New York Books

In today's world, Teddy Roosevelt would be classified as a sickly geek. As a boy, he had severe bouts of asthma, wore thick glasses and even at age 23 only weighed 130 pounds. This book reveals the people and events that shaped his life. He lost a substantial portion of his inherited wealth when the cattle market collapsed in the 1890's.

Teddy really had multiple concurrent careers, he wrote lots of letters on a daily basis, and he also wrote lots of books and magazine articles, which became the backbone of how he supported his family. The salaries for the various political positions that he held were meagar but he had a terrific work ethic and almost unlimited amounts of energy.

This book is also a ray of sunshine and hope. The 1880's and 1890's were full of corrupt political hacks and yet Teddy found a way to succeed without sacrificing his integrity.

This is a great read and it is my pleasure to recommend it to one and all.

I so enjoyed this book that I wish the author would write a follow-up book on his presidency and the remainder of his life.

Linda Moore
Dallas

It is amazing how Teddy made it to adulthood, let alone bull his way to the top of New York's political scene. His determined mind set against the political corruption of the time is inspiring. We watch as his experiences mold his character and his drive. Grondahl's book unfolds this oft overlooked portion of Teddy'a life and is a necessary read for those who really want to meet Teddy Roosevelt.

TR has always been one of my two favorite Presidents (the other being JFK), and this book is more than just your typical biography on him. It takes the unique angle of writing only about TR's life and political career before he became President, starting with his childhood and going through his political development, service in government, personal triumphs and tragedies, stint as a Rough Rider, time as Vice President, and finally having the last chapter be about his famous late-night ride to take the Oath of Office after President McKinley finally succumbed to his gunshot wound. We learn about how his experiences during this part of his life formed his political philosophy and development, making this incredible human being into the astute incredible President and politician he became over time. Mr. Grondahl really knows how to do his research and how to make it interesting and relevant instead of just some dry recounting of facts, names, and dates. It was also an added bonus how the author lives in the same area as I do.

This book was an interesting look at the early life of Theodore Roosevelt, but the true masterpiece here is the index. Perfectly alphabetical and full of surnames followed by given names, the index deserves a Pulitzer all its own!

A fascinating book. Paul Grondahl shows TR's political rise as an explosive combination of two different factors or forces -- one internal and one external.

These forces are on display on the cover of the book. The title ("rose like a rocket") suggests the circumstances that quickly propelled TR into political opportunity. New York, and the nation, were ripe for a patrician reformer. Yet, as the book makes clear, Roosevelt's life consisted as much of sorrow as of opportunity. So external events are insufficient to explain his success.

The subtitle ("political education") suggests the more important factor -- TR's intellectually aggressive approach to life, which enabled him to constantly improve by learning from his mistakes. Roosevelt himself seldom admitted to mistakes. So it takes a great journalist and historian like Grondahl to extract those lessons for us. A very enjoyable piece of detective work!

I am so impressed by the wealth of information contained in this book! I am an artist in many forms, and wish I had known this information when I first moved to NYC. The book is written in an easy-to-read personable style - it feels as if the author is your good friend helping you to make it in NYC. Along with contact information of many resources, the author also includes anecdotes, quotes, and personal stories that liven up the read. I rate it a 10 out of 10!

I've already used several suggestions...including signing up for focus groups. And you don't have to live in NYC to make money on focus groups. Also, I found the book to be generally helpful to making my life easier, richer and fuller...economically! Amy Harrell is an resource angel!

I met the author last night by coincidence in a seminar that we took togheter, i was amazed with the ideias and resources on the book that i didnt hesitate at purchase the only copy that she had it on hands. It is amazing how she divided the topics and make them really clear and extremely helpful . I took couple hours to read it and now im working on the ideias of the book.

THE BEST LUCK FOR YOU AMY HARRELL :)

Liege Neves

A fellow performer recommended this book to me and it has become an invaluable part of my life. It goes well above and beyond other books for artists living in the city - it's a guidebook to every aspect of an aspiring artist's life, from finding an apartment to bargain shopping to making a living through odd jobs to general ways to have a full, rich life on a small budget. A must own!

Most people come to New York like it's the Emerald City, where all your dreams can come true. While that may be true and there are a tremendous amount of opportunities here in this vast jungle; New York does not come with an owners manual. Sure there are are lots of books telling you where to eat, shop, site see, and catch a show, but for a newcomer to this city, especially an artist you'd be hard pressed to find any kind of comprehensive "how to" book.

