the difficulty in fostering troubled children, about the many shortcomings of the foster care system, and about the tremendous need each child in that system has for a loving, attentive family. She sugarcoats nothing, yet manages to show the reader each sweet, loving, unique child she took in under the labels of "abused," "troubled" and "mentally ill."

I began this book as someone who never imagined that I would want to be a foster parent, and finished it with the inspiration to pursue it as soon as possible. Harrison is not a superhero, as I previously imagined foster parents to be; she is an ordinary person who has given an extrodinary piece of herself to those members of our society who need it most. Her story, and that of the children she loves, deserves to be read.

This wonderful book will feed your soul and all your senses!
Nostalgic and informative, You are "There" with The Family!
You will see, taste, smell, touch and feel their experiences.
A Must Read!!!

The Big House on Cape Cod was built more than a century ago by the author's great-grandfather. It weathered 2 world wars, joy and tragedy, the changing seasons and fortunes of two families, and the transition from the simpler life-styles of past times to our own modern 'very fast is still too slow' culture. When the house becomes financially untenable for family members to maintain, Colt returns for one last visit before it goes on sale...and there the story, a touching and wistful memoir, begins. Don't miss this lovely book.

Terrific book! A wonderful, truthful, sometimes sad story written with great skill and compassion about a world so appealingly (strangely) far from today. Couldn't put it down.

The authors' second collaboration of historical photos of Boston (the first was Boston Then and Now from 1982) came out ten years after the original, and shows a Boston I'm more familiar with. Much of the blight that Boston seemed to have been drowning in as late as the late 80s is gone in the new pictures in this book, and more of it is shown. The architectural finesses -- buildings with added floors, the defacement of buildings such as the former Fiske building on State St, before-and-afters of Quincy Market -- are given great attention in this book, and Campbell, the author of the text, is not happy with much of it. Especially poignant, towards the end, is a huge bit of graffiti along Columbus Ave from the 60s protesting the impending construction of I-95 through Boston; in 1992, however, the highway never having been built, it is now a park serving people from the South End all the way down to Jamaica Plain.

This book is actually a readable book, more so than the first which was all about the pictures, and much of Campbell's ideas on urban planning are on display here. Campbell, one gathers, would not be happy with the current plans to build open space over the Big Dig, yet he applauds the demolition of an old parking garage that converted Post Office Square from a desolate, confusing high-rise commercial ghetto into at least a more presentable area where the architecture of the surrounding buildings can be enjoyed from street level. Campbell's obsession with urban density comes off as being a bit agoraphobic, but it's easy to see what he means when he describes useless open space as being as much a blight as overhead highways or slums.

To those of you who might live in or regularly visit Boston, but have never seen, can't remember, or simply can't imagine downtown without the dust and construction that the Big Dig and its related projects have brought on, this book is a record of Boston just before they started tearing everything apart. It's also a valuable historical record of the evolution of a city.

With text by Robert Campbell and photographs (primarily) by Peter Vanderwarker, this book is not only a wonderful volume documenting the history of Boston, but a general and gentle instruction in the rise and fall and rise and fall cycles of many cities, focusing in particular on the "built environment". All photographs are in black-and-white, but this makes the comparison between old and new cityscapes easier. Within each of seven chapters there are a series of two-page pieces featuring photographs and an essay on such topics as: Murdering Another Street, A Waterfront Workplace Becomes a Playpen, A Landmark on Top of a Landmark, A Building That Floats, etc. The text is informative and interesting. Maps are used to supplement the material, and a good index follows. If only all history and architecture books could be this well done!

Exceptional work, highly recommended.

My sister in law gave us this book a couple years ago when we moved to Boston. I grew up in the burbs and my wife in the Midwest so we had plenty to explore. The book sat idle for over a year, but when I pulled it down, I was amazed that I hadn't opened it sooner. This book is wonderful.

This is a city that revels in its history, and, to an outsider, Boston sometimes seems a bit mired in its parochial and seemingly unchanging ways. You can end up assuming, "Gosh, it must always have been this way with it's cobblestones and colonial landmarks." This book shattered my assumptions about the static nature of this city.

The authors peel off layer after layer from the city and as the landmarks come and go the authors reflect, educate and entertain as to how these physical changes are linked to history of the city. Some changes are success stories of planning, others fortunate twists of fate, and yet others, unmitigated urban planning disasters. All fascinating illustrations that help the reader understand the city on a more meaningful level.

I must admit that I love cities and am enthralled by the idea of so many people sharing a limited space comfortably and enjoyably. Cities, to me, have an energy that speaks to the miracle of civilization where people can grow personally by sharing in the diversity of those around them. It nevers goes perfectly, because after all we are human, but it is nonetheless comforting to frame your current surroundings in the context of those who have come before you.

