Rating: 
Summary: Life in a small town
Review: Being a product of Batavia,NY myself, I devoured Mr Kaufmans memoir on Batavia in three days. I couldn't put it down. I knew the people and the situations that he spoke of. I too left Batavia in the 70's to see the world only to return to our beautiful town destroyed and replaced with a Mall that had as much architectural appeal as a gymnasium. It seems like the same contractor replaced our beautiful St. Joseph church with the same box like structure. I'd like to say that I left and never looked back but I constantly look back. I look back to friends, family and that small town appeal that seems to be lost in this world of busyness. Mr Kaufmans book brought me home for a few hours and answered some questions. I laughed and longed for times past.Mr. Kaufman captured growing up in a small town in upstate New York.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Kauffman Comes Back From Washington
Review: Every so often, a book comes along that really makes the reader think. Elba resident and author Bill Kauffman's upcoming book, Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette does just that. The book is about the changes in Batavia through the eyes of Mr. Kauffman. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy and was able to read the 200-page book over the weekend. It contains a lot of humor (many times I laughed out loud, receiving strange looks in the process), some sadness, but it really asks the question, "Why has Batavia changed?" The author does not hold back when writing about religion, ethnicity and race to answer the question. He introduces the reader to many local characters, and tells many stories about Batavians. Although hometown is the book's model, Batavia can be substituted for any small city in America.
Upon graduating from Batavia High School in 1977, Mr. Kauffman left for college and spent time in Washington, D.C. and Southern California before coming home for a "one year experiment" with his Los Angeles raised wife, Lucine. Fourteen years later, the Kauffman family is still here, and Kauffman is trying to keep Batavia from becoming too "progressive" at the hands of politicians who what to rip down the old charms of Batavia and replace them with new, "cookie-cutter" landmarks that help Batavia lose its distinct character.
The book is not a lesson on Batavia history; it is a memoir, a love song and most assuredly a call to arms. Some may be offended by some of the language, but it is used to make a point. Should this book be required reading at BHS? Absolutely. Every BHS senior should read this. It will give them a sense of identity and purpose as they move off into the great big world. Mr. Kauffman writes with passion and love for his home. He also has a paternal protection towards Batavia, and does not want to see it destroyed. After reading the book, it really made me think about the community and what I can do to protect it. I do not agree with everything Mr. Kauffman writes about, but I respect his passion and pride. He only wants what is best for the community and doesn't want a select few narrow-minded politicians ruining it for everybody.
Rating:
Summary: Reactionary radicalism at its finest
Review: I am a veteran of reading Amazon reviews, but this is the first book that has actually compelled me to write one of my own. DISPATCHES FROM THE MUCKDOG GAZETTE manages to be sweet but not saccharine, loving but not blind, learned but not pedantic, and spot-on 100% right about not just Batavia (which I have visited since reading the book) but about the insidious social and cultural effects of geographic mobility and "dynamism" generally. Kauffman has a distinctive voice that makes him one of the most engaging writers working today. Reviewer Mitchell below could not be more wrong (did Kauffman cut him off in traffic or something? was he on the Batavia planning board?). This is a five-star book if ever there was one. Buy it, read it, enjoy it -- and if you don't live near your home, get ready to deal with the guilt.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: I find it hard to believe that this my hometown that Kaufmann is writing about. Notice he doesn't even live there. He lives in a town nearby. It's a wonder he wasn't run out of town (maybe he was and that's why he doesn't live in Batavia). I'm sorry but this is not an affetionate tale. Kaufmann obviously has no love for the town. Yes, Batavia has problems but any town or city does and we love them anyway. It's home. Go back to Washington, Mr. Kaufmann.
Rating: 
Summary: Sadly, Quite Accurate
Review: I hail from Akron, New York, an even smaller town wedged between Buffalo and Batavia on Route 5. The de-evolution of my town, Mr. Kauffman's, and the Nickel City have occurred in various degrees, and "Dispatches" pretty much explains everything with the kind of self-depreciating yet self-respecting humor that we in Western New York require to stay sane.Last year I researched some of the local history of Batavia for graduate school. It still surprises me how important the area was in our nation's history, but no one ten miles away has heard of William Morgan, Joseph Ellicott, &c. If anything, this book will remind you that there's more to our nation's identity than the state-approved textbook, or what's on the History Channel. Those who live in the area should by all means check this book out. Some reviewers have complained about the number of confusing references, but it only took me a day and a half to get though it (the reviewers mention that too, ironically). Also, as someone who's visited the Genesee Country Mall on occasion, I'm drawn to this book like a person driving past an auto wreck. Once I was walking though the mall's almost empty hallways (excepting the OTB, a bar, and a couple government services) and I couldn't help but think that They could write a book about this Dumpster of downtown America. I saw Wendy's wrappers roll across the floors like tumbleweed through Carson City. I've only been inside once in the past three years, and that was to show friends from Buffalo just how bad it could really be. Geez.
