As a life long resident of Lawrence, I was looking forward to reading an objective account of a place that I know intimately. Instead I found "Huddle Fever" to be offensively condescending. Particularly irksome was Ms Schinto's musings of how fortunate she was that her immigrant family ended up in Greenwich, Connecticut instead of Lawrence. The term "huddle fever" is itself a grotesquely contorted expression of what most people would describe as a tradition of strong families. Strong families, common to immigrant communities, can at times be oppressive, however, they are more often supportive and nuturing. "Huddle Fever" did not depict the Lawrence I know.

I found the historical points of Lawrence very interesting. The hardships of mill workers were clear which also showed how they were exploited by those in power. It certainly served as the setting stage for "those who have and those who have not". I wish the author was able to broaden her view of the city by means of reaching a broader range of people in order to obtain fuller response of how they feel about the city. Though I understand her historical approach and how it may relate to her personally, I think she over looked the new middle class families that are moving into Lawrence because of it ideal location and beauty. Please know she did not "leave us behind" our exprience has been a positive one and this where we live the same middleclass lifestyle. Some of her statements are common among those who took "White Flight", as if finding fault with the new comers justifys attitudes of under current racism. We lived in Lawrence for over 8 years,and have come to participate in community actions that will continue to improve its image. There is a proud spirit of diversity that is sprouting in Lawrence. Many empowered families will not accept statements that try to keep strongholds of discouragment. Many are taking strong and honest looks at he problems and ready to deal with them. I'm glad we didn't read this book before we move to Lawrence because the author painted a very grim picture. Certainly there areas that are depressed, but there are white wooden fences going up in many places where there were none and there are plenty in Prospect Hill (where we live) that were there before she and husband moved to Lawrence. I think you must consider through whose eyes, see Lawrence, and based on their history and present relationship with the city.

I always wondered why Lawrence seemed to have such bad karma. Now I know. A beautifully-written historical account of a fascinating mill town in Northern Massachusetts. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in urban studies, and for all public officials in Massachuetts who have any sincere interest in understanding the plights and challanges of Lawrence, Lowell, Fall River, and New Bedford.

I read a number of stories in this book under assignment for a class called "social consequences of technology". Through these stories, we were able to discuss a number of benefits and costs related to different technologies, like the internet, weapons of mass construction, and simple verbal communication. I enjoy reading science fiction regularly, so i was happy to learn that we would be using such a book in class.

Well, to be brief, some stories were good, and some were pointless. My favorite must be "Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler, which explores the fears of a society robbed of communication skills. Some other stories were fair, but some were not worth reading after the first couple sentences. Doris Lessing's contribution falls under this category. Even the best stories in this selection were not that great. There's plenty of better collections out there.

I will admit, I may not be suitable to write a review: I only read half the book. By that point, I had my fill of short, dark stories that were not about dogs at all, they only used them as a plot device. In fact, in many of these stories, being a plot device is a far less terrible fate. Dogs are shot, trapped, beaten and drowned. How anyone who truly loves dogs could read this is beyond me.

I wanted to be entertained but instead I was disappointed as a dog lover, and a lover of the short story. I continued to read the book because I couldn't believe it could be that bad. If you like dogs, don't waste your time. If you like short stories, ditto.

This book was not for a dog lover, it was for a lover of short stories. The dogs had little to do with the plot and there were only a few with good endings. I was depressed from reading it.