Debra Caruso Marrone
books
Coming Soon!
The Gold Coast and the Figures Who Formed America's Century
by Debra Caruso Marrone & Maryann Martone, Ph.D.
As Nelson DeMille wrote in the The Gold Coast, "Welcome to the fabled Gold Coast, that stretch on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America."
The Gold Coast of Long Island is famous for its magnificent estates with sweeping views of the Long Island Sound and – even today – lush, hilly green space, far enough, yet within 25 miles of New York City.This is why, in the latter 19th and early 20th century, the wealthiest families in America – the Morgans, Whitneys, Pratts, Vanderbilts, Coes, Woolworth and Roosevelts – built grand homes there.
They held elaborate parties, had enormous staffs, lush gardens, extensive libraries, and yachts that ferried them to the big city, as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby illustrated.Unlike the rest of Long Island, they thwarted the creation of suburbia by outmaneuvering the famed urban builder Robert Moses who would have built the highways closer and added better public transportation than existed.
Via research, personal interviews and a collection of private letters owned by one of the authors, The Gold Coast and the Figures Who Formed America’s Century will explore the individuals and families who created this vaunted region (where thousands of multi-million dollar homes still exist), their estates, how they lived, their impact on major events of the time – industrialization, banking, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II – and their interactions with the region’s residents – servants, farmers, laborers and merchants, many of whom came to work on the great estates.
Fordham University & the United States: a History
by Debra Caruso Marrone
In Fordham University & the United States: A History (E-Lit Books, October 2013, $19.99), Debra Caruso Marrone delivers a breezy, informative title for American history lovers and anyone associated with the 172-year-old institution.
Founded as St. John’s College in 1841 by New York Archbishop John Hughes, the university began as a vehicle to educate young men and deliver Catholics to the upper class. Caruso Marrone, a Fordham graduate and member of the alumni association’s Board of Directors, documents the life of the university, intertwining university events and the students and faculty members who made their mark on the nation. She writes about national figures who impacted the institution, once a stomping ground for U.S. presidents, war heroes and leaders in all fields.
The book contains the story of Fordham’s rebirth, alongside that of the Bronx, under its three most recent presidents.
Also a fundraiser for Fordham students via the Fordham College Alumni Association, the book will also be of interest to those with ties to the Bronx.