New Book Addresses Development, Stagnation In Norristown

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- A new book by a former Vietnam Deputy Chief of USAID tries to answer the question: why does Phoenixville stand out on the lower Schuylkill River?

Micahel Tolle will discuss his book, "They’ve Been Down So Long… Getting Up’s Still on Their Minds," at the Phoenixville Public Library on Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m.

Tolle’s book addresses the past, present and future of the towns along the lower Schuylkill River, from Pottstown to the Conshohockens.

In this talk, he will address the question of why Phoenixville alone is experiencing a locally-generated revival, while the towns both upriver and downriver continue to, as he puts it, "stagnate."

Tolle is the author of "What Killed Downtown? Norristown, Pennsylvania, From Main Street to the Malls", and blogs regularly in support of urban revival in America’s small towns, using the eight towns on Pennsylvania’s lower Schuylkill River as his subjects.

He holds a B.S.F.S. (Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service) from Georgetown University and a Masters Degree in History from Villanova.

Tolle has worked in Vietnam, first in a province resettling refugees, then in Saigon.

As Deputy Chief of the Refugee Division of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Michael was responsible for the day-to-day operations in support of refugees throughout the country.

He has been an instructor in History at Delaware County Community College and Montgomery County Community College. He now resides in San Francisco, where he continues his research and focus on the history and future of our small towns.

This program is co-sponsored by the Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area.

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required on the Adult Events calendar atwww.phoenixvillelibrary.org or by calling 610-933-3013, Ext. 132.