Most Popular Books by Jesse Green

The memoirs of Mary Rodgers—writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and “a woman who tried everything.” “What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931–2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened: how Mary grew from an angry child, constrained by privilege and a parent’s overwhelming gift, to become not just a theater figure in her own right but also a renowned author of books for young readers (including the classic Freaky Friday) and, in a final grand turn, a doyenne of philanthropy and the chairman of the Juilliard School. But in telling these stories—with copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from Jesse Green, the chief theater critic of The New York Times—Shy also tells another, about a woman liberating herself from disapproving parents and pervasive sexism to find art and romance on her own terms. Whether writing for Judy Holliday or Rin Tin Tin, dating Hal Prince or falling for Stephen Sondheim over a game of chess at thirteen, Rodgers grabbed every chance possible—and then some. Both an eyewitness report from the golden age of American musical theater and a tale of a woman striving for a meaningful life, Shy is, above all, a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don’t make anymore—and never did. They make themselves.

A beautifully written memoir about a gay man becoming an adoptive parent, "The Velveteen Father" goes right to the heart of the question of what it means to have children and what it means to be an adult.

Martin takes the day off from work to make an elaborate meal for his friend Stella and the blind date who could be Martin''s match. Matt certainly is charming and good-looking, but -- as both Martin and Stella discover before the entree is served -- he is also straight. Yet by evening''s end, Martin is irrevocably drawn to this magnetic, spirited, and unattainable man. So Martin obliges when Matt finds hiimself needing a place to stay, and the two embark upon an oddly comfortable relationship that involves every shade of intimacy but sex. The closer Martin gets to Matt, however, the more he realizes that his enigmatic roommate may not be all that he seems. "Wonderful, memorable . . . A novel about my favorite kind of love -- obsessive, unrequited and impossible . . . Jesse Green writes with precision and intelligence." -- Stephen McCauley

In Wrestling with Old Heroes Again, Green re-engages with a series of favorite authors in a lifetime of reading and teaching Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, and Emily Dickinson aiming here to share his experience, and theirs, not as a professional literary critic but as the amateur he has always remained, in what he calls "familiar letters" addressed to literate amateurs like himself who read for the sheer love of it and in this case out of a particular interest in how these very individual writers handled the stretches and strains involved in what Emerson called the "fall of man" into modern consciousness. BOOK REVIEW "Letters on Dead White Mostly Male Writers in the American 19th Century. In the forward, Green jokes of having considered and rejected the above title for his collection of letters on Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville and Dickinson. It''s appropriate, of course, with six of the seven authors being male and all of them white. A professor of English since 1964, Green doesn''t stick to a tenure track style in these essays written in the manner of letters addressed to a family member or friend he weaves an interesting course in and out of this rich literary landscape. Blunt candor and clarity trump lit-crit pretense the author is simply interested in elaborating on the essences that make each writer worthy of his or her greatness and Green''s admiration. He lays the book''s foundation with transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau, then moves on to the ebullient Whitman, romantic Hawthorn, epic Melville and daunting Dickinson, often providing the proper historical and intellectual context for each writer, as well as how and to what extent they influenced one another. The authors frequently speak for themselves, with Green quoting passages of each work discussed. The author set out on this quixotic adventure in amateurish criticism, and while he might hogtie small works like Thoreau''s "On Civil Disobedience," he can''t possibly pin down Moby Dick. But that was never Green''s objective. After reading this book, one will likely get the urge to dust off an old copy of Walden or The Scarlet Letter, or set out to a used book store in search of a collection of Emerson''s essays. That was the author''s aim, and he has succeeded. A critical sampling of important American authors that arouses the appetite." --Kirkus Discoveries Nielsen Business Media 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 [email protected]

If you still believe the myth that financing and owning a house will make you money, the funny, thorough, and well-researched "Open House: Debunking the Myth of the Happy Homeowner" will show you the light. From "sociopathic neighbors who teach their dogs to pee on your mailbox" to revealing statistics about the house-pushing industry, "Open House: Debunking the Myth of the Happy Homeowner" grabs hold of all the things your bank and real estate people told you and rips them open to reveal the evil within. With jokes. "Open House: Debunking the Myth of the "Happy Homeowner" pulls no punches, turning the common wisdom about houses on its ear and making a strong case that buying a house might be the most serious financial mistake most people ever make. "Insightful and witty. Like an enema for the real estate industry. Wear your rubber boots and gloves." -- H.W. "Required reading for any potential home buyer. But if you already own a house you might want to avert your eyes." -- S.G. "Is this even a real book? I can''t believe anyone is allowed to publish this kind of garbage. An abuse of the first amendments." -- S.T. "Screw you, a**hole! If I ever find you I''ll beat your f*ing a**!!!" -Anonymous Facebook fan. From the book: "Given that buying a house is the largest financial commitment most people ever make, it seems a bit odd that the purchase is usually entered into based on false assumptions, inadequate information and bizarre -even delusional- financial expectations. Most people shuffle forward in a zombie-like daze on the path to house buying as if there were no other options available and being chained to a life-draining mortgage was the human equivalent of an infinite supply of zombie "braaaaains." Why are the real facts about financing and maintaining a house so surprising when (to be frank) all the information in this book was just sitting there and mostly what we''ve done is pull it together for you and add snotty comments? There was no initiation ritual, no scouring the depths of the "Deep Web," no dark alley interviews with cloaked whistle blowers wearing masks. You can find most of this stuff yourself using Google. In fact, once the spell is broken, you can just listen to the nonsense spewed by the house-pushers and notice how carefully they dance around the facts.: You can figure out the truth by what they don''t say and how they don''t say it. But only if you are listening. Why aren''t we listening?"

Competition within the dental profession is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Filling the appointment book, once taken for granted, is now the top priority of most practices. Dental practices are leaking patients and profits - often without realising it. It''s no wonder many dentists feel like they''re working hard but not getting ahead. Retention! masterfully combines the fundamentals of building an enduring business with cutting edge marketing strategies, to show dentists how to build a profitable practice in any economic climate. Packed with page after page of valuable information and practical advice, Retention! is a step-by-step guide to creating a never-ending stream of happy patients who attend their appointments, pay their bills and refer new patients plentifully. Coupled with exclusive online checklists, cheat sheets and other tools, Retention! gives you the power to create a practice of loyal patients and exponentially greater profits.

Survival Away From Your House: 61 Tactics To Survive Without Modern Civilization Everything returns to zero. How will you survive on rock bottom? We''ll cover how to take care of your basic necessities without a house. We''ll go over multiple scenarios where particular resources may or may not be available to you. We tend to take the modern comforts of life for granted; however these privileges probably won''t be around forever.

Green dated this music book 1806. It comprises a collection of 240 secular fiddle tunes, about half of them with titles. They include "Captain Money''s March" "On Our Road to Boston" "Baltimore: A Favorite Quick Step" "Pump Room: A Quick Step," and "Page''s March."

Now, for the first time, the Rubik''s Cube of word puzzles is available in a book. Filled with strange clues and unexpected answers, Nutcrackers is an ingenious collection of mind-bending puzzles--crosswords, acrostics, wordsearches, and letter-mazes.

The report describes reaction conditions for alkaline degration of cellobiose in kraft green liquor and the resulting products. (author).