I REMEMBER BETHLEHEM
$15.00
I REMEMBER BETHLEHEM, a book of non-fiction (2008)
This work takes a nostalgic look at Connecticut’s Christmas Town. Readers call this “Hilarious!” With his unique perspective, the author blends history and humor in this delightful trip down Memory Lane.
Reviews
“Once again, I am compelled to compliment the works of David Melesky. Although I read ‘I Remember Bethlehem’ several years ago, the sentiment of the season brings back memories of this enjoyable read. Melesky is a brilliant story teller with a laugh-out-loud sense of humor. You are missing out if you haven’t read this book recounting nostalgic stories from his childhood in Connecticut’s quaint little town of Bethlehem, the ‘Christmas Town’.” -Lori F.
“I Remember Bethlehem: A Nostalgic Look at Connecticut’s Christmas Town”
“Attorney David M. Melesky has written a charming, sometimes laugh-out-loud memoir, about his youth in a quintessential little New England town where boys had paper routes, went fishing, played pranks in school and savored the freedom of a 1960’s childhood.
Anyone with a yearning for nostalgia will enjoy his recollections of the family TV tuning in accidentally to conversations from the neighbor’s ham radio. There are subtle reminders of the ‘good old days’ in the Main Street general store, where candy bars cost a nickel and sodas a dime, and everyone gathered to catch up on the local news.
One such event was the escape of a large male African lion from a small private zoo in town. A police bulletin warned everyone to stay indoors and BEWARE. What they did not realize was that the lion was old, arthritic, toothless and totally harmless ‘unless it fell over’ on top of someone.
The old lion just wandered back home, but a real runaway, a Charolais beef steer, was not so easily recovered. Readers with any experience in country living will laugh at the efforts of David and his friend to lure the animal back home.
The author is not embarrassed to tell of his misadventures in decorating his bike for a country fair contest, or catching a big old push broom on his fishing line while his friend pulled in more and more bullheads, or being made to report to the school principal.
In an age of questionable memoirs, this is a refreshingly authentic look back at an author’s life. It is very much as if the reader shared a cold soda on an old fashioned porch one summer afternoon, while Mr. Melesky remembered just ‘how it used to be when I was young’.” -Anne Small, Bethlehem Library Director
Bethlehem Public Library, Bethlehem, CT