New Jersey State of Mind
156 pages, 8 1/8 x 9 1/4
26 color illustrations
Hardcover
Release Date:12 Jun 2020
ISBN:9781978803909
No state has been so frequently mocked, maligned, or misunderstood as New Jersey. Yet the state is filled with amazing places and people who rarely receive the media attention they deserve. For the past twenty years Star-Ledger columnist Peter Genovese has been one of the rare voices singing the praises of his state’s hidden wonders and gritty charms.
For this new book, Genovese spent months scouring the state for rich stories and fascinating locations. New Jersey State of Mind takes us on a journey to over twenty-five of these places and introduces us to the colorful characters who live and work there, from a demolition derby driver to a female craft brewer, and from a Cuban celebrity chef to a Portuguese pig breeder. He also reveals the many natural wonders that have earned New Jersey its “Garden State” nickname, from cranberry bogs to river tours to wild bird sanctuaries.
Collectively, these pieces paint a picture of a diverse state full of hard-working individuals who care for their communities. This book cuts through the myths and stereotypes surrounding the state and reveals the proud beating heart of the real New Jersey.
For this new book, Genovese spent months scouring the state for rich stories and fascinating locations. New Jersey State of Mind takes us on a journey to over twenty-five of these places and introduces us to the colorful characters who live and work there, from a demolition derby driver to a female craft brewer, and from a Cuban celebrity chef to a Portuguese pig breeder. He also reveals the many natural wonders that have earned New Jersey its “Garden State” nickname, from cranberry bogs to river tours to wild bird sanctuaries.
Collectively, these pieces paint a picture of a diverse state full of hard-working individuals who care for their communities. This book cuts through the myths and stereotypes surrounding the state and reveals the proud beating heart of the real New Jersey.
New Jersey is overflowing with stories -- and people claiming to be experts on our state. But there are only a precious few who really know our people, neighborhoods and rhythms like Peter Genovese. His words are all the verification you need.
From Babe Ruth’s favorite fishing river, to the location of Buttzville, to a Newark-based farm without soil, this book is filled with the people, places, and things that constitute the great – and often misunderstood – state of New Jersey.
A journey through N.J.'s most unlikely oasis of beauty with writer Peter Genovese'
https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2020/06/a-journey-through-njs-most-unlikely-oasis-of-beauty-with-writer-peter-genovese.html
For NJ.com’s Peter Genovese, the Garden State is an amazing journey filled with iconic destinations' by Jacquline Cutler
https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2020/06/a-journey-through-njs-most-unlikely-oasis-of-beauty-with-writer-peter-genovese.html
Peter Genovese’s new book introduces us to colorful characters, unusual locations, and interesting tidbits that make up New Jersey. Who knew that New Jersey has 'the highest density of wildlife per square mile of any state'? New Jersey rocks!
PETER GENOVESE is a Trenton native and an award-winning features/food writer for The Star-Ledger and nj.com. He is the author of ten books, including Roadside New Jersey, Jersey Diners, and The Jersey Shore Uncovered: A Revealing Season on the Beach, all from Rutgers University Press.
I live, breathe, even dream New Jersey. In the past 35 years, I have driven a million and a half miles around the state for stories, first for The Home News (later The Home News Tribune) in Central Jersey and, for the past 20 years, for The Star-Ledger and nj.com.
I've written thousands of stories and seven books about the Garden State. The latter include "Jersey Diners,'' "Roadside New Jersey,'' and "The Jersey Shore Uncovered: A Revealing Season on the Beach,'' for Rutgers University Press, and "The Food Lovers' Guide to New Jersey,'' for Globe Pequot Press. At some point, I have written something about all 565 municipalities in the state, plus countless towns and villages.
I know New Jersey.
Not New Jersey politics or sports or community news, but New Jersey as a place. Every nook and cranny and corner. And I know how to get there without a GPS, which you will never find in my Jeep.
Which brings us to this book. It's inspired by a series that appeared in The Star-Ledger beginning in October 2010. It was called Jersey State of Mind. This is what I wrote in the introductory piece:
"The stories will take you all over Jersey, celebrating the state in all its variety and diversity, illuminating corners you never visited, or knew existed. The real Jersey, not the cliched, stereotypical or rose-tinted one.''