Soooo many artists, actors, dancers, painters, performers come to New York for school or after they've completed school ready to take on the world, but the sad truth is that these kinds of jobs at the very entry level (if you can find them) don't pay a whole hell of a lot. You want to be here, where it's all happening, NYC, the center of the universe, but ya gotta eat, ya gotta have a roof over your head, ya gotta pay the phone bill so your agent can reach you. How do you do this all the while trying to pursue your dream as an artist?

Do you do the old cliche of waiting tables until you're lucky enough to serve huevos rancheros to Scorcese and he decides he MUST cast you in his next movie and then you can throw away your apron and order pad? Is waiting tables the ONLY WAY?

Most of us live in "the real world" and not the one with Puck, and we have to eek out a living and still make time for pursuing our "dream" so how do we do this?

"I'm Here, Now What", the artists survival guide is a comprehensive guide to pursuing what you love in the big city without going broke and enabling you to live, eat, feed yourself and still make time to do whatever artistic thing you love to do. It is filled with tons of resources that can guide you, point you in the right direction and help you find freelance work, roommates, housing, places to eat, drink, network, socialize, and get connected.

If you're an artist in NYC this is an invaluable resource that can be your own personal Ellis Island welcoming you to this fabulous city and providing a light in the tunnel.

A book that stimulates the mind and the heart !

Saying good things about Hartmann, I feel too insignificant in life to say. But he is more than a Doctor; he's one of the most insightful social observers we have today and he's funny, too. I don't care if Hartmann does think I'm wonderful, brilliant, and handsome; I'm going to put the country's interest above mine and say: 'Turn off the tube and read this book!'

I liked this book very much, and what especially moved me was that it wasn't written by some professional writer, but by a grandfather, like mine. This book was also very personal. At some times this book was very sad, however, it wasn't as sad as some other Holocaust books that I've read. I would like to recommend this book to someone who wants to read about Holocaust, but doesn't feel like buying tissues.

I could not put this book down. I read all night. I cried for much of the next day. This is one of those books which examines the most profound aspects of the human condition. Dr. Hartmann is a real person, whom many people have come to know a little about through his story. What this book did was enable us to see him as part of a family - a genetic family and a family of humanity. This is the sort of book which it is important to guide younger people to. As we leave behind the century which saw the enormous destruction of world wars, but where genocide is all too constant still, this is the sort of book which is necessary so that we don't forget. I cannot speak highly enough of this book.

I was very touched when I read the book about Dr. Hartmann's life story. Dr. Hartmann is a courageous man and I like his answer that God gave man free will and it's men NOT God to blame for the Holocaust. I sincerely wish Dr. Hartmann many more years, he is an inspiration to us all!

I strongly recommend this book to any one who would like to see what the South Bronx was during the 70's and 80's and how life was around when growing in these areas. I look back and see what I experience and how much different is today than those days when growing up.
Going to bed and thinking if you will wake up alive or if the Fire Department will be rescuing you. It's was hard growing up in the South Bronx in those days, but now that it has been in the redevelopment stage, the South Bronx has been recovering from those years of neglect ion to the people of this area.
Mr. Rosenthal's has done an amazing job in capturing those moments during that time.

Rosenthal has produced an excellent book about one of New York's most troubled neighborhoods.Working in the South Bronx for many years I've witnessed firsthand the struggles of area residents against the tide of arson and crime.Rosenthal's photographs tell the story of the survival of the human spirit in one of the most devastated areas in the country and the efforts to rebuild it.

I'd strongly recommend Mr. Rosenthal's work to anyone who is interested in the devastation suffered by those in the South Bronx during the 1970's and 1980's as well as those who have an interest in "urbicide."

Based on what was available, I felt for a long time that there was a great gap in books available on the Bronx; either they spoke of the grand old days or focused solely on the destructive elements of the Bronx experience. Or, in other words, there was little on the lives of those who were trying to make a "go" of the place, despite the inexorable forces arrayed against them.

Mr. Rosenthal's work fills that gap in a diligent and eloquent manner.

