PLATSBURGH – Midwinter is a great time to warm up under a plush plaid in an incredibly comfortable chair with a fascinating book or two or three.
A hot drink in a very large mug comes highly recommended, as is this sample of books written in 2021 by local authors: John. W. Conroy, Colonel David Fitz-Enz, Richard Frost and Alice P. Green.
Art journalist Robin Caudell took a look at a few books that have landed on her desk over the past year.
These books provide an illuminating glimpse into wars abroad, closer to home, external and personal like a well-fed fireplace in a winter tale.
FICTION
Title: “Tam Hiep’s Daughter: A War Romance”
Author: John W. Conroy.
Slogan: “Love and lust… in times of war. “
Synopsis: Private Bill Collins, a young farmer from the United States, lives in Long Binh during the American War in Viet Nam. He begins a friendly relationship with Kim Lon, a Cambodian girl who lives in the nearby town of Tam Hiep. He’s new and it’s moving slowly.
“He lives with other GIs from various backgrounds who manage daily life in the US military in a country very different from theirs.
“From the meat pots and bars of Saigon and Bien Hoa, from Tam Hiep and Long Binh to DaNang and Phnom Penh, the story follows Bill Collins through everyday life with his fellow GIs without ever faltering in his quest for l ‘love with Kim Lon,’ Tam Hiep’s daughter. ‘â€
Author Biography: John W. Conroy has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as an integrated journalist as well as Vietnam and Cambodia today. This is his first novel.
ISBN: 978-1-09837-167-8 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-09837-168-5 (electronic book)
Paperback: 174 pages, $ 13.99
Kindle: $ 7.99
Available: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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Title: “The Spy from Putney Bridge”
Author: Colonel David Fitz-Enz.
Publisher: Hamilton Books
Slogan: “A detective story about spy, murder and betrayal in London.”
Synopsis: “In an aging mansion on the north side of Putney Bridge in London, an old woman confesses a secret to her grandson, who has just returned from the battlefields of World War II. Charlotte Stetchworth always seemed to be a true Englishwoman, despite having a solid background as a European suffragist and traveler. Now, her grandson Freddy learns a sinister secret, namely that Charlotte and her son Rolly – Freddy’s father – were involved in a complex spy ring for the Germans starting in WWI.
Author Biography: Col. David Fitz-Enz was a regular officer in the United States Army for 30 years, including missions as a combat photographer in Vietnam and the commander of a communications brigade that operated the Moscow direct line for three presidents. He is the author of a memoir, “Why a soldier?” and three military history books: “Old Ironsides: Eagle of the Sea; : “Hacks, Sycophants, Adventurers and Heroes: Madison’s Commanders in the War of 1812”; and “The Final Invasion: Plattsburgh, the Most Decisive Battle of the War of 1812”. His first novel was “Redcoat’s Revenge: An Alternative History of the War of 1812”.
ISBN: 978-0-7618-7257-3
Paperback: 396 pages, $ 24.99
Available: Bookburgh, Center Champlain, 60, boul. Smithfield. Plattsburgh, Amazonia.
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NON-FICTION
Title: “Rich in History: A Champlain Valley Readerâ€.
Author: Richard Frost
Synopsis: “Lake Champlain began to harbor an important history even before the founding of the American Republic. The region experienced military activity, serves as a key transport corridor, and spawned an industry to complement an early agricultural economy. Reflect on the events as you learn about horse-powered ferries marching on conveyor belts, innovative citizen soldier training, graphite mines providing Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, and more.
Author Biography: Rich Frost writes about travel and the history of the area, including in the bi-weekly “Rich in History” column of Lake Champlain Weekly. He lives with his wife Mary and Yellow Labrador Zoey in upstate New York.
ISBN: 9798534395716
Paperback: 314 pages, $ 22
Available: Cornerstone Book Shop, Lake City Books, Bookburgh, Clinton County Historical Association, Cornerstone Pharmacy at Rouses Point, Keeseville Pharmacy, Amazon.
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Title: “We Who Believe in Freedom: Activism and the Struggle for Social Justice”.
Author: Alice P. Green
Publisher: King Jesus Press, LLC
Synopsis: “We Who Believe in Freedom: Activism and the Struggle for Social Justice” is an inspiring book that exposes readers to important topics such as police abuse and accountability, criminal justice and prison reform, and abuse of political power in Albany, New York.
In this book, part memory and part historical, Alice P. Green presents these topics through her life experiences as a longtime lawyer, highlighting the impact they have had on the black communities of Albany. from the earliest days of slavery to the present day. where we still have so many racial and criminal justice issues ahead of us. This remarkable literary masterpiece serves as a model for other steadfast activists to emulate in their quest to free themselves from injustices in their cities and across the country.
Author Biography: Alice P. Green is the Executive Director of the Center for Law and Justice, a civil rights organization that she founded in 1985 in Albany, New York. For almost 40 years, the Center has been the leading agent of change, working to transform policies, practices and people in the areas of social justice, criminal justice and prison reform.
A strong advocate for the implementation of community policing, the eradication of police brutality and the dismantling of systemic racism, highlights of Green’s career include the position of legislative director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Division of Probation and Alternative Corrections, member of the Citizens Policy and Complaint Review Council of the New York State Commission of Corrections, and Executive Director of Trinity Institution, a service center in youth and family. She is the founder of the African American Cultural Center in Albany’s South End.
ISBN: 978-0-9998489-3-7 (softcover)
ISBN: 978-0-9998489-5-1 (electronic book)
ISBN: 978-0-9998489-4-4 (Hardcover
Paperback: 304 pages, $ 17.99
Hardcover: 304 pages, $ 24.99
Available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
