Greg Beach

The World and Watertown Greg Beach

At just over four square miles, Watertown, Massachusetts, has been historically overshadowed, in size and influence, by its next-door neighbor, Boston. Briefly famous during the federal manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers, Watertown is more than the unassuming New England suburb it might appear to be.



In his new book of essays, The World and Watertown, author Greg Beach explores Watertown's fascinating history and lively culture that serve as a microcosm of the United States and the world.



Beach covers

the first people of Watertown and the enduring legacy of Native communities in Eastern Massachusetts, Watertown's tenure as the capital of Massachusetts during the British occupation of Boston and the town's role in the abolitionist movement, the evolution of the American economy, told through the centuries-long transformation of the Watertown Arsenal, the history and cultural heritage of the Irish and Armenian immigrants who have made Watertown their home, the tense manhunt conducted in Watertown after the Boston Marathon bombing, the local ecology and its complex relationship with humanity, and much more.

Through evocative stories of the citizens, seasons, and spaces of his hometown, Beach offers an insightful look at the ways of the world through Watertown.