"The Astor Orphan: A Memoir" by Alexandra Aldrich

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Joe Donahue

Published October 24, 2013 at 10:45 AM EDT

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is a memoir by a direct descendant of John Jacob Astor, Alexandra Aldrich.

In it, she tells the story of her eccentric, fractured family; her 1980s childhood of bohemian neglect in the squalid attic of Rokeby, the family’s Hudson Valley Mansion; and her escape from the clan. Aldrich reaches back to the Gilded Age when the Astor legacy began to come undone, leaving the Aldrich branch of the family penniless and squabbling over what was left.

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Joe Donahue

Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book.

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