From Jack Trombadore Book Reviews New Jersey Polio Network Newsletter, Spring 1996

For anyone who has survived polio, the year, summer, indeed, the day that he or she first had polio will always mark the time of the Plague, "The Crippler," as it was known for many decades, whether that time is personally recalled or recounted by family members. In A Summer Plague, Polio And Its Survivors, award-winning author Tony Gould, who had polio at age twenty in 1959, while a junior officer in the British military in Hong Kong, gives us a wide-ranging and thoroughly gripping history of polio throughout its most destructive period, the twentieth century, and the ways in which this country and most of Western Europe coped with this scourge. Gould acknowledges that most of the world's population has not yet received anti-polio vaccine and that much remains to be learned about post-polio syndrome. In the 1970's and into the 1980's there was an increasing medical ignorance about polio; "people troubled by its after-effects were dismissed by doctors either as hypochondriacs or, worse, neurotics in need of psychiatric treatment."

Polio first appeared in epidemic proportions at the end of the nineteenth century in Scandinavia, with the first major outbreak in the United States in 1916 in New York City. During the week of August 5 there were 1151 reported cases of polio with 301 deaths in the city. The authorities and families with young children were overtaken with panic; as many as 50,000 children of the well-to-do were sent out of the city to places considered safe from the epidemic. On the other hand, cities, Hoboken, for example, absolutely forbade all-nonresidents from entering; on July 18, 1916, police turned away 150 families trying to enter Hastings-on-Hudson. Children from poorer sections of the city were quarantined that year for up to eight weeks regardless of being asymptomatic. It was later found that wealth, poverty and/or living conditions were all irrelevant. Many cases went unreported by families fearing the quarantine. For some months it was believed that cats and dogs were responsible for the spread of polio, and many thousands were rounded up and destroyed. Nationwide in 1916 there were 27,000 reported cases of polio with 6,000 deaths, 2,343 of these in the city.

No account of polio in the United States would be complete without a retelling of the story of FDR who contracted polio in 1921 and believed for most of his remaining years that strenuous exercise, massage, and warm water bathing would cure him and restore his useless legs. The March of Dimes, Warm Springs, Ga, Sister Kenny, Drs.Salk and Sabin, and Basil O'Connor are familiar names, but, nevertheless, Gould provides an insightful and in-depth study of this cast and of the events shaped by them and others in medicine and in the politics and intrigues of medical rivalries. Politics was never absent from the constant struggle for money for treatment and rehabilitation and research for a preventive vaccine.

The conflicting methods of after-care treatment including rigid splinting with braces to prevent deformity of the back and limbs, as opposed to massage, exercise, physiotherapy, including hydrotherapy, engendered furious medical debates. Sister Kenny, who had no formal medical training, was always at the center of the storm advocating the abandonment of braces and iron lungs which she called "torture chambers." She did not come to the United States until 1940, and was rebuffed by the medical profession in spite of her isolated "miracles" on "hopeless" cases with the use of hot packs to relieve muscle spasm and a regime of exercise for muscle re-strengthening and muscle re-coordination. Her battles with American orthopedic surgeons never ended, and Gould believes that their attempts to discredit her arose out of professional jealousy.

The research for a preventive vaccine ended with the fabled successes (and incredible enmity) of Dr.Salk and his "killed" vaccine and of Dr.Sabin with his "live" vaccine.

Gould relates his own personal initial harrowing experiences with polio and those of other survivors in the later chapters of this memorable, fascinating, no-holds-barred history, including first-person accounts by Dr. Lauro Halstead and by Joan Headley, Executive Director of GINI, Gazette International Networking Institute.

Must reading for everyone!

It needed doing and done it he has - combine the wish to understand Polio the disease in detached historical and dispassionate terms but to balance it with empathy and understanding of those who suffered Polio. "Suffered" proves to be the wrong word - "overcame", "conquered" are better. The human stories with which Tony Gould concludes his book inspire the reader. The total is a two part masterpiece - the facts and the reality. A text book with heart, stories with depth. A wonderful and worthwhile way to use the eyes, stretch the mind and lift the heart.

Loaded with good local cruising information not found elsewhere. A must if you are cruising GreenBay/Door County.

Excellent for Cruising Green Bay. Everything you need for a successful sail.

I have been amazed by Simmons since first being recommended Hyperion. A long-time SF enthusiast, I loved the whole series. In fact, he had kind of slipped by me somehow so it was an absolute delight to discover such a wonderfully good FOUR book series LOL.

