| Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eden Subjects: Utopian socialism -- New Jersey -- History; Immigrants -- New Jersey -- History; Communities -- New Jersey -- History; New Jersey -- Description and travel; Winner of the 2008 Honor Book by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities In every other way, the communities varied greatly, ranging from a cooperative colony in Englewood founded by Upton Sinclair, to an anarchist village in Piscataway centered on an educational experiment, to the fascinating Physical Culture City in Spotswood, where drugs, tobacco, and corsets were banned, but where nudity was widespread. Despite their grand intentions, all but one of the utopias--a single-tax colony in Berkeley Heights--failed to survive. But Buchan shows how each of them left a legacy of much more than the buildings or street names that remain today--legacies that are inspiring, surprising, and often outright quirky. Perdita Buchan has published two novels and her short fiction and articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Ladies' Home Journal, Harvard Magazine, House Beautiful, New Jersey Monthly, andthe New York Times. She lives in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. |