Rating:
Summary: Sadly, Quite Accurate
Review: I hail from Akron, New York, an even smaller town wedged between Buffalo and Batavia on Route 5. The de-evolution of my town, Mr. Kauffman's, and the Nickel City have occurred in various degrees, and "Dispatches" pretty much explains everything with the kind of self-depreciating yet self-respecting humor that we in Western New York require to stay sane. Last year I researched some of the local history of Batavia for graduate school. It still surprises me how important the area was in our nation's history, but no one ten miles away has heard of William Morgan, Joseph Ellicott, &c. If anything, this book will remind you that there's more to our nation's identity than the state-approved textbook, or what's on the History Channel. Those who live in the area should by all means check this book out. Some reviewers have complained about the number of confusing references, but it only took me a day and a half to get though it (the reviewers mention that too, ironically). Also, as someone who's visited the Genesee Country Mall on occasion, I'm drawn to this book like a person driving past an auto wreck. Once I was walking though the mall's almost empty hallways (excepting the OTB, a bar, and a couple government services) and I couldn't help but think that They could write a book about this Dumpster of downtown America. I saw Wendy's wrappers roll across the floors like tumbleweed through Carson City. I've only been inside once in the past three years, and that was to show friends from Buffalo just how bad it could really be. Geez.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Interesting
Review: If you like a book filled with obscure literary references written in a purely negative, cynical and wiseacreish tone this is the book for you. Perhaps the writer's view of his "return to Batavia" is skewed by the fact that he still does not live in Batavia, but a neighboring town. Of all the characters in the book, only Rep. Conable and the author's father are not ripped (one way or the other). At least the author does not spare himself from the same tone and negativity. There is nothing interesting about the book. You can read (over and over) about the urban renewal mall that replaced the old buildings in downtown Batavia. But the author just does not make the reader care (or sympathize) about it. He does nothing to make you want to know anything about Batavia, nor is there anything else to make you read this book (from beginning to end). Even the writing is difficult to follow. It is choppy and filled with references that a) do not matter; and b) are so obscure you would need a reference library to keep track (of them). About the only thing the author accomplishes (in the book) is to persuade the reader that upstate New York really has not contributed much in the literary and arts fields. This book did not improve that woeful record he portrays. (Oh, by the way...if these parenthetical references drove you nuts, do not even open this book. I have never seen so many parentheses in a book. Not only are parenthetical references multiple sentences, there are entire paragraphs so enclosed.) Dispatches from the MuckDog Dispatch is simply a dog of a book.
Rating:
Summary: I love to remember the good old days.
Review: This book was wonderful. I was born in Batavia and my father's family were the Boorom of Walnut Street. My mother, Leanna Gateson was Elba's first Onion Queen. Mr. Kauffman's descriptions of Main Street with it's store was right on target. Talking about Newberry's, Sleight's, Carr's and Mancuso's was so heartwarming. These were my 1960's and I remember Batavia with a smile.
Rating:
Summary: Reactionary radicalism at its finest
Review: This is a highly passionate and highly entertaining book. Author Bill Kauffman was born in Batavia, New York, and as the book's jacket copy notes, experienced "a bumpy ride on the Washington, DC fast track." After that, he knew it was time to return to his roots. "Dispatches" is a celebration of the people and institutions that make Batavia uniquely Batavian, but it's by no means a rose-colored look at small town life. Because he cares so much, Kauffman is unflinching in his criticism of the community when it strays from its history and values. He's particularly eloquent in writing about the destruction of the city's old central business district and its replacement with a soulless mall, the product of misguided urban renewal. He also looks back at Batavia's colorful political history, including its dubious distinction as birthplace of the anti-Masonic movement; chronicles the decline and fall of Carr's, once the town's finest department store, the inevitable victim of the Wal-Marting and KMarting of America; he takes us to the local ballpark to meet the minor league team he grew up with, the Muckdogs. But lest we think the author's love for his community is wavering, we only have to look to this pronouncement: "This is my place, and whatever I might say about it, however caustic or corrosive my pen, I love it and will forever." "Dispatches From the Muckdog Gazette," is an eloquent celebration of the power and importance of community spirit.
Rating:
Summary: A Caustic But Loving Tale Of A Hometown's Decline
Review: This is a highly passionate and highly entertaining book. Author Bill Kauffman was born in Batavia, New York, and as the book's jacket copy notes, experienced "a bumpy ride on the Washington, DC fast track." After that, he knew it was time to return to his roots. "Dispatches" is a celebration of the people and institutions that make Batavia uniquely Batavian, but it's by no means a rose-colored look at small town life. Because he cares so much, Kauffman is unflinching in his criticism of the community when it strays from its history and values. He's particularly eloquent in writing about the destruction of the city's old central business district and its replacement with a soulless mall, the product of misguided urban renewal. He also looks back at Batavia's colorful political history, including its dubious distinction as birthplace of the anti-Masonic movement; chronicles the decline and fall of Carr's, once the town's finest department store, the inevitable victim of the Wal-Marting and KMarting of America; he takes us to the local ballpark to meet the minor league team he grew up with, the Muckdogs. But lest we think the author's love for his community is wavering, we only have to look to this pronouncement: "This is my place, and whatever I might say about it, however caustic or corrosive my pen, I love it and will forever." "Dispatches From the Muckdog Gazette," is an eloquent celebration of the power and importance of community spirit.
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