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COMING IN OCTOBER! |
Devastation on the Delaware: August 18-20, 1955: Three terrifying days and nights still remembered with awe in the Delaware River Valley. Record-breaking rainfall—almost two feet in some places—from twin hurricanes abruptly ended a withering drought, but the relief was short-lived. It was overshadowed by terror and destruction that tore away bridges and snatched people, still sleeping, from their beds in the middle of the night. Tributaries swelled unbelievably, some rising thirty feet in fifteen minutes. Eventually, they all poured into the Delaware, transforming the usually placid waters into a raging, uncontrollable beast. Mountain resorts were indundated, leaving cars up-ended in swimming pools. Entire summer camps and vacation colonies were washed away. Hundreds of children were evacuated by helicopter from island camps in a tense, unprecedented operation. In the end, nearly a hundred people were dead, dozens missing, and hundreds more left homeless. Victims' bodies were still being recovered thirty years later. Some were never found. Interviews with more than a hundred survivors and eyewitnesses combine with dozens of historic photos to bring these events to chilling life, in this first comprehensive account of a tragic event that changed life in the Delaware Valley forever. |
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These are my first two books. They are currently out of print, but are available through amazon.com and other online booksellers. |
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Wisconsin: The Way We Were (Heartland Press, 1993) is a popular history of the Badger state, richly illustrated with antique photos from the first century of statehood. Covering the period from roughly 1845-1945, the book explores the answers to many questions I had about the formation of the state in which I lived for thirty years. What caused people to uproot themselves from a relatively comfortable life in the “civilized” East to migrate to what was then the wild Wisconsin territory? What did they find when they got there? How did they eke out a living once they decided to stay? Why did some decide to turn around and go back? Wisconsin: The Way We Were takes a look at these questions and more in an accessible, entertaining format, illustrated with dozens of historical photos, some never before published.
Please be aware that if you buy my books through this link, you are subject to the information-gathering policies of amazon.com concerning your email address, etc.
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Rural America: A Pictorial Folk Memory (Willow Creek Press, 1995) is a lighthearted look at life before rural electrification and horseless carriages in the United States. Its "popular history" approach explores the idiosyncrasies of life on the farm – its peculiarly egalitarian “politics,” family interaction, and daily life. The term “popular history” in the publishing world means factual without being rigidly academic or scholarly, which perfectly describes my interest in history. I think that, in all too many historical texts, people – the “story” part of “history” – have been overlooked amidst a whirl of dates, places and big events. This has had the effect of removing the history student from any feeling of connectedness with those s/he reads about. I feel this disconnectedness has had a profound and negative effect on modern people, especially the young. Understanding history in a personal way is very important to appreciating how we fit into the world today. If we can find even one or two people in history with whom we feel a kinship, maybe we can develop some sense of responsibility for our own actions and how they will affect those that come after us. I remain committed to uncovering the “story” in history, which can make the past relevant to our present and, more importantly, to the future.
Please be aware that if you buy my books through this link, you are subject to the information-gathering policies of amazon.com concerning your email address, etc.
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