Legends, Lore and Secrets of Western New York

American Legends

by Lorna MacDonald Czarnota

Listen to the whispered legends of spirits, heroes and traitors hidden in one of New York's most captivating regions. Like the region's first inhabitants, the ""Cat People,"" who made clothing from the mountain lions and panthers that they hunted, Western New Yorkers still savor the tradition of storytelling. Tales such as the ""Mail-Riding Mamma"" of Chautauqua County, who carried both the post and her infant child above her head as she journeyed across perilously-flooded creeks, and the Ossian Giant, who at age 19 stood 7 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 385 pounds, are vividly narrated by Buffalo storyteller Lorna MacDonald Czarnota.

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

I live the artist's life. I tell stories. I write. I love history.

I play harp and fiddle. I garden whenever I can and I love to walk to clear my mind for creativity.

My studio is purple with large windows. My cat Dot sleeps on my desk. The other two cats, Her Highness Dasha and Her Majesty Kashka, come visit sometimes, as does my husband. Yes, I am a hermit when deadlines loom.

I specialize in storytelling with at-risk youth, abused women, and communities following disaster.

Teaching and sharing is a very important part of my work.

WKBW TV interview: http://www.wkbw.com/news/eyewitness-n...

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this to read as its title and description suggested to me that this would be more on the side of folklore, and weird history. There is very little of that here. Instead it primarily focuses on short vignettes of general regional history with a focus around colonial through War of 1812 conflicts. Most are too brief to get much from, and those not familiar with the region will find themselves turning to the Internet to find out what many things mentioned are or where they exactly are. Depictions of native tribes at times turns poorly, such as the with the use of the term 'savages'.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the history of Western New York. But very few stories of legends of ghosts, cryptids, or strange things.

[Talia Scibetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it was longer I honestly forget how rich the history in WNY is.
There are also many things I didn’t know about like the descriptions of the Buffalo fire during the War of 1812 and the scars that are still here today, older historically significant businesses ( Curtis’s-Wright’s F40 production for WW2 that my great Aunts worked for, Pierce-Arrow, Holly Engineering, of course Bethlehem Lackawanna steel that many of my grandparents, great/ great great relatives worked for ) , and the entertainment industry in Buffalo ( Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, King of Funk, Somewhere over the Rainbow, Get Happy, Tim Russert, etc). I want to read more in depth about the history of the region.

Also the photos were to grainy and blown up

[Ally Jindra · Rating 3 out of 5]

really 3.5 stars, but i’m rounding down to 3.

as a native buffalonian, i would say this strokes my hometown pride.

it was very interesting to read about the detailed history of this region.
despite /knowing/ about this region’s geography & waterways, it was educational to read just how pivotal a role this region played in earlier wars.

i enjoyed the czarnota writes & it makes total sense she is a storyteller. this is a nonfiction book that reads just as well as fiction books.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mostly a gateway to the bibliography. Props where props are due though, I really want to read those books now.

[Tracy Dankanich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating history, many known but some surprises.I was anticipating something different when I purchased this book which is why the lower stars. Overall, not a disappointment.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I met the author at a storytelling convention, and I wanted to read this book for that reason, as well as because I am from New York, and stories about that state figure in my own writing and storytelling. As a book for history museum book shops and school libraries, it is useful and interesting, though I believe the author's style in performance is more vivid and compelling than her prose here, which sometimes seems wooden to me. This could be because of the requirements of the genre, limitations based on an agreed-upon reading level, or the need to include content about prominent families in the area that the author has to portray in a positive light. But the history is accurate, and the work well-researched.

[Michele Nufer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. Reading the stories of the area I live in makes it come alive. I had no idea that certain things happened in western NY!
Lorna's writing style keeps the reader engaged, that you don't want to put the book down!

[Northern · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only time/place I have to read is on the buses on my way to work. Just finished this one up. Excellent. Who says history has to be boring? This book is fabulous.

[Delbert Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great maps and quite educational. I love studying about our American Indians and where they lived.