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With over half the population of this once "big city" moving out of town, Wilkes-Barre no longer can count on a local family to be there at the right time with the right answer. And so, we all saw our population declining once the mines were not sustaining the City.

Everybody noticed stores, even the best of the best shutting down or moving out from necessity. Big Malls on big hills in close-by municipalities were built and Uptown Wilkes-Barre almost completely disappeared . We all noticed that other businesses that once provided hundreds of jobs were not able to continue.

Yet with a voice of optimism, your author, a lifelong Wilkes-Barre resident, suggests that "Mark Twain once said that 'The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'

Wilkes-Barre officials and residents over the years have heard the death knell for the City and instead of contesting it fiercely, allowed it to happen. Like Twain, the City's demise has been greatly exaggerated.." It is time for Wilkes-Barre to live long and prosper.

Your author, Brian Kelly says those bad times, hopefully, are in the past. "Wilkes-Barre can and must find its way out of the mire and return to glory"

May good leadership help Wilkes-Barre find a way to reclaim its future.

You will love all of the pictures and the stories about Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods such as those shown in color on the cover. You'll love the memories of Percy Browns, The Europa Lounge, The Boston Candy Kitchen, the CYC dances; the Canteen dances; The Old Fell House, Hottles, as well as the great dances at the Granada, the Stardust, and The Starfire Ballrooms, and of course the many the taverns and recreational activities. Wilkes-Barre was a great town, but we are not finished yet. Our days of glory are about to return. This book will get us all psyched up to make sure it happens.

Those who grew up in this City, as well as those who love our Diamond City, will enjoy this book. Few books are a must-read but Brian Kelly's Wilkes-Barre, PA: Return to Glory! will melt your heart as your author recounts some great stories from the past and points out how to stop the decline and move this fine city back to Glory. This book needs to be at the top of your reading list, especially for those who have lived or now live in Wilkes-Barre.