In 1635, at the age of 62, John Pike embarked from Southampton, England to Suffolk, Massachusetts with two grown sons and three daughters. This book looks at their descendants who, after 14 generations, have spread through the United States from the shores of New England to the Gulf Coast and to the Pacific Ocean, covering over 350 years. Families are organized and presented within generations. Brief family histories and individual biographies add greatly to the well-presented family group and personal information. The author's personal insights and explanations increase the book's value and understanding. The index includes some 14,000 names. (Genealogical Helper, May-June 1997, p.198)

The ansestors of John Pike of Newbury, Massachusetts owe a debt of gratitude to Allen R. Pike for the substance, content and joy contained in his book. He strikes out from the first ship's manifests, journals, wills, deeds and letters of John and his family upon their arrival and generation by generation builds upon the family story and connection.

Included in this line are: Major Robert Pike, whose force of personality and logical defenses finally put an end to the public madness known as the Salem witch trials; General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, known for his exploration of the southern reaches of the Louisana Purchase lands at the same time that Lewis and Clark explored the north; he who was to discover Pike's Peak in Colorado, the mountain top that provided the inspiration for the song "America" and which provided the early settlers traveling east with a beacon and a slogan "Pike's Peak or Bust"; or there was General Albert Pike, commander in the Confederate army, who resigned his commission rather than carry out an order to enlist the Indians to attack the Union army and he who later became the most celebrated Freemason and whose statue stands at the corner of Third and Indiana Streets in Washington DC.

Family members and historians seeking to know and understand the impact of an early American family on the shaping of the country will find many samples in the stories of the men and women of this family. While not a narrative per se, tracing the lines from generation to generation gives a great account of the forces at work and the personalities.

Decendants should take to heart the importance of keeping a record of the accomplishments and notable accounts of their family members for archive and future studies of the family heritage.

Marshall Pike, Acting Sec.-Treas., Pike Family Association of America

Very well written and documented history of the Pike lines stemming from John Pike who came over from England in 1635 and settled in MA. His lines spread mainly through New England and the book covers twelve generations. A genealogy of this type will be of interest primarily to those who have the Pike name in their ancestry. However, if one is starting to prepare a published account of a member of their line, this is an excellent source for study and how to organize material. It is a large book, some 875 pages. However,it is well done and attractive. There is a significant amount of information here that may prove to be of immense value. Different typing fonts are used very effectively in high lighting names, dates, and lines of decent. In many cases, short biographies of numerous individuals are given. This adds an unusual slant and offers an insite into the lives of the people discussed. Wills are reproduced where available and in several cases weddings are described. An appendix is attached and gives family lines for allied groups which tie into the Pike line. Examples are the Carr, French, Bradbury, Plummer, Stockman, Cutts, Worth, Bloomfield, True, Fletcher and Coolidge families. An excellent bibliography is given along with a complete every-name index. Mr. Allen R. Pike is to commended for assembling this material into a usuable and interesting form. It had to be a monumental effort and the result is an exceptional addition to the family history library.

This family-oriented tour book is easy to use and a valuable resource, with lots of helpful information packed into each two-page spread, including a description of the attraction, address, phone number, admission prices, hours and recommended ages, interesting facts and nearby restaurants.

The 68 attractions include old favorites (Fanueil Hall, Franklin Park Zoo, Make Way for Ducklings Tour) as well as new (Pirate Adventure, Purgatory Chasm, Plaster Fun Time) in both indoor and outdoor settings. This is a quick read and an invaluable resource for families who live near Boston or plan to visit.

This book was like having a knowlegable and fun loving friend let you in on all the great things to do and see around Boston with kids. We found it very helpful on our recent trip to the area.

I love this book. Even though I've lived in Boston for thirteen years, four of those as a parent, I had never heard of many of the places in this book. Of the 68 things listed, we had only done or visited 18 (yes, I counted). I had heard of, or intended to do several of the other listed things, and now have a great resource at my fingertips with all the pertinent info. I find the Kid-Friendly Eats suggestions extremely helpful in planning what to bring (snacks or no snacks?). I've had this book in my bag the past week, and on my subway commute to work I've enjoyed reading it. Many things listed seem a bit old yet for my four year old, but perfect for her 10 year old half-brother. Even her Dad, a native of the area who has lived here almost 50 years didn't know about some of the out-of-town listings !

I found "From Ashby to Andersonville" a particulary moving and interesting book. The experiences of the civil war private who wrote the original diary encompass a remarkable amount of the war, both East and West. The tale told is rich in the real human drama of that life in all its day to day trials and tribulations and occasional joys. Editor Ron Watson keeps the reader oriented by insightful forwards to each chapter establishing the context of the place and time. From it I have a much better sense of the ebb and flow of that great war. Few books do I plan to re-read, but this is one of those.

