view/request
The jacket copy reads “a book about a place”. This collection of poems gathered by Jane Yolen is also a book about a people, people who have chosen to plant their roots in this valley and those who came before us. You will laugh in recognition. An ode to the parking garage? Maybe shed a tear too.
Tagged: Local author, Massachusetts, Poetry
view/request
Outwitting History is an adventure tale, but much more than an adventure tale. It is a deeply felt, thoughtful look into the place of “other” cultures subsumed into the American melting pot, an homage to a generation that will soon be gone, and an homage to books. Yiddish may have outwitted history, but couldn’t have done it without Aaron Lansky. Share this story of the birth of one of our local institutions and the local hero who made it happen. Bring a tissue but be prepared to laugh.
Tagged: History, Local author, Local history, Non-fiction, Yiddish
view/request
The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making, written by Great Barrington’s Alana Chernila is a practical guide to becoming more self sufficient in the kitchen. The book is cleverly organized by aisle and features staples that many people buy at the grocery store including pasta sauce, jelly, granola bars, and even a homemade version of the beloved Pop-Tart. Every recipe is accompanied by a personal story so if you don’t have a lot of time for cooking you can still enjoy some light reading.
I recently tried the recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread. Bread is one of those things I always really want to make for myself but usually the product is blatantly inferior to the local bakery or even the grocery store version. The instructions had the bread slowly rise in the fridge for up to three days so after nervously waiting, I finally baked my bread yesterday and was delighted to find that it was a success!
If you just can’t get enough of Alana, she also has a blog, Eating From the Ground Up.
Tagged: Baking, Cooking, Food, Local author, Non-fiction
view/request
Published as part of Northampton’s 350th Anniversary Chapbook Series, Lu Stone’s remarkable history of the house and street she called home is a fascinating portrait of the many interwoven stories which make up our neighborhoods. Finely illustrated and impeccably researched, the book is a rich tapestry of the many lives whose fates crossed in the neighborhood in the 110+ years before she purchased the house in 1983. The subjects range from working class families and Olympic athletes to Lewis Warner, the President of the Hampshire County National Bank who suddenly absconded with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bank in 1898. The book remains one of the finest examples of a ‘people’s history’ we have in the region, of dusty stories forgotten through the ages but rediscovered through neighbor’s anecdotes, dusty old newspapers, library microfilm and aging photographs cherished by relatives. The house in question, which sits today mere yards from 7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts, around the corner from the generic strip that is present-day King St., stood on the edge between a neighborhood of working class families and the stately homes and towering trees of 19th century King St. The book provides a priceless snapshot of local history, illuminating lives forgotten, reviving cherished memories and in the process helping us to understand the town’s history as a whole. This book is, as always, available to borrow from the library’s collection but is also, along with others from the 350th Anniversary Chapbook series, available for purchase at the Forbes Circulation Desk.
Tagged: Architecture, Local author, Local history, Non-fiction, Northampton