In The South Bronx Of America is photographer Mel Rosenthal's intimate documentary of severe and widespread poverty in New York's South Bronx, a neighborhood of ethnic diversity united chronic conditions of urban distress. Enhanced with informative essays by Grace Paley, Martha Rosler, and Barry Phillips, Rosenthal's photos also provide evidence of human joy, strength, and pride to be found in even the most abject circumstances. In The South Bronx Of America is an impressive contribution to contemporary American studies and will prove to be of intense interest to students of photography, ethnic studies, and urban culture as well.

"Not since Eudora Welty photographed rural Mississippi in the 1930s has anyone caught so memorably a people and a place as Mel Rosenthal has done in this unforgettable record of the South Bronx." --Willimam Jay Smith, former Poet Laureate of the United States and author of The Cherokee Lottery

"Rosenthal's disturbing stories and portraits of life in this neighborhood during the 1970s and 1980s are the work of an activist's committed lens, revealing how public money does not always result in public progress." --Doubletake

"Rosenthal's protraits convey the still vibrant life of a community hurtling toward ruin." --Erin Christman, Ruminator Review

"The photographer doesn't just give readers the clichés of burned buildings and homeless people. We see the richness and complexity of life that the South Bronx supported, even during its darkest day, and that may be the book's most significant accomplishment." --Damaso Reyes, The New York Amsterdam News

"Whatever historians may conclude about factors involved in the deterioration of the South Bronx, the juxtaposition of photographs of burned out buildings with vibrant portraits of South Bronx residents makes Rosenthal's book a provocative historical and sociological document." --Leslie Cohen, The Jerusalem Post

I know Patrick and this book shows the real spirit of his love of what he does

Patrick captures the mood and the moments in this beautifully put together book. If you're into fashion, the models, backstage access and the special moods and moments that only a photographer like Patrick can capture, than this is the book for you. What a great coffee table book.

The photos and editorial combine to make a great evening read. The energy from behind the scenes came alive from the pages of this book. Highly recommended!

This is a superb photo essay in every way. McMullan has mastered the art of pacing his photographs so that he mixes models with celebs with text in just the right blend. The attention to detail is exceptional, in the corner of a shot you catch an assistant scurrying or another photographer straining and it really gives that added sense both of tension and just how much the drama is a group effort even if the designer or the model is in the spotlight standing supreme ultimately. Cropping out the periphery might have made the shot a better sensationalist moment but at what a loss to the real feel of the event, and it is the sheer realism that is conveyed that I was most impressed by. My God how ugly some of those celebs came across: in one photo Jennifer Lopez must have been ill, or is that how she really looks caught without make-up! In others the celebs were just so unexpected: Leo DiCaprio so young and Matt Dillon so baby faced. The other emphasis that really hit home was the incredible sense of movement which McMullan really nailed. This is the work of genius!

Makes you feel like you are living and breathing the excitement and creativity of Seventh on Sixth, from the controlled chaos of backstage to the seamless perfection of the shows themselves. Patrick McMullan's photographs are stunning, and extraordinary in that they so realistically capture the very essence of Fashion Week's explosive and beautiful frenzy. A must have, must read, must see!!!

I have read articles by Fran Capo in the past and liked them so when I saw her name on this book I decided to give it a shot, even though I am not a history buff. I thought it was fantastic. Most books about history don't hold my interest. This book was easy to read, light, diverse and sprinkled with humor. It also shed light on many events that I thought I knew what happened. One of my favorite stories was about Captain Kidd. This story revealed many things about the old pirate that I would have never guessed. I read some of the stories to my daughter as well and they kept her interest and taught her history at the same time. The back of the book has a truck load of facts that could win some points in a good trivia game. The book was a fast read, entertaining and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about New York, or just wants to be amused by some pretty wild stories. Great!

This book is a wonderful excursion into the sometimes wacky history of New York City! I lived here all my life and their were many things I did not know about which I learned while reading this fantastic book. It's a roller coaster ride of the most unususl, yet true stories that must be told! It.s a great book for anyone, but if you live in NY, You NEED this book...

I've been reading Frank Borzellieri's work for several years and his writing is outstanding. His other book "The Unspoken Truth" was a political treatise. I'm so happy he wrote a quasi-history book like this. The stories in "It Happened in New York" are fascinating. The Blackout of 1977 was chilling and frightening. The Cardiff Giant Hoax was humorous. Willie Sutton robbing a bank; Niagara Falls drying up. Fantastic! Plus, I never knew that there were witch trials in New York. I thought they were all in Salem, MA. This book is terrificly entertaining and at the same time informative. These events are treasures, as is this book. Great job again, Frank!