Few books have captured my interest and emotion as this one...a young man tells his personal tale of the Civil War ~ revealing his code of ethics, bravery, love of country, and the horrors of war. The editor provides an excellent backdrop with well-researched, newly-revealed historical data about the war. A MUST read!

Insightful account of one young soldier's Civil War experience. His experiences as a prisoner were riveting and heartbreaking....you believed you were alongside of him. Editor did a wonderful job of including historical context. It was terrific!

This Eyewithness book is up-to-date and very practical. It contains a lot of pictures which is extremely usefull if you are planning a trip. When planning the trip it makes the book in a way easier to use than for example the Lonely Planet of Boston since you got a clear picture of the surroundings.

I live in New England and this is another of my favorite books from this region of the country. DK has always published quality books in their Eyewitness Travel Guides and they have done an excellent job with this volume on Boston. Unless you visit Boston on a frequent basis it is easy to get disoriented. I really found this book quite useful and the colorful layout of this book with maps, illustrations, photographs and text really inspired me to delve into its pages and check out one of New England's premier cities. The historical information on Boston was invaluable. I never realized some of the things I used to walk past. I think it is also very informative, not only from a historical perspective, but also as a point of reference for sightseeing, travel and enjoyment.

The Eyewitness Travel Guide to Boston was recommended to me in a bookstore and it was perfect for a recent 5-day trip to Boston. The guide is laid out by area, so you really get a feel for what else is around you when you are at a particular destination. The overall maps are very good and well detailed and the book is chock full of great photos. It also includes great history and background info. My Boston friend kept asking me "how do you know all this stuff?"

This review originally appeared on my Weblog:...

While Providence may not have had a major league team since 1884, in R.D. Rosen's world, Providence is a major league team, home to the Providence Jewels, along with an architectural treasure of a ball park located somewhere around India Point park.

Rosen has written a series of mysteries featuring Harvey Blissberg, a former Providence Jewel player turned detective turned motivational speaker. Blissberg is a great detective character- by turns blustery, unsure of himself, and self-effacing. He's a very likable character, flaws and all. And of course, seeing places like Wayland Square, Haven Brothers, and the Industrial National Bank Building is very interesting for the Rhode Island savvy among us.

Rosen's geography is a little off (in Dead Ball, he has Routes 95 and 195 confused at points-- 195 passes over Richmond Street, not 95!) but that's a tiny niggle. He gets lots of geographical things right too!

The books are great fun if you like mysteries. The plots move along relatively quickly, and reading about Providence and the mythical Providence Jewels makes you wish we did have a ball club (forget about the headaches of traffic, parking, and corruption for a minute.)

Read the books, you'll be glad you did!

It looks like Providence Jewel outfielder, Moss Cooley, may be ready to do the impossible. His bat is red hot; he's hit in 46 consecutive games, and he's zeroing in on DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak record...the record, experts said, that would never be broken. But not everyone is thrilled by the possibility, and with all his success and notoriety, comes hate mail. When Moss receives a headless lawn jockey with a death threat attached, team management decides to call in the big guns, former Jewel's center fielder, turned private detective, Harvey Blissberg, to protect their star player. But "babysitting" isn't enough for Harvey, and once he sinks his teeth into the case and starts digging, he can't let go until he gets to the truth..... Mystery lovers and baseball enthusiasts will be glad to know that Richard Rosen is finally back, after a long hiatus, with another Harvey Blissberg mystery. Dead Ball is a well paced, intriguing, page turner, full of great characters, vivid scenes, and subtle plot twists that keep you off balance and guessing to the end. But it's Mr Rosen's smart, crisp, intelligent writing, and witty and irreverent dialogue that really makes this novel stand out, and his obvious love of the game, and knowledge of baseball history adds real credibility to the story. With its stunning conclusion, and very satisfying ending, Dead Ball is a novel that should definitely be placed at the top of every mystery fan's "Must Read" list. If you're new to the Harvey Blissberg series, start at the beginning with Strike Three, You're Dead, and read them all. If you're already a groupie, Harvey's back, and better than ever!

Harvey Blisberg was once a good outfielder for the Providence Jewels. After retiring he became a private investigator until all the evil he witnessed threatened to turn him into a madman. He quit to become a motivational speaker, but gave up on that too because he did not believe his own words.

