Cape Cod Collected: A Selection of the Cape's Greatest Stories

Jim Coogan and Jack Sheedy have collaborated before, and in this collection they take some of their favorite tales of Cape Cod history and lore, organizing them topically.

I read this in dribs and drabs while traveling in Cape Cod. The beginning was a little rough going for me, in part because it was read in the midst of traveling and making accommodations and deciding where to go, and also because I don't know a lot of Cape history to begin with and found it a little dry. As I kept going and had more time to read, I began to be more and more intrigued by the stories of the Cape, from the people of Orleans repelling a German attack in World War 2 to the women who went sailing with their husbands. One story of a "witch" makes a strange show more comment about her being nicknamed "Goodie" - this was a fairly common term of respect for women at the time (though it denotes a lower class than "Mistress"), which made me wonder about the historical accuracy of, well, everything since there are no source notes. It was a fun way to get acquainted with the places I was visiting, however, so I'm not sorry I read it. show less