This well researched volume is a history of The Day Paper, its inception and growth under the revered Theodore Bodenwein (1864-1939), and its evolution over the years into the independent, well staffed paper of record for New London and Southeastern Connecticut. The well researched book (and in many places opinionated which makes it all the more interesting) chronicles the history, the economy, politics and personalities of New London since the Civil War to the present through the eyes of the paper and its editors.

But it is much more than history. It is a story of people and how several strong minded people, especially Mr. Bodenwein, shaped the paper into a community institution and made a difference. It is a story of the survival of The Day as an independent institution as it weaved its way through the Depression, two world wars, the death of Mr. Bodenwein, disinherited heirs, the paper's subsequent bureaucracy, the machine politics of this very ethnic town, the Internal Revenue Service and its reinvention as a modern institution.

Greg Stone, a native son, made New London come alive through his many anecdotes and opinions. And importantly, The Day (its writers, its management and directors) deserves accolades for enabling Greg Strong to write this book. No wonder it is the paper of record for New London and the surrounding county. As a former Day paperboy and New London native who reads theday.com from his desk in Los Angeles, thank you.

THE DAY PAPER: The Story of One of America's Last Independent Newspapers, by Gregory N. Stone, The Day Publishing Company, New London, 2000

Sometimes you approach a book with great anticipation, and at other times, with an equally great apprehension. I approached THE DAY PAPER, by Gregory N. Stone, with both of those two mind sets in full operational mode. I was eager to read it, because the history of any daily paper that has been around for almost 120 years has the potential to be interesting. In addition, as a regular reader of The Day, and someone with a particular interest in the history of the area it covers, I had a built-in bias towards the subject. But there were good reasons to be skeptical, too. A history that's published by the same paper it chronicles? It didn't sound promising. What kind of objectivity could I expect? I braced myself for what might well turn out to be an eyeball-glazing puff piece. Well, I need not have worried. THE DAY PAPER is not only a good book, it is a sensationally good book. Gregory N. Stone has somehow managed to distill in its pages the whole multifaceted story of The Day and the community it serves in a way that literally pulls the reader along. There are surprises on every page. Gossip. Jokes. Wry insights. Even the occasional tug at the heartstrings, for the sentimentally inclined. Most significantly, there is no pandering, no glossing over of the more embarrassing details, nothing to slow down the pace or cause the reader to wonder what "really happened." The credit for this wonderful book (and I mean that--it really is wonderful) must go to its author, who has somehow found a way to piece together an extraordinarily diverse saga covering thousands of lives, hundreds upon hundreds of incidents, occurring over a century and more, and to give it a shape and a dynamic that impels the reader to want to know what happens next... and next... and next. The author has certain advantages going for him, and he has made good use of them all. First, he has been blessed with publishers who had the wisdom and taste to keep out of his way. As Stone describes it in his introduction, he was instructed to tell the story of the paper "warts and all," and he has done just that. Second, he has a subject that is compact enough to be seen whole, rather than piecemeal. He is able to treat the New London area and its newspaper intimately, so that the reader can follow a remarkably coherent story of the city and The Day as together they pursue their combined destiny from the post-Civil War era to the present. The third advantage Stone has going for him is that he has a hero, an extraordinary, almost legendary hero, the remarkable Theodore Bodenwein, whose rags-to-riches biography and lifelong commitment to New London gives the story its thrust, its moral center, and finally, its remarkable resonance. Bodenwein, who ran the paper for almost fifty years, from 1891 until 1939, was a newspaperman of remarkable ambition and brains, who grasped to a degree few others matched, the symbiotic relationship between a newspaper and its community. Like the more famous immigrant publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, he had a strong sense of public responsibility, and felt obliged to serve those to whom he sold newspapers. Bodenwein died in 1939, having fought innumerable battles to improve the city and to outsmart competitors (in 1900 there were three dailies in New London), but he was determined that his newspaper would not die with him. By the terms of his will, he made The Day as close to immortal as human ingenuity and the laws of inheritance could devise. Essentially, he disinherited his heirs, and locked the newspaper's ownership in a trust, so that it might always be able to protect itself from being gobbled up by some predatory chain. As Gregory Stone makes clear, Bodenwein's legacy is still very much alive, and a remains a cornerstone of the newspaper's culture. But as he also makes clear, his hero was a human being, not a plaster saint. Bodenwein led a full life, and Stone lets us in on a lot of interesting details, including his roving eye, his various real estate schemes, certain personal pecadillos, and the alacrity with which he was able to switch political affiliations when it suited his purposes. What does the book cover? Just about everything. It begins, in the style of Citizen Kane, with the death of the press baron Theodore Bodenwein, then flashes back to his arrival, as a five year old immigrant from Dusseldorf, to the little city of New London. Stone paints a beguiling picture of what it must have been like in the 1870s, when local boosters were already promoting New London's healthy climate, deep water harbor, railroad connections and strategic location as the perfect combination of factors for the metropolis of the future. (Sound familiar?) I was particularly taken by the description of Bertie LaFranc, the star attraction at Lawrence Hall, who billed herself as a "pedestrienne," and entertained local audiences by walking fifty miles in less than twelve hours along a course within the hall that had been marked out by a surveyor. (Apparently, it didn't take a whole lot to attract a crowd in New London in those days.) Stone's story continues at a rollicking clip, chronicling the ups and downs of New London and The Day, identifying seemingly unconnected events, and tracing the way things grow and change. We see how an apparently insignificant U.S. Navy coaling station, established after the Civil War, gradually grew into the most important submarine base in the world; we witness the launching, in 1904, of the world's largest ship, the Minnesota, at the Groton shipyard, which eventually metamorphosed into Electric Boat; we see how the advent of electrical power led to the development of trolleys, which in turn enabled The Day to expand circulation; how the founding of Connecticut College and the Coast Guard Academy improved the city's academic profile (while simultaneously playing hob with the tax base)....