The resulting stories had a strong sense of place, with detail that put you on the scene. Most of the stories were written by the reporters in the paper's features department, of which I was a part.
I've written thousands of stories and seven books about the Garden State. The latter include "Jersey Diners,'' "Roadside New Jersey,'' and "The Jersey Shore Uncovered: A Revealing Season on the Beach,'' for Rutgers University Press, and "The Food Lovers' Guide to New Jersey,'' for Globe Pequot Press. At some point, I have written something about all 565 municipalities in the state, plus countless towns and villages.
I know New Jersey.
Not New Jersey politics or sports or community news, but New Jersey as a place. Every nook and cranny and corner. And I know how to get there without a GPS, which you will never find in my Jeep.
Which brings us to this book. It's inspired by a series that appeared in The Star-Ledger beginning in October 2010. It was called Jersey State of Mind. This is what I wrote in the introductory piece:
"The stories will take you all over Jersey, celebrating the state in all its variety and diversity, illuminating corners you never visited, or knew existed. The real Jersey, not the cliched, stereotypical or rose-tinted one.''
The resulting stories had a strong sense of place, with detail that put you on the scene. Most of the stories were written by the reporters in the paper's features department, of which I was a part.
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Swamps of North Jersey
King of the Rolling Chairs
A Day at the Trailer Park
A Night at the Food Truck
Go Ask Alice
Inside the Traffic Management Center
Where 600,000 Insects are on the Menu
Muscle Cars Forever
David Bowie, Hip Hop Tunnel and Aqualand
I Am Not Eating the Dirt
Lives Rebuilt, Hopes Restored
The State’s Coolest Spot
Baby You Can Crash My Car
From Buttzville to Bivalve and Beyond
What Kind of Dishwasher Wears a Rolex?
Straight Outta Camden
The Most Beautiful Color of All
Eat Where the Truckers - and Bono – Eat
Boost!
If You Have a Heartbeat, Please Call
At the Dock of the Bay
You’re in the Brew Army Now
Growing Up Up Up
Serenaded on New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship
Homemade and Good
The View from High Point
The 40 Best Places to Visit in New Jersey
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Introduction
The Swamps of North Jersey
King of the Rolling Chairs
A Day at the Trailer Park
A Night at the Food Truck
Go Ask Alice
Inside the Traffic Management Center
Where 600,000 Insects are on the Menu
Muscle Cars Forever
David Bowie, Hip Hop Tunnel and Aqualand
I Am Not Eating the Dirt
Lives Rebuilt, Hopes Restored
The State’s Coolest Spot
Baby You Can Crash My Car
From Buttzville to Bivalve and Beyond
What Kind of Dishwasher Wears a Rolex?
Straight Outta Camden
The Most Beautiful Color of All
Eat Where the Truckers - and Bono – Eat
Boost!
If You Have a Heartbeat, Please Call
At the Dock of the Bay
You’re in the Brew Army Now
Growing Up Up Up
Serenaded on New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship
Homemade and Good
The View from High Point
The 40 Best Places to Visit in New Jersey
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Related Titles
New Jersey Day Trips
A Guide to Outings in New Jersey and Nearby Areas of New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
New Jersey Fan Club
Artists and Writers Celebrate the Garden State
Edited by Kerri Sullivan; Illustrated by Alex Flannery, Haley Simone, Jonathan Conner (LANK), Emily Thompson, Joy Velasco, Kasey Bohnert, Julie Benbassat, Sean Rynkewicz, Mikhaila Leid, Veronica Casson, Dan Misdea, Kristen Broderick, and Tori Wehringer; By (photographer) Lauren H. Adams, Katie Reynolds, Kate Watt, Tim Kauger, Brian Scully, Jaclyn Sovern, Donovan Myers, R Justin McNeill, Dan Schenker, and Christopher Smith
The Other Jersey Shore
Life on the Delaware River
By Michael Aaron Rockland; Foreword by Maya K. van Rossum
