‘Patrimony: A True Story,’ by Philip Roth
When author Philip Roth, 85, died on May 22, 2018, it hit me hard. Through the years, his books never failed to fascinate. His personal life notwithstanding, his artistic growth was profound. I greedily gobbled up American Pastoral (1997), I Married A Communist (1998), The Human Stain (2000) and The Plot Against America (2004). Among his 29 other books, there was one I purposely refrained from reading. Until now.
‘The Fall Of America: Journals,’ by Allen Ginsberg
In 1974, Newark poet Allen Ginsberg [1926-1997] had his groundbreaking The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965-1971 published by City Lights Bookstore. The poet had originally recited these poems into a reel-to-reel tape recorder given to him by Bob Dylan. In 2020, Michael Schumaker, who previously chronicled the rise of beat culture (precursor to hippie culture), transcribed, edited and annotated those original tapes for the University of Minnesota Press so that The Fall Of America: Journals could bring to light Ginsberg’s comments, reflections, dreams and reactions to his own poetry.
‘Talkin’ Greenwich Village,’ by David Browne
There’s been a lot of books about New York City, but only a few capture the elusive flavor of The Big Apple like Joseph Mitchell’s 1993 Up In The Old Hotel, Patti Smith’s 2010 Just Kids, Herbert Asbury’s 1928 The Gangs Of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld or Robert A Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1974 The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. You can now add David Browne’s stunning Talkin’ Greenwich Village to that list.
‘Springsteen On Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters,’ Edited by Jeff Burger
I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to reading Springsteen On Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches And Encounters. Truth be told, I just wanted to see if my own interview would be included. And it was. Yet as I started reading, an endearing portrait of the artist emerged: caring, responsible, well-versed in those musical heroes who came before him. He loves all the same artists I love. His eloquence in the interview situation is yet another art form. And you get to know him…I mean, really know him this time.
‘Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales’ by Clarence Clemons & Don Reo
This in-depth look at the life and times of the late E Street sax man Clarence Clemons [1942-2011] was published in 2009. From his Virginia childhood to his glory days with Bruce (who wrote the foreward), it’s eye-opening, oftentimes profane, funny and informative.
‘The Jersey Death Squad: A Journey To Kill Jessie Freeman’ by Mark Meding
Alternately funny, harrowing, suspenseful and oh-so-Jersey to the max, Mark Meding’s ‘The Jersey Death Squad’ had me up nights. It’s a hot, fast sizzle of a read, filled with the kind of Jersey colloquialisms that ring true, if not a little on the crude side. Thus, the humor.
‘Hidden History Of Newark’ by Helen Lippman
Longtime Newark resident Helen Lippman has followed up her terrific ‘To Newark With Love’ with ‘Hidden History Of Newark.’ While the former keys in on her personal history, the latter is filled with priceless pieces of information about this city, founded in 1666.
‘To Newark with Love: A City, A Family, A Life’ by Helen Lippman
With a lump in my throat reading about the town I too grew up in and loved, Lippman is the first author since the revered Philip Roth to make that town truly come alive again. There’s even a compendium of modern-day attractions that the newly gentrified Newark has to offer.
‘Jersey Metal: A History of the Garden State’s Heavy Metal Scene’ by Frank White and Alan Tecchio
This monster of a book should keep metalheads of any state highly engrossed and entertained for hours on end. Between longtime photog White’s illuminating shots and the prose of both authors, its 344 full-color 8-by-11-inch oversized pages, on good glossy-sturdy paper, makes for a welcome addition to any coffee table.
‘The Price You Pay’ by Jim Fusilli
Jersey City. Mid-1970s. It’s a rough’n’tumble town where Teamsters stick together, the mob’s tentacles reach out and the cops have to know which side of the bread that the butter’s on. To that end, protagonist Mickey Wright’s father is an old-school cop, steeped in nefarious doings with drug dealers, fellow rogue cops and crooked politicians. When he gets his son a job with the Teamsters, Mickey soon realizes that his silence on certain matters is a foregone conclusion. That’s the heart of this tough-guy page-turner of a tale.
‘Baseball, Nazis & Nedick’s Hot Dogs: Growing Up Jewish in the 1930s in Newark’ by Jerry Izenberg
Rutgers grad Jerry Izenberg’s loving memoir of his home town of Newark fills in a lot of the holes for us Jersey Boys who grew up reading his sports reporting in the Newark Star-Ledger. Born down the shore in Neptune City 93 years ago, he’s still going strong writing words that leap off the page, and, boy, does this memoir ring true.
‘A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston’ by Robyn Crawford
Prior to 1985, when Whitney Houston busted out of Newark in her meteoric rise to the top of the charts, she palled around with Robyn Crawford, her best friend. In 2022, a feature film biography, ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,’ was well-received. It was based partially on Crawford’s very personal memoir recounting her life before Bobby Brown muddied the waters.
‘Ivy Hill’ by Arthur Ruben with Eleanor Cooney
Ivy Hill is in the Vailsberg section of Newark. Taken from true events like the 1967 race riots, Eddie is traumatized by the death of his dad, and alienated from the asshole his mom decides to marry. Music is his salvation and he forms a band, The Camaros…
Joel Selvin’s Blockbuster Jim Gordon Biography, ‘Drums & Demons,’ Set For February
He might have been the greatest rock drummer of them all. But now his name is hushed over, hardly mentioned, a mere footnote to rock history, and the book on his tumultuous life and horror ending had never been written. Leave it to Joel Selvin—who wrote the definitive Altamont book—to tackle this subject.
West Long Branch Author Writes The Book Beatle Fans Have Been Waiting For
Leave it to Kenneth Womack, 57, of West Long Branch, to write ‘Living The Beatles Legend: The Untold Story Of Mal Evans’ (Dey Street Books), a project that has had Beatle fans buzzing for years.
Linking Bruce & Billy: ‘Bridge and Tunnel Boys’ by Jim Cullen
‘Bridge & Tunnel Boys’ (Rutgers University Press), by Jim Cullen, subtitled ‘Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century,’ is a $28.50 262-page book detailing the similarities of two artists who grew up similarly influenced on those who came before them.
Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska,’ by Warren Zanes
“After decades in the world, Nebraska is one of those recorded works recognized for its simplicity but also for its density, its many-layeredness. It’s a record you come back to, a record with more than its share of mystery, a record that keeps mattering and keeps throwing off new meanings”—Author Warren Zanes
Jersey Bookshelf
Books by and about Jersey musicians