Harvey accepts a job as bodyguard to Jewel's superstar Moss Cooley, a black man closing in on Joe DiMaggio's once unbreakable hitting record. The excellent baseball player has (not surprisingly) begun receiving hate mail but there is one death threat that worries team officials because they think that someone is very serious about harming Moss. As he watches over his client, Harvey realizes that this is not about breaking a record by a black man, but is about Moss and someone connected to him. Harvey places himself in peril by following the serpentine trail from Moss to his tormentor.

Baseball fans are going to love this exciting sports mystery that stars an endearing curmudgeon as a hero. The action is fast-paced and the characters, especially Harvey and Moss, feel genuine. With MEAN STREET, RD Rosen hits a home run to rival that of Maz.

Harriet Klausner

The title tells it all. This is a fun book to read and it got my wife and me all excited about our trip way before we even packed our bags. All the suggestions were very good.

This book is what travel guides are supposed to be: informative, interesting, and most of all--fun. Great research and the author's warm writing style make planning a leisurely holiday a pleasant experience. Great suggestions for romantic getaways, but there's plenty here for the whole family, if you really want to bring the kids.

Living in Chicago, I'm always longing for summer. Now I'm also longing to go to the Cape area. Enchanted Summer paints a great picture of what should be a great summer vacation. The book is well written, well organized and well..enchanting. Can't wait to check out the recommendations.

"Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language" is a look at the effect of a large deaf population on Martha's Vineyard. Though a dry read at times, this book gives an interesting look at how for once in the history of deaf culture the *hearing* adapted for the deaf instead of vice versa. While most people might assume that the large deaf population would force a hefty amount of deaf people to adapt to hearing life, the opposite was actually true; the brilliance of Martha's Vineyard was that nearly all hearing people knew sign language to some degree.

The book analyses cultural impact of the large deaf population within the Vineyard's communities, which was biologically caused by the genetic predisposition for deafness. The book, largely written like an anthropological study, focuses on both physical and cultural aspect of the deafness in the communities. However, the most interesting implications within the book are those discussing deaf and hearing interrelations.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Originally written as an ethnographic study, it is also completely readable for a non-professional popular audience. Basically, it is the story of the islanders of Martha's Vineyard, a large island off the coast of Massachusetts. The islanders originally came from the same 2 or 3 boatloads of colonists from England, by way of Boston and Scituate, from a region in Kent which already seems to have had a high incidence of hereditary deafness. Due to the geographic isolation of the island, recessive genes for deafness, which were already prominent in the original Kentish colonists, came increasingly to the fore. As the proportions of islanders who happened to be deaf gradually increased, what was the islanders' answer? Not shunning the deaf. Far from it. Rather, a tradition arose that EVERYONE on the island, deaf or hearing, simply learned sign language as children!

This book is full of fascinating little anecdotes, about how island society worked to include its deaf members. For example, we learn about families and friends, some deaf and some hearing, who would regularly sit next to each other in church. The hearing members would sign the sermons to their deaf friends. Or, sometimes groups of people who could hear perfectly well might be together, for whatever reason, and they might happen to converse by signing just as much as in spoken English. Everyone spoke both languages.

Some of my favorite parts of the book focus on the benefits of signing. For example, perhaps two neighbors wanted to converse, while being separated by 200 yards of noisy space, made vocally impenetrable by sounds of surf and sea. Whether they were deaf or hearing, they could get out their spyglasses (this was a 19th century whaling community, where spyglasses were in every household) and sign to each other across the distance while viewing each other through the magnification afforded by the spyglasses. One entertaining anecdote tells of two young men, who could hear perfectly well, who would use their signing ability to pick up girls off-island. They would pique the girls' interest in them by signing amongst themselves, and would claim that one of them was deaf. After they had secured the girls' interest, they would put on a lengthy, well-practiced charade of deafness to keep the gils curious about them. Do they ever let on that they can really hear? You'll have to read the book to find out! Bwa ha ha haaaa ( that's the sound of an evil laugh).

Those are a few minor anecdotes. The whole book is packed with stories like that, and it's endlessly amazing. The last couple of chapters make excellent, general points about the human issues raised in the book, and about how we as a society think about the "handicapped" -- perhaps, as Dr. Groce points out, we should not use the term in the first place.

Anyway, I'm really pleased to call attention to this book. I wish it were more widely known. If you're reading this because you linked to my reviewer's page from my review of "Jeepers Creepers," or something at a similar level, then, well, I'm just happy you're reading about this valuable story as well as "Jeepers Creepers." Two thumbs up.

An extraordinary presentation of how indidivuals with significant hearing deficits on a genetic basis were accepted and integrated into the community of Martha's Vineyard for many generations. It interesting to discover that many of the original settlers in Martha's Vineyard in colonial times had significant auditory deafness due to hereditary factors . They and their decendants many of whom were deaf became vitally important members of the community .