Ted David in 2018 in Ocean Grove in front of Nagles. Blogfinger photograph. Paul Goldfinger.
Ted David’s new (copyright 2021) book.
NOTE: TED DAVID is the guest speaker at the June 24 , 2023 meeting of the OGHOA. “There’s No Other Place Like it: A Quirky Look at Ocean Grove Past & Present.”
Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net. 2/2/2022
There is no doubt that author/story teller Ted David is an Ocean Grove “old timer” He’s been here for 35 years. His most famous book is called The Other Side of Ocean Grove—2001.
That book was re-published in 2018. Here is a link to our article written at the time of the re-publish:
Ted has now, 20 years since the first edition, written a sequel called Encore Ocean Grove (2021). He says that the new book “picks up where the 2001 local best seller left off.”
Ted David loves Ocean Grove, and he carefully selects the “stories” to feature in this book. His style is to tell about the town, and in the telling, he often refers to his own life, so the books are semi-autobiographical. He sees through the vision of a sociologist, so his stories are always about people in the Grove.
Ted is motivated to write about OG because he lives here and because he finds the town to be eminently unique.
He says that Ocean Grove may be “the most fascinating town in New Jersey, if not in all America.”
But remember that “unique” is not necessarily wonderful, although Ted seems to feel that way throughout this book.
The author finds that OG, unlike other towns, has a “beating heart” which is how he describes the importance of the Camp Meeting Association. Today he says that there are “two beating hearts,” the second of which is the Chamber of Commercials.
He and I disagree on those characterizations, but our disagreements are not part of his book.
In fact we are trying to focus in this review on what Ted chooses to highlight rather on what topics he chooses to ignore. His subjects are separate stories that have taken years for him to collect, and he often selects topics which entertain him.
When Ted chooses subjects for his books, his writings are often nostalgic. He enjoys looking back in time and he likes to talk about history. He usually features people in town whom he knows or has known.
Ted often gets philosophic about his subjects, and my favorite segment is along those lines–it’s called “Happiness.” It’s a tough topic to tackle.
There are 16 chapters in this 217 page paper back. Among the “down home” topics are the Fishing Pier, Gardens, Bicycles, Mary’s Place, Fishing Club, Neighbors, and Changes.
His writing style is to say only positive things, and he doesn’t mention any of the subjects that cause controversy these days such as the North End Plan, excessive tourism, crowding, religious tensions, changing demographics, condoization, developers, zoning, second homers, and Neptune Township.
Ted David picks his stories from elements which he finds fascinating in town, and he offers many quotes from citizens, mostly whom he knows. He basically did the same thing with his 2002 book, but most of the people which he introduced then are now gone.
Encore Ocean Grove is mostly for Ocean Grove residents, old friends, and supporters from outside. Ted is suspicious that many of the new Grover generation don’t know much about the town.
In fact, Ted says that his main agenda is to acquaint current residents with the true spirit and culture of the Grove.
And he does that by talking about his neighbors, his home, his family, his life and his friends. He uses the word “I” frequently. He also thinks that there is such a thing as an Ocean Grove “community”, but that simply is too narrow a view.
Ted also goes off on lecture tangents regarding some of his favorite topics including a long review of OG history and lengthy conversations about the stories of tents, bicycles, dolphins, Mary’s Place and the Wisdom Bench.
He concludes by talking about the future of Ocean Grove, and while being someone who looks back with relish, he sees a future in town where the temptations of an increasingly crowded Asbury Park will draw Grovers in greater numbers, changing OG forever.
He hopes that we will not become just another shore town.
Ted is a retired college professor, author, and tax expert. It is clear that he is a religious person, but he doesn’t talk about the religious vs secular differences here.
He is very pro-Camp Meeting, and some of that is found as an enthusiastic look into the town’s religious life as told in Encore Ocean Grove.
If you are an OG enthusiast and you love this very special town, you will enjoy Ted’s book very much.
Ted David says that this may be the last of his OG books.
JOHN DENVER:
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