Much has been written about the fascinating geography and history of the Meadowlands region of North Jersey, whether dating back centuries or to the early days of development in the late 1960s.
But the latest offering is specifically effective in explaining the intersection of politics with environmental and business interests to show how we got to where we are today.
The book is called “New Jersey Meadowlands: A History,” by longtime state Meadowlands Commission executive Robert Cerberio and Ron Kase, a former Ramapo College sociologist.
If you didn’t already grasp the background of the region prior to the last half-century, the first quarter of the 176-page book catches you up on that.
From there, the birth of the forerunner to the Meadowlands Commissioner and of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is clearly explained – as well as why, politically, there were two separate agencies, until earlier this year.
Real estate, environmental, and municipal concerns sometimes intersected with the sports authority’s rise in the mid-1970s and early 1980s – and sometimes did not. The book follows that pattern in a series of short chapters and subchapters.
I was intrigued to learn there were six sites listed, circa 1970, as options for the Meadowlands Sports Complex – one in Carlstadt, another in Secaucus and North Bergen, one in Jersey City, another solely in Secaucus, one in Kearny, and of course the eventual winner in East Rutherford.
There are occasional leavening tangents in the book, from blue claw crabs to Music in the Meadowlands to radio towers, to add variety.
The timing of the book being released in 2015, seems especially good – Izod Center just closed, the two Meadowlands agencies have now merged, Triple Five may be on the verge of a tipping point toward getting American Dream open, and so forth.
While those most deeply concerned about the various controversies may quibble about a sentence here or there, for the most part the authors succeed in explaining the sides of the debate without telling readers what to think.
That’s what made the last pages a bit jarring – the analysis of the administration of Ceberio’s successor at the Meadowlands Commission, accuracy or inaccuracy aside, doesn’t match the overall scholarly and generally genial tenor of the book.
Of course, if all politics is local, in many cases it is also personal.
There also are a few too many typos (then again, they turn up here at times as well, come to think of it).
Overall, the book provides a valuable context for anyone with a stake in the present or future of the Meadowlands by walking us all through how we got here.
I see it listed at Arcadiapublishing.com and at walmart.com as well of course at amazon.com
It will cost you in the neighborhood of 20 bucks regardless of where you find it.