By Michael D'Antonio
Simon & Schuster, 2004

A new book by Michael D'Antonio '77 tells the appalling stories of children—primarily orphans, truants or delinquents—who, in a shamefully unenlightened era, were branded "feebleminded" and institutionalized.

D'Antonio focuses on the Walter E. Fernald State School in Waltham, Mass., and follows the path of Fred Boyce, who was incarcerated from age 7 to 19. As part of a group of "high functioning" boys known as the Science Club, Boyce was fed radioactive oatmeal in a secret experiment.

The experiment with its consequences was only one of the many wrongs perpetrated against the boys, beginning with the flawed IQ tests they took upon entry. D'Antonio traces how schools like Fernald stemmed from a eugenics movement that took hold in America in the early- to mid-20th century. The boys were subject, at best, to neglect, abuse and desperate loneliness, and at worst, lobotomy, sterilization, shock therapy and psychotropic drugs.

Drawing on school archives, government documents and extensive interviews, D'Antonio shows how Boyce and many others had native intelligence well within the normal range. Complaints about the abuse they suffered went unheard, and the boys began to rebel, running away, and in 1957, rioting. In one poignant incident, 16-year-old Boyce asked a school psychiatrist, "If you had a kid, and even if that kid were retarded, for real, would you put him in this place?" Taken aback, the doctor demanded of an attendant, "What's this kid doing here?" Then he turned to Boyce and said, "You're right. I wouldn't do it."

Years later, Boyce organized fellow State Boys and brought a successful lawsuit against Massachusetts, MIT and Quaker Oats for using them as unwitting experimental subjects.

D'Antonio's book has created a stir: the State Boys' story was featured on "60 Minutes," and Steven Spielberg has acquired the film rights. But read the book. D'Antonio, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, is a sensitive storyteller and a writer with great integrity. His book is a fascinating tale of good intentions gone terribly awry.

By Scott Silverstone '85
Cornell University Press, 2004

What prevents a nation from going to war? When Alexis de Toqueville visited the United States in the early 1800s, he noted an American "mildness of manners" caused, he thought, by the social equality of democracy. He concluded that democracy must be responsible for a predisposition against warfare as well. Since de Toqueville, foreign policy scholars have divided into two camps over this question. Some argue the democratic process itself contains constraints, while others believe that leaders base war decisions on an assessment of their adversary's power base.

An insightful and well-argued study by Scott Silverstone '85 joins the debate by analyzing the political conflicts that arose in the half century before the Civil War. While the United States entered into war twice during this period—the War of 1812 with Britain and the Mexican-American War of 1846—there were seven "near miss" conflicts as well. In all seven, the United States backed down despite its superior strength. Although each case has complexities specific to the situation, Silverstone shows that the government stopped short of war because of "federal union," the mechanism in the Constitution that gives individual states a say in national policy.

Silverstone looks to the work of James Madison and John Jay in the Federalist Papers to show that the founders believed the diverse interests of individual states would make it impossible to declare war unless a widespread consensus was reached. The fact that the United States was not a single republic, but "a republic of republics," in Madison's words, would ultimately decide questions of military conflict.

The political significance of federal union has declined over time, as competition between the states eroded and America's role became more global, but Silverstone's main argument is certainly timely: that the study of situations in which war was avoided tells as much about political systems and international relations as the study of war itself.

Anne Downey '95G, a freelance writer who lives in Eliot, Maine, received her Ph.D. in English from UNH.

The lovely, versatile voice of Lauren Wool '90 illuminates the shady territory between jazz and pop on her debut CD. Produced by Mark Shilansky '92, it includes a memorable clarinet solo by UNH faculty member David Seiler.

Also of Note... Books
Martians: A Creature, by Dave Kress '86G, Mammoth Books, 2004. A wonderfully weird, postmodern "creature" examines the alien aspects of being human.
Childish Things: Photographs, by Davis & Davis, Santa Monica Press, 2004. See at amazon.com Using cast-off toys, Denise and Scott Davis '76 have created a series of often funny, sometimes dark and and always strange scenarios.
Forests in Time, edited by David R. Foster and John D. Aber, Yale University Press, 2004. See at amazon.com In this important collection, Aber, UNH vice president for research and public service, argues for a historical approach to understanding forest ecosystems.
Burning at the Grassroots, by Dana Dunnan '73, PageFree Publishing, 2004. See at amazon.com This is an enlightening account of the volunteers who made Howard Dean's campaign a revolutionary movement.
The Hazards of Sleeping Alone, by Elise Juska '77G, Downtown Press, 2004. See at amazon.com Juska's second novel is an adept portrayal of a 47-year-old divorced mother's journey to change her life.
Native American Justice, by Laurence Armand French '69, '70G, '75G, Burnham, 2003. See at amazon.com French deftly examines the historical relationship between the United States and Native Americans, particularly in criminal justice.
Sustainability and Spirituality, by John E. Carroll, State University of New York Press, 2004. See at amazon.com This inspiring study by Carroll, UNH professor of environmental conservation, looks at five monastic settlements with strong models of ecological sustainability.
Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 2nd edition, by R. Dan Reid, UNH associate professor of operations management, and Nada R. Sanders, John Wiley & Sons, 2004. See at amazon.com
Gracious Space: A Practical Guide for Working Better Together, by Patricia M. Hughes '85, The Center for Ethical Leadership, 2004.
Off Hillcrest Road: A Novel, by Bernard W. Balser '63, Xlibris Corp., 2003. See at amazon.com
Music Lauren Wool: Here With Me, Yardwide Records, 2004. See at amazon.com
The Leaves Be Green: English Lute Duets, Scott Lemire and Seth Warner '01G, Sign of the Raven Music, 2004. This debut CD celebrates the wonderfully varied lute music of Elizabethan England. Warner plays classical guitar as well as other early instruments such as the theorbo and vihuela.