"The Hacky" is a collection of eight true short stories about two brothers growing up in Hackensack, along the Hackensack River. These stories, set in 1949, are an exciting and humorous adventure comparable to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Each story presents the lives of Eddie and Gordy (the author) at the ages of 11 and 12. They ride down the river in an old, rusty cement tub, walk on the rooftops of stores on Main Street, and climb up a scary tower at the Fox Theater movie house. Their surprise gift to a lonely railroad gatekeeper on the night before Christmas is a touching story of kindness of two young boys. They even befriend the hobos and scruffy drifters at the Susquehanna railroad yard, learning all about their colorful travels across country on the rails by hiding in boxcars.

"Riding the Rails" is a story about the freedoms in America available for those who are down and out. The Bishop brothers, on the other hand grew up in an affluent home; their father was a real estate broker and their mother raised three children at home.

Johnson Public Library is located at 274 Main St. For more information, call 201-343-4169.

About the author

Bishop is a national award-winning author (13 books), historian, syndicated columnist, the recipient of eight Congressional Commendations, and was New Jersey's first Journalist of the Year. Bishop is also the unprecedented five-time consecutive winner (1971-75) of the Scripps-Howard Foundation's National Journalism Award.

Hackensack
	Trinity Scouts present 05/15/2008 Hackensack's Holy Trinity Scout organization held its annual pancake breakfast and tricky tray fund raiser last month at the school.
	This way out 05/15/2008 In some ways, the ongoing debate over the fate of eight city emergency medical technicians in Hackensack comes down to money. The city claims it will save approximately $600,000 if the eight positions are terminated by August. The affected EMTs, along wit
	The future is now 05/15/2008 With a brand new blue and white reporter’s notebook in his hand, Paolo San Miguel was ready to go to work. A budding journalist, San Miguel, a fourth grader at Fairmount School, was hot on the trail of a news story that could have a vital impact on his
	Cleaning Coles Brook 05/08/2008 Gail Brumale arrived in sparkling lime green loungewear and tennis sneakers, and her perfect tan suggested she spent countless hours under high skies and bountiful sun. The image was quite the converse of the other volunteers at last weekend’s river cle
	After the fire 05/07/2008 The family hadn’t seen the photo yet. In a hotel room in Rochelle Park, Dion Brown, his wife Jennifer Pearson and two of their three children sat on one of the beds and stared at a photo on the front cover of Hackensack Chronicle.
	Glowing embers 05/07/2008 Dave Keller was fresh out of culinary school when he cooked up an idea at a local meat market. "I went into a local Italian butcher store on Hudson Street when I saw Ernest Allen behind the counter. He worked there part-time," remembered Keller, 54. Allen
	New Hope Baptist Church: Celebration 05/07/2008 Although the New Hope Baptist Church will offer its regular services this Sunday, May 11, it will also celebrate the leadership and contributions of one woman – Dr. Rev. Frances Manning. For 15 years, she has served as the first woman pastor (seventh ov
	EMTs, council spar at meeting 05/01/2008 Michael Tompkins has firefighting in his blood. His father, Walter, served on the Hackensack Fire Department (HFD) for decades. An emergency medical technician (EMT) under HFD command, his job is now threatened due to a recent decision by the City of Hack
	City Politics 101 04/30/2008 They came to Hackensack from the four corners of New Jersey.
	Blaze displaces family from home 04/30/2008 An early morning blaze last weekend ripped through a two-family residence in the Fairmount neighborhood of Hackensack and displaced six residents from their home.
	A lifetime of donating saves others 04/30/2008 Without the efforts of blood donors, Charlie Schneider might not be alive today. The Bergen County native was on the operating room table 40 years ago when his body needed blood; that’s when doctors tapped the bank to replenish Schneider’s lost supply
	Hackensack earns ‘Tree City’ honor 04/30/2008 Going green is no longer just a trend to follow; thinking about Mother Nature is now a way of life.
	'I feel blessed' 04/23/2008 When Daniel Aguiar, a fourth grader at Hackensack’s Holy Trinity School, caught his first sight of Pope Benedict XVI as he rode in the Popemobile down New York’s Fifth Avenue last week, the spectacle made a strong impression on him.
	Vote gives board two new trustees 04/23/2008 Hackensack voters elected two new members to the school board on April 15, with one incumbent failing to gain a second term. First-time candidate Jeanne Dressler was voted in with 668 votes, narrowly outpacing incumbent Francisco Rodriguez, who garnered 6
	End of FAITH, but still hope 04/16/2008 Monday, April 14, was the final day that the FAITH (Faith Advocacy Impacting the Homeless) Foundation drop-in shelter at 86 State St. was open for business. But in many ways, it was business as usual.
	Fire chief reflects back on career 04/04/2008 When Joel Thornton was growing up on Campbell Avenue in Hackensack, he witnessed something when he was 8 years old that stuck in his mind’s eye. He saw men working, and he saw his future.