Living within the influence of one of the largest and most important cities in the world, how does New Jersey define itself? Is it simply a region of commuters, or have communities created effective local governments and satisfying cultural activities for one of the largest and most diverse populations in the country? In the state with the country's densest population, the region known as North Jersey has sacrificed more than thirty percent of its land area to the vast web of roads and highways that carry more than 300,000 commuters to work in New York. "Greater New Jersey" probes challenges posed to the identity of New Jersey by the New York-centered mass media, professional sports, and organized crime families, while examining pressures internal to the state itself, including extraordinary social diversity, high population density, fragmented governments, extensive political corruption, and diminishing land and natural resources. "Greater New Jersey" sets itself apart from other works about the state by virtue of the scope of its inquiry. While contemporary in outlook, the book underscores the role of history in shedding light on the Manhattan and New Jersey of today. Dennis E. Gale examines the complex interactions that knit together a region that has dual citizenship and argues that northern New Jersey is undergoing a gradual transformation to become symbolic of a new kind of suburban area, one that borrows culture, image, and economy from a metropolis but also maintains the day-to-day living patterns of heartland America in the face of rapid social change. Readers interested in the puzzling intricacies of modern life will find much to interest them in this account of a regional identity asserting itself in the face of a looming megalopolis.
Dennis E. Gale is a retired university professor who loves to write. During his career he published four academic books before becoming a free lance author. Now he tells all in his novel, "Campus Rackets," a story about greed, duplicity, crooked politicians, Jersey gangsters and shady academics. Having taught at universities in Washington, DC, Maine, Florida and New Jersey, Gale harvests characters, places and events from his own experience in this comic portrait of modern academic life. If you were ever a college student, faculty member, or administrator, you will find much to laugh at in this amusing new novel. And if you weren't, find out what you missed.
If fiction doesn't appeal to you, see Gale's latest eBook, "Graftsmanship," a nonfiction investigation into political corruption across America. The author explores a veritable Hall of Shame of ethically challenged public officials. Extortion, bribery, conspiracy, campaign mis-finance, embezzlement - see how the FBI and Justice Department catch politicians red-handed. Find out about The Crescent of Corruption, a region of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where such crimes are particularly prevalent. Both eBooks are available at Amazon.com on your Kindle, iPhone, Droid, and computer.