... from Gotanda's earlier, better known pieces -- forget linear narrative of any kind, this is a halucinatory dream gone trippy. Saw this in NYC years ago at Manhattan Theater Club and was mighty impressed with Gotanda's use of language, the way he plays with phrases, the way he learns to work within and outside of the language box. It's entertaining, it's thought-provoking. By curtain's fall, you have to ask if you yourself are not standing on your head, trying to somehow make sense of an upside world.

DAY STANDING ON ITS HEAD is a wild ride into the psyche of a 40-something professor asking the age-old question, IS THAT ALL THERE IS? The play is highly theatrical, and, as we staged it at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre & Asian American Theatre Company, full of quirks and surprises, including a few wacky song numbers and a whirlwind of activity. The story is both poignant and pertinent, centering on the universal quest for meaning in this transient existence. I recommend it highly to anyone looking for an engaging, truly theatrical work to direct, to perform in, or to peruse with pleasure.

This book touched a part of my heart that I did not know existed any more. It is a wonderful story for children of all ages. The writing is well thought out and the illustrations are wonderful. The author should be commended.

The theme of the story is a universal one that subtly teaches us that the golden rule is larger than any one person or any one country. It is thought provoking on many levels, even though its primary audience are elementary aged children. The illustrations were wonderful and the writing flowed marvelously. I highly recommend this book to parents

This book is great fun for young and old alike! It shows what the consequences of our actions can have on our earth and how we can overcome the problems we have created by all pulling together. Beautifully illustrated!

This is a book that children and adults will enjoy. The adults will enjoy the message that this book is sending to future generations and children will love it for the colorful and descriptive illustrations. An admirable contribution by a talented and farseeing author.

This book is one of my all time favorites. I started reading to my children when they were babies - it has great rythm. It is delightful for adults, and my children have always been riveted. My one year old twins stop whatever they are doing to listen to the story whenever I start reading it. (I even "read" it to them in the car or bath because it is an easy little poem to memorize!)

Written in rhyme, this book makes it easy for young readers to experience the thrill of reading all by themselves. Of course, the goose's antics only add to the excitement. This is a great book to motivate your preschooler to want to learn to read.

the day this book showed up, it changed our lives. all we ever hear is "Mommy, can we read this one? " The kids love it, and so will the parents.

It was about farm animals who didn't have any idea what a sheep is. They learned about what a sheep is because the sheep taught them. But she also reminded them that they are all farm animals. The animals also compared the differences of how they look and live.

On an October night in 1962, the voices had arrived without a warning. Ken Steele was only fourteen years old. The voices told him to kill himself, that the world would be better off without him and that he was no good at all. Ken had been listening to the radio in his home in Connecticut and began to think he was in a nightmare but realized he was not asleep. He knew he could not tell his parents because he was already a big enough disappointment to them. Ken's father wanted him to play baseball and become a professional, Ken wanted to read and write. His parents were in denial and Ken was in and out of hospitals being diagnosed with schizophrenia. When he turned eighteen he moved to New York alone and began a publishing job. Ken was suicidal and had attempted many times to set himself afire, hang himself or jump off of a tall building. Finally Ken had been checked into Manhattan Psychiatric Center, where they evaluated and tried to help Ken Steele with his mental illness. Ken had spent thirty-two years of torture from inner voices demanding him to kill himself. In this inspiring novel, Ken tells the story of his recovery from schizophrenia, his insanity, paranoia and coping with the out-side world with schizophrenia. Ken Steele still had hope despite his insanity and mental illness; he yearned for a state of sanctuary and wanted to be helped. He died from heart failure on October 7th, 2000 and would have been fifty-two on October 9th.

