Fun books by Seacoast authors to read on a summer day
Those warm, even hot, summer days won’t last long, and soon we’ll look back and wish we hadn’t wasted them hanging around an air-conditioned theater watching a movie. But none of us should be too hard on ourselves if we just want to relax for a while and do practically nothing.
We can only take so many vacations or go to the beach or pool so many times. The Red Sox are always an option, but that damn Boston traffic, especially when a tunnel is closed, is not much fun. I can attest to that.
So what to do?
Here I mention some books from my bookshelf that locals will find entertaining, informative and even personal because readers may know the people described in them.
“Legendary Portsmouth locals,” written by Charles McMahon, 2013, Arcadia Publishing. McMahon was a journalist with the Portsmouth Herald and uses his unique point of view and insider knowledge of Portsmouth as he presents short stories about dozens of Portsmouth people and places, past and present. In his work, he provides a comprehensive overview of Portsmouth’s history.
Read about Mayors Eileen Foley and Bob Lister, Vice Mayors Paul McEachern and Evelyn Marconi, and Senators Ruth Griffin and Martha Fuller Clark. And that’s just a sampling. Learn about Tom Bergeron, Ray Brighton, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, and the incredible Macy Morse. And about J. Dennis Robinson, a great local historian whose books alone could fill four seasons.
“Women, madams and matriarchs from Portsmouth who shaped the port city of New Hampshire,” edited by Laura Pope, with various authors, 2013, The History Press. In her compilation of stories by several local authors, Pope reminds us that strong women have made this city what it is. She presents a fascinating story of Mayor Mary Carey Dondero, who was elected as the city’s first female mayor in the 1940s.
Other stories tell of Alta Roberts, the “Black Mystery of Portsmouth,” who always wore black and ran a brothel. Then there is landlady Allice Shannon Hight and Rose Rizza Fiandaca, whose story paints a long-lost picture of life in the old North End of Portsmouth, where she lived for many years after immigrating from Sicily.
“Cover-up, one man’s search for the truth in the face of government failure to end a Ponzi scheme” by Mark Connolly, 2011, White Whale Press. A resident of New Castle, Mark was director of the New Hampshire Securities Commission, but resigned from his post to expose the cover-up of a behind-the-scenes Ponzi scheme within state government that stole millions from investors. Readers learn what to look out for, and although his story reads like a crime novel, it is a real warning of what can still happen.
“The Lost Boys of Sudan, an American Refugee Story”, by Mark Bixler, 2005, The University of Georgia Press. This book is relevant to the times we live in by engaging young faces in the dialogue about why America should be a welcoming nation for those seeking a life of security and purpose. It also tells the story of one of Portsmouth’s heroes, Michael O’Keefe.
A Portsmouth native, Mike graduated from local schools, then UNH, joined the Air Force, and served in the New Hampshire legislature in the 1970s. He taught high school, then joined the U.S. State Department. In 1997, he became refugee assistant for the Horn of Africa, traveling to Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, and Somalia to develop refugee projects.
The book examines how Mike saved thousands of lives in Africa. It tells a contemporary story of immigration and how Mike was a driving force in helping the U.S. take in many of the “lost boys of Sudan” when they were displaced by civil wars.
All of these books and many others about Portsmouth are available locally or online. I am happy to lend you my copies with personal notes. Footnote: Mike O’Keefe, Mark Connolly and I were lifelong friends since the 1970s. Mike died in 2017, Mark in 2018. They left too young and told us to help each other every day as we appreciate the sunrises and sunsets we are given.
Next time: Is high-speed maglev our future?
Since 1969, Jim Splaine has served as a New Hampshire State Senator for six years, a State Assemblyman for 24 years, a member of the Police Commission and School Board, a Deputy Mayor of Portsmouth for 12 years, and a City Councilman for 18 years. He can be reached at [email protected] (this is a new email address).
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