By Beth David, Editor
New Bedford native and former mayor John Bullard has written a memoir that delves into the problems his beloved hometown has faced, his attempts to correct them, and the challenges along the way.
“Hometown” explores Mr. Bullard’s professional life from his first job working with the Waterfront Historic Action LeagueE (WHALE) and two other nonprofits to preserve and revitalize New Bedford’s downtown and reconnect it to the waterfront, which connects us to, well, everything.
“The ocean connects us — to other countries, to opportunity, to our past, and to our future,” writes Mr. Bullard in Chapter 1.
He writes about his mentors and influences, acknowledging his privileged life, and how his worldview was shaped and turned into action for his hometown.
The book is, of course, from his perspective and about all the great things he did, as he remembers them. He tells us this right in his introduction. And, I have to say, the introduction alone is worth the price of the book. I learned some surprising things about his background. And we learn about his motivation in those beginning pages. And it’s a good read, too.
What comes through right from the beginning is a respect for the fishing industry, respect for small shop owners, respect for ethnic diversity, respect for the fact that most people do not have the kind of financial security he grew up with.
He began his first projects by listening to people, knocking on every door along a 15 block section of Acushnet Avenue. Talking to store owners, fishing people, bar users in the downtown area.
New Bedford loves its working waterfront, now and in the 1970s when he began.
He does not flinch, though, talking about some of the challenges: the people, the seediness in places, the dilapidated buildings.
“I just surmised that the building was supported by memories,” he writes of one such place.
I admit, I have not finished the book yet. Life gets in the way, you know. But I plan on finishing it during my break. I wanted to get this review out ASAP, though, so my readers can get their own copies as soon as they are available, so you, too, can add it to your summer reading list, and make it to one of the upcoming book signings.
For anyone who loves this area, loves New Bedford, loves the working waterfront, and appreciates that it is not a “museum village focused only on the past” (as he puts it), this book is a must read.
“New Bedford, in a word, is a seaport. Our people go to sea,” writes Mr. Bullard. “You don’t have to dress people up in old clothes to explain the ancient relationship we have with the oceans. The docks that were home to whaleships are now home to fishing boats, but people still go to sea.”
Get Your Copy
You may pre-order at http://www.spinnerpub.com/hometown.html. The hardcover is $34 pre-publication price. Order now!
Spinner Publications expects to have the books in hand the first week of July. ISBN 978-0932027-43-6; 454 pages; 7.25” x 10”; 375 photos & Illustrations
Upcoming Talks & Signings
• Sat., 7/15, 3 p.m., Westport Public Library, 408, County Road, Westport.
• Sat., 7/22, 1–4 p.m., The Drawing Room, 22 William St., New Bedford
• Thurs., 7/27, 3 p.m., Woods Hole Public Library, 581 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA.
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Click here to download the 6/29/23 issue: 06-29-23 Homecoming_NFIA
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