A Brief History of Waterbury
A Brief History of Waterbury

Author: Edith Reynolds

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2009-10-14

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1625842600

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In 1681, just twenty-eight humble log cabins built around a marshy green made up what is today Waterbury, Connecticut. The town flourished, and by 1850, its brass- and button-making industries welcomed the Industrial Revolution. When the call came for the Civil War and World Wars I and II, Waterbury gave generously: buttons, to adorn United States military uniforms; and young soldiers, to fight for freedom and become heroes. A Brief History of Waterbury details the ebb and flow of this Connecticut town, the climb to its height, the struggles through adversity and scandal and the glory of modern-day triumphs. In this endlessly intriguing account, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray uncover the true reaches of Waterbury's dynamic spirit.

Brass Valley
Brass Valley

Author: Jeremy Brecher

Publisher:

Published: 1982

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13:

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For too many years American workers have been cut off from their own roots. When children go to school, they learn little about the people who work in factories and offices, their movements and their efforts for a better life. What is hidden from them is their own legacy, the heritage of culture and struggle handed on from other generations of working people. This book represents a new approach to history. It attempts to pass on that history from one group of workers to other workers, especially as workers and unions are at a crossroads, facing deteriorating conditions and even the permanent loss of jobs. But workers have faced these problems before, and surmounted them. This book can help all understand that our collective history helps us to face the challenges of the present and ones yet unknown of tomorrow. -- Publisher description.

Wicked Waterbury
Wicked Waterbury

Author: Edith Reynolds

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2009-02-02

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13: 161423423X

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In its early days, Waterbury was a muddy swamp, a breeding ground for pestilence and mosquitoes. Yet the town's early settlers rarely strayed from the path of Puritan righteousness. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, this rigorously policed, morally upright community had become what one politician called a "crossroads of slime and evil." Headlines boasted tales of corrupt politicians and love scandals, union strife and industrial sabotage. For sixteen years, Waterbury was the hideout for "Mad Bomber" George Metesky, and in 1974 the town witnessed the double homicide that provoked the longest-running trial in Connecticut's history. From the controversial opening of a birth control clinic to the corruption of Mayor T. Frank Hayes, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray document the major episodes that gave Waterbury the nickname "Sin City."

Brass
Brass

Author: Xhenet Aliu

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2018-01-23

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0399590250

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“A fierce, big-hearted, unflinching debut”* novel about mothers and daughters, haves and have-nots, and the stark realities behind the American Dream *Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere WINNER OF THE GEORGIA AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR FIRST NOVEL • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE AND REAL SIMPLE A waitress at the Betsy Ross Diner, Elsie hopes her nickel-and-dime tips will add up to a new life. Then she meets Bashkim, who is at once both worldly and naïve, a married man who left Albania to chase his dreams—and wound up working as a line cook in Waterbury, Connecticut. Back when the brass mills were still open, this bustling factory town drew one wave of immigrants after another. Now it’s the place they can’t seem to leave. Elsie, herself the granddaughter of Lithuanian immigrants, falls in love quickly, but when she learns that she’s pregnant, Elsie can’t help wondering where Bashkim’s heart really lies, and what he’ll do about the wife he left behind. Seventeen years later, headstrong and independent Luljeta receives a rejection letter from NYU and her first-ever suspension from school on the same day. Instead of striking out on her own in Manhattan, she’s stuck in Connecticut with her mother, Elsie—a fate she refuses to accept. Wondering if the key to her future is unlocking the secrets of the past, Lulu decides to find out what exactly her mother has been hiding about the father she never knew. As she soon discovers, the truth is closer than she ever imagined. Told in equally gripping parallel narratives with biting wit and grace, Brass announces a fearless new voice with a timely, tender, and quintessentially American story. Praise for Brass “Lustrous . . . a tale alive with humor and gumption, of the knotty, needy bond between a mother and daughter . . . [Brass] marks the arrival of a writer whose work will stand the test of time.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “An exceptional debut novel, one that plumbs the notion of the American Dream while escaping the clichés that pursuit almost always brings with it . . . [Xhenet] Aliu delivers a living, breathing portrait of places left behind.”—The Boston Globe “The writing blazes on the page. . . . So much about the book is also extraordinarily timely, especially when it focuses on class and culture, and what they really mean.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Aliu is witty and unsparing in her depiction of the town and its inhabitants, illustrating the granular realities of the struggle for class mobility.”—The New Yorker