Bullers Arms: A Baby Boomer's Quest for the Simple Life at the Beginning of the 21st Century

ISBN: 0595012388

Author: Horowitz, Mark R

Condition: New

Review I was previously the deputy business editor at United Press International. At UPI, one of my more pleasant duties was to edit Mark Horowitz's weekly columns, in which he explained how historical events were relevant to modern life. It was therefore with some relish that I read Bullers Arms, Mark's latest book. Mark has found an old town on the edge of Dartmoor in western England that seems to offer the ideal alternative to the urban rat race that many of our generation would love to leave. But behind the camaraderie of a pleasant pub with it streams of cider and beer, its cast of eccentric characters, and its jovial dart games, he has uncovered unsettling intrusions of the modern world into an outward calm. He also has unearthed a history that tarnishes what many of us think of as a Golden Age. Mark has taken us on a tour of England, past and present, in an unusual way: his book is like a computer program that interacts with the reader, pointing out the possibilities like good menu-driven software. He asks and answers the kind of questions that most of us silently phrase every day, and anybody who has ever wanted to flee the modern world will want to read his book before taking that first step. Mitchell Martin, editorInternational Herald Tribune Mark R. Horowitz's latest work, "Bullers Arms", is an engaging book which addresses the issue of what we all need to discover: the secret to obtaining and then maintaining the simple life at a time when it has never been more elusive. I found the patrons of "Bullers Arms" to be as interesting as the patrons of "Cheers". However, the folks in the small town of Chagford have a leg up on their Boston counterparts; they have history on their side. And it is only from history that we can learn where we are heading and how to enjoy the journey. Mark Horowitz is the only author around with the insight to acknowledge this. Mr. Horowitz presented his unique method of finding the simple life through history in a relaxed and entertaining manner. His engaging narrative is full of fun facts. For all of us who are too busy to go out and find the simple life, at least we have "Bullers Arms" to help us along the way. Denise Soulam, Production CoordinatorTHE TONIGHT SHOW Product Description In 1991, Time Magazine wrote that Americans were tired of the rat race and wanted a simple life. And no Americans were more desirous to find something personally meaningful than the 77 million Baby Boomers populating the place. Stumbling into the ancient village of Chagford amid the desolate Dartmoor in England, the author encounters villagers at a pub called Bullers Arms, who seem to embody that simple life. He meets them, and marvels at their camaraderie and stress-free life. Moreover, he demonstrates that even if Boomers discovered this life, they would still be haunted by a generational ghost that prevents a truly simple existence: Vietnam, a measuring stick for America since the 1970s and a collective guilt trip following every Boomer. Surely, such a ghost couldnt inhabit a sleepy village on the moor? In fact, there is a ghost, as terrible as Vietnam, and the author reveals it. During his final stay, he also discovers that life is not that simple in Chagford, but that there is still a way to attain this elusive dream. Written in a lively, humorous style and traveling from past to present, Bullers Arms is a journey you will take with relish, again and again. About the Author Mark R. Horowitz is an English historian, business executive, marketing consultant, author, educator and news commentator. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has authored scholarly articles and given academic papers in the U.S., England, Portugal and Ireland. He has written more than 500 articles and scripts as a weekly international columnist for UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL; Guest columnist for USA TODAY; weekly radio commentator for an NBC affiliate in Chicago; and OP-Ed contri