Being a heavy reader, I checked out his other books and discovered a very rare writer indeed: able to span genres quite ably, thank you very much. An amazing writer -- someone who can span the world-scale horror dimensions of Carrion Comfort to the Hyperion series to the comic-Darwin-Award-relief of Darwin's Blade. I was and am amazed. Even the books that I had great difficulty with in starting, like The Crook Factory -- a historically accurate fictional tale about Hemingway -- I have come to have a deep and abiding love for (I will never forget Hemingway character's explanation of effective writing).

So this book is about his writer's insights and process. If you aspire to write full-time but haven't achieved that, are delighted by the ability of Dan Simmons' works to take you on journeys and are curious as to how he goes about it... and, lastly, won't get bankrupted by the price, buy this book. If the price makes you gasp, buy more blank paper, study his published works and keep writing.

The book is *very* short and expensively priced but, trust me, you'll reread it. The foreward alone is captivating -- I had to reread it several times at the get-go. This is an intimite view into the writer's mind.

This book is a small peek into the process Simmons uses to create his magic. We see his wonderful hand rendered sketches, discover outlines for past novels, and observations that became grist for his local-color mill in the settings of some of his work. A fun book to read and own. Most interesting, probably, to great Simmons fans and writers.

Peter Orullian

This book is for all of you who like to get outside on a warm summer afternoon, or watch the sunset at 9pm in early August - yes, it's an outdoor type of book. Get your blender out, try a few recipes and then run (don't walk) out of the house and into the fresh air. Sipping a refreshing rasberry smoothie, or a more exotic pineapple 'tropical' smoothie on a summer day is heaven. There are a lot of smoothie books on the market right now, but - as far as I know - this is the only one with recipes designed expressly for the lazy days of summer. I'm waiting with baited breath for winter smoothies, because, after all, it's just around the corner!

This is one of the best smoothie books I have seen. I use the recipes so often, the pages are getting worn. I'm the type of person who gets bored very easily and the recipes in this book have been a great way to add some novelty to my routine, which usually includes at least one smoothie each day. The smoothie recipes vary from very simple to a little exotic, and I can choose either type depending on my mood. The recipes are all very clearly written, and as an added bonus there's even some humor inserted in most of the descriptions. Between reading the recipes and then enjoying the final product, it really makes my day.

Summer Soldiers brings the history of WWI alive in a unique and very touching way. This book is hard to put down, as it feels so very real. The anguish of having a beloved parent away from home, the difficulties coping with bullies bigger than you are, the struggles to make the right decisions and carry on when things get tough, are just some of the struggles that Joe copes with in this extremely well-written novel.

This is a good choice for either boys or girls, but especially for boys. How refreshing to find an interesting, compelling book for boys without a lot of violence in it! Kids of today can identify with the emotional turmoil in Joe's life, while they are stepping back into a time in history far beyond today's experiences.

I highly recommend this book as a gift for Birthdays and Christmas!

SUMMER SOLDIERS is a charming story of a boy experiencing the hardships of World War 1 on the homefront. The bullies he encounters are realistically depicted as mean and ornery. The historical facts are just right and blend in well with the story. Joe is a sympathetic character that all readers will cheer on when he displays his courage and honesty.

Marty Kelley went to college with my husband and we always loved the cartoons and columns that he wrote for Impact while he was here(far more R-rated, but how I miss Mad Dog!). I was so excited when I learned about the children's books he had written! I love all three of his books, and read them to all our little visitors! I can't wait to pass his silliness along to my own children! I highly endorse this book! What a great way to get children interested in reading, with silly rhymes and colorful pictures! 5 STARS for Marty!

Marty Kelley's books are just great. So far I have Summer Stinks and Fall is not easy, I am hoping he comes out with the other seasons soon. My daughter loved this book, and the pictures are so cute.

We heard about Mr Kelley originally when he visited my child's school in NH to do an "author visit". He read some of his stories, told the children about being an author, and even had the children participate while he made some funny drawings with the kids. My daughter and her friends loved the visit, and the teachers I spoke with thought it was really fun too.

I highly recommend all of Marty Kelley's books -

I really enjoy Jill Barklem's work, especially this book. Thesummer story is one of the Brambley Hedge season books, and tells thestory of the summer courtship and marriage of two of the mice of Brambley Hill. It's hot outside in Brambley Hedge and the mice want to do nothing but sit and dip their tails in the stream, until suddenly, the hedge is buzzing trying to prepare for the upcoming wedding. The pictures are lovely, as usual, andthe sory simple and sweet. A great book for children and adults.