Steele's book is one of the best I've seen on the subject. He tells us an insider's view of schizophrenia that is rarely portrayed so accurately. He does not tout a particular drug or a particular doctor, therapy, or procedure, which I feel is important because so many times an author credits a "miracle cure" for their recovery. There are many treatments for this illness and the appropriate one may differ from one person to another. I found I could identify with Ken in his quest to start living after thirty years of being out of commission, his drive to unite people with mental illnesses and improve conditions for us all. After I went through 18 years of mental illness and recovered, it seems there is a lot to do to make up for lost time. The memory of Ken Steele will stay with the reader for a long time, and so will his message.

To me this review does not do justice to the most compelling aspect of the book, which is how political pressure, and assurances of safety in the face of all evidence to the contrary, by governmental officials and other trusted leaders dissuaded the people of St. Pierre from evacuating the city in time to save their lives. I read this book many years ago and have forgotten some of the details, but this theme -- more popularly explored in "Jaws" and recently in "Isaac's Storm" -- has stayed in my mind. Most readers will never be threatened by a volcanic eruption, but this book is a somewhat grim reminder that our own leaders may be lying about impending natural disasters. Remember Pelee!

Thomas and Witts tell the story of a week in May, 1902,when the Carrabean city of St. Pierre was obliterated by a volcanic eruption. When I first saw this book, I wondered how anyone could pen over 150 pages on a volcano that wiped a city out in seconds, leaving only two survivors. I thought there would not be much to write about. Boy was I wrong! It turns out that in the week prior to the eruption, St. Pierre was hit by landslides, a tsunami, and even a deadly snake infestation! Several hundred were killed before the great event itself. The final eruption is simply the climatic horror and can almost be seen as a blessing, putting people out of their misery. This book is probably hard to find now, but it is worth getting, and will interest just about everyone from the scientist to the casual reader.

I grew up in the area, my dad died of a brain tumor associated with nuclear fallout in Nevada, Classmates and friends in school died of a Leukemia rate 500% higher than national averages. This book also gives relevant dates and times concerning the deaths by eventual cancer of almost everyone involved in the making of "The Conquerors" Staring John Wayne, Agnes Moorehead etc. which was shot on location in So. Utah shortly after the blast and fallout. I read this book in college in Salt Lake in the 70's and it was WIDELY available then. I find it quite odd that it is impossible to find a copy of it in any library or any booksearch I have repeatedly attempted over the course of the last two years. The book also details and suggests fallout patterns from weather anomalies that affected Los Angeles and Las Vegas, that resulted in "smog" advisories for LA way ahead of its truly smoggier years. We used to be notified of blast times and would go upstairs to watch the blast wave spill water out the end of the pool and all the swag lamps swing. Fun Hunh?

VERY spooky book and its unavailability spookier.

Read the book years after my own experiences with fall-out in both northern and Southern Utah. Fuller tackles his subject with depth and emotion, caring for the subjects he interviews and writes about. This book was a thin wedge which finally opened the US Government's files on Atomic Testing and the low-level and high-level fall-out we all live with. Particularly liked the way the book begins with an ordinary day or what had become an ordinary event --- the explosion of a nuclear bomb in Nevada. His focus on the little people working in mines, ranches, and local farms. He makes us feel that they are important and that what happened to them is just as important as the election or assasination of a president. I found it quite moving the way the ranchers and sheepmen held out hope that this was an accident and that their government would, of course, do the right thing. Fuller follows these people from the original event (a bomb called Dirty Harry) to the interviews with the Department of Energy, the reports back and forth and the subsequent lawsuits. This is a MUST book because it is this case which led to a ruling by Judge Jenkins that there had been a gross mis-carriage of justice in the original trials because crucial information had been deliberately with-held from the defendants. His ruling in turn led to the Compensation Act which grants some money to surviving victims of a few couties in Utah if they have the right kind of cancer and can prove they were in the area at the time Dirty Harry.

I have used this book many times with different classes. It really gets children to think about what it would actually be like if there was no math. This is a perfect book for all those students who wonder where in the world are they ever going to use math.

I'm going into ninth grade. I was required to read this book in 2nd grade, and it still makes an impact on me. Imagine a day without math!!! We couldn't survive without numbers. How would we tell time, eat breakfast, go to work, or even relax? Everything in our society revolves around numbers. Try reading this if you hate math, and you will be surprised at how much math you really know.......I know I was.

Melody