‘Stones and Bones’ tells cemeteries’ stories

Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by Maine authors, set in the Pine Tree State or with have other local ties.

STONES AND BONES OF NEW ENGLAND: A GUIDE TO UNUSUAL, HISTORIC, AND OTHERWISE NOTABLE CEMETERIES, by Lisa Rogak, The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Conn., 217 pages, $14.95.

A taphophile, explains Lisa Rogak, author of “Stones and Bones of New England,” is a lover of cemeteries.

In Rogak’s case, she is a lover of a lot of cemeteries, packing this slim volume with tidbits about as many New England cemeteries as she can mention in one book.

Each chapter comes equipped with a small map showing the relative locations of the graveyards.

There are the ghost-ridden, including one of Maine’s best known burial grounds, Buck Cemetery in Bucksport, with its “legend” of the witch’s leg on Jonathan Buck’s monument.

Most notable among Maine graveyards listed here is Portland’s Eastern Cemetery, where two warring ship commanders from the War of 1812 are buried side by side – American William Burrowes and Englishman Samuel Blyth.

Bangor’s Mount Hope Cemetery is mentioned, as well, with appropriate honors and a picture of the grave of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin. Overlooked is the unmarked grave of gangster Al Brady.

For highlights of cemeteries around New England, this book will do. True taphophiles, however, will want to read Trudy

Scee’s “Mount Hope Cemetery: A Twentieth Century History.” – Chuck Veeder

THE CHAPLAIN, by Peter Mars, Commonwealth Publishing, Boston, 2004, 323 pages, paperback, $19.95.

This latest book based on a true story is the fulfillment of a promise that the North Monmouth author made to an old friend.

Peter Mars is not only a former policeman but also a retired minister. One of the projects with which he was involved as a minister was the Maine Irish Children’s Program, through which he met Father Michael Hennessey.

Hennessey was a priest at a Boston-area church and was also a chaplain on call for the Boston Police Department. But he also had a secret from the world – he had fallen in love with a married woman.

Ultimately, Hennessey approached Mars to tell his story, not just as penance but also as a cautionary tale. “The Chaplain” tells about Hennessey’s work. The book also reveals how he met Theresa Primavera, the young wife of an abusive husband, how they became more than friends and what happened to each of them in the end.

Told by Mars in Hennessey’s own words, “The Chaplain” is the story of a dedicated man of God who was human, and who paid a high price. It’s a riveting read, and will make many Catholics think about the demands that the church makes on its clergy. (“The Chaplain” is available at all Mr. Paperback bookstores or can be ordered at other bookstores.) – Dale McGarrigle

EXPERIENCE THE JOURNEY, by Jane Weinberger, Windswept House Publishers, Mount Desert, Maine, 2003, 103 pages, paperback, $7.95, hardcover, $9.95.

“Experience the Journey, Oh, Those Golden Years” is a wonderful pick-me-up full of practical advice and attitude adjustment that Somesville author Jane Weinberger proposes will help the reader to “age gracefully.”

Using humor, other people’s inspirational wisdom and her own experience as her guides, Weinberger offers suggestions for staying active, establishing priorities, and understanding and accepting the aging process.

With former U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger as her spouse, Jane Weinberger has had ample opportunity to experience a variety of life’s options. Her advice is direct and simple.

For example, she points out at the beginning of her transportation chapter, “When your legs no longer hold you up long enough for a short stroll there are many helpful contraptions available.” She then proceeds to discuss means of transportation, their pros and cons, and the potential pricing pitfalls.

From a more whimsical perspective based on her experience, Weinberger cautions, “… I’ve gone from collecting antiques to being one. How did I get here? I seem to have been instantly transported here while I was busy doing other things.”

Whatever her quip or informational tidbit, the overall message of the book is clear: Be honest and kind to yourself. Go with the flow, otherwise you will take life too seriously and it will overcome you.

But most importantly, age earns you the right to have a little attitude. – Julie Murchison Harris