I was given a copy of this book as a 2-year old, and I am so excited that it has finally come back into print. This book is very endearing. It tells the story of a young mouse, Wilfred, who is celebrating his birthday. The other mice of Brambley Hedge work together to plan a special surprise for Wilfred, and have almost as good a time planning it as Wilfred does discovering it. It is a good book for bedtime reading, or just any time. Everyone will enjoy this happy tale and it's adorable characters.

No one -- I repeat, no one -- can beat William Maltese when it comes to providing great and sensuous reads in the erotic gay short-story genre. This, his latest offering, is no exception to the "really great" rule. If this anthology doesn't have the advantage (a la his CALIFORNIA CREAMIN') of an update lead short-story detailing the location and general well-being of our-favorite-young-hustler Joey (DIARY OF A HUSTLER by Joey -- rumor having it that Joey is presently at work on his own update), it does have enough to keep any afficionado of the gay short-story genre glued (literally and figuratively) to the spot. If all of the stories keep to the fun-in-the-hot-hot-sun motif, my particular favorites are : "The Music, Man" about a screwed-up thinks-he's-straight Latino "into" the hot and heavy dance scene, "Guess Who?" which immediately brings to mind a popular young cinema star, and "One . . . To . . . Three . . . Out" tale of coming-out that's one of the best I've ever come across. So, if you're in the mood for some shorts to keep you occupied, some lonely night, when you're not up to "wading" through a long novel to get what you want, be sure to have either this anthology or Maltese's CALIFORNIA CREAMIN' handy. Speaking of novels (although not a long one): Don't miss reading Maltese's crossover-to-mainstream detective novel, A SLIP TO DIE FOR: A STUD DRAQUAL mystery, that, while not being promoted as a "gay" book (don't ask me why), has more than enough "gay" going for it to make you a fan of its can't-fool-me-he's-gay hero.

Okay, I spend far more time watching TV, going to movies, and surfing the internet than I ever do, these days, reading books. Book-reading justseems to take up too much of my time. And what do I read, when I read it, never seemsto be all that interesting or worth my effort. At least all of the above was the case until I discovered this book of short stories by William Malese. Each of his short stories is, well, conveniently and blessedly short, with satisfactory beginning, middle, and end. Finally, each short story is as hot as any summer-sizzle the auther writes about. No nodding off, I guarantee, while reading any of these hot and steamy tales!

i thought that the book was wonderful. i loved to read it. its a great coffee table book and i think everyone should have one.

This book is GREAT! But I guess I'm kind of partial because I know the authors. They are good friends of mine. I would certainly reccommend this book to anyone out there looking for a great coffee table book. Its excellent.

There are few novels that capture the breadth of New York City in the late 70s quite like this one - from the anarchic artists and squatters in Soho to the blue-collar neighborhoods of the Bronx. And I can think of few novels that are able to encompass and express the inner lives of such a diverse group of people. There's an exquisite ability at work here that manages to give voice to the unspoken dynamics of family life. As I read this book I felt like these were people I knew, people I grew up with. And for all the reality of the people, there's a poetry to the writing that managed to lift these daily, desperate lives to the heroic - and the tragicomic. Narrated by three different voices, three characters in the novel, (four if you count entries in a stolen journal that's essential to the plot) the reader has a fully three dimensional view of all the characters. But this view progresses in stages, so that it has all the mystery and beauty of a deepening relationship. Sometimes you learn things you don't like, but you're hooked. These people pull you into their story of love sought and confused sexuality, of social climbing and marital infidelity. This is a rich reading experience I would recommend to anyone who looks both depth of feeling and a good story.

Summer's House is a wonderful novel that engages the reader from the first mysterious page. The three leading characters are all intriguing and complex people that you care about and understand. The language is poetic and evocative, with many monents that stop you in your tracks to let the richness and vividness sink in. There are several mysteries that unfold throughout the book and the clues are woven into a plot that pulls you along. The intensity of the character's plights at times becomes almost palpable through the writer's style and pacing. All through the novel there is a thread of sexuality which is tenderly and convincingly portrayed-whether it is a young man's stumbling forays into the world of adult sex or the sad attempt of an older man to find love and redemption in an affair. If you like multli-generational family stories (with a Jewish backdrop) movingly told, with beautiful prose, you'll love Summer's House.