Turbulent Years in Chelsea: Documenting Life in the 70s and 80s pairs Joshua Resnek's narrative with Arnie Jarmak's black-and-white documentary photography to preserve a vivid record of a defining era in Chelsea's history.
The book covers the period from the late 1970s into the early 1990s, capturing the people, neighborhoods, and civic life that shaped the city during decades of significant change.
From the Daily Record to a Lasting History
Resnek arrived in Chelsea in 1977 and began reporting for the daily Chelsea Record, working alongside his childhood friend Jarmak. Their newsroom partnership placed words and photographs side by side as they documented the city's public life and the daily experiences of its residents.
That accumulated record became the foundation for the book. Resnek's first-person storytelling supplies context and memory; Jarmak's photographs preserve expressions, streets, workplaces, and civic moments that prose alone cannot hold.
The result is both a book about a particular period and an example of why local journalism matters: sustained attention can become a community archive. Read more about Resnek's Chelsea Record years.
In 2021, Resnek and Jarmak donated copies of the book to the Chelsea Historical Commission for free distribution to residents.
— Joshua Resnek