Fran Capo's book told me things I had learned about in school, told them much better. Her work beats all the textbooks. She should write more books like this one.

For those of you looking for a good story, you won't find it here. You will find MANY stories. All of them very good. For lovers of history this is a must book. It is very factual and unlike most factual books, it is enjoyable reading also. Ms. Capo has a way of telling history and making it fun. And it told me many things that happened in history that I didn't know about. Where can you go wrong? This is a keeper book for anyone who enjoys reading. And for anyone who enjoys history. This is not a book you will want to trade in at a used book store. This is one you will want to keep on your bookshelf forever. Do yourself a favor and go out and buy it today. I did.

After reading Esther Averill's The Fire Cat and Jenny and the Cat Club, my daughter has become an avid fan. She giggles at the tales of Jenny's adventures with her brothers and the other cat club friends. These are timeless tales which are perfect for early readers because the stories have enough depth to keep children interested but are simply told making them ideal for those starting to read on their own.

My girls love all the Jenny Linsky adventures/stories. This one does not disappoint and is so well-written that it appeals to all ages.

Esther Averill, is the author of a wonderful series of children's books involving a small, shy black cat named Jenny Linsky, of which The School for Cats is one. This story, and all the others in this series are very sweet. They remind me of the other wonderful, classic children's stories such as the Beatrix Potter stories. While the Jenny Linsky stories were written in the 50's, I think children today would still find them very entertaining. Any parent or child who loves cats and cat stories will love these stories. This is a story that kids will want read to them over and over again.

I think Esther Averill's work takes me back to a more innocent age. As cliché as that sounds, it is true. Also, her books flawlessly combine two of my true loves: children's literature and cats!
I'm not sure if I would refer to her illustrations as "art," nor to Ms. Averill as an artist. Her pictures are simple, two tone sketches, black lines and hatchings off set with an occasional splash of red. They are, however, somehow perfect and always endearing. There is nothing harmful and so much beautiful in the Cat Club books about shy Jenny Linsky and her friends, and still the little black cat with the soft red scarf travels the world and has great adventures.
The use of words is perfect, and I think that Jenny Goes to Sea is the perfect read-aloud step between Winnie the Pooh and My Father's Dragon. If you start a child with shy but brave and honest heroes like Jenny, you can spark their sense of adventure without robbing them of their innocence. Yes, this is a children's book (Don't say I told you otherwise. Your teens and preteens want bolder works than the Cat Club), but it is a five star children's book. Treasure it!

Copyright 1957. Jenny Linsky goes to sea at a time that was sweller than now, presuming you were a well-birthed white male or knew your place. Jenny knew her place. She has a member of the civilized Cat Club and no stanger to adventure. Look out for mysterious predictions, an epic poem, and the brave deed! Life was simpler then, and, frankly, I occasionally enjoy being spared the social redeeming values of more modern fiction. Pickles the fire cat even makes a cameo appearance. Averill's simple illustrations and charts nicely augment the short novel. A good read. The balance of Esther Averill's work as well as other publications by the New York Review Children's Collection are also worth looking into. Don't miss The Fire Cat. Enjoy.

Jessi is accepted to Dance New York for a three week time span. She feels sad about leaving her friends but when she gets there she feels she's in another world. After three weeks is up of dancing at the acadamy she given a chance to dance there permanently now she has two choices stay with her friends or follow her dream.

Jessi is going to New York. There she will dance in ballet. But does this mean it's the end of the BSC.

This is the first book about Jessi since book #103 Happy Holidays, Jessi. It was really good though. Jessi gets accepted into Dance New York, a excellant ballet school. She gets to work with one of her heroes, is reunited with Quint, and makes great new friends! Jessi love living in the city and has a hard time coming back. Meanwhile at home Mallory misses Jessi like crazy! Becca is furious at Jessi for leaving her. This book really tells you that home is where the heart is. I loved this book and I hope you do to! :)

In here, Jessi Ramsey, an eleven year old fantastic ballerina, is offered the chance for a two-week class in New York--a dancing class! Go Jessi! And it's away from school! So Jessi is psyched and all her friends in the Babysitters' Club will miss her but they are excited for her as well. When she gets to the city, she is reunited with an old friend and makes new ones, plus she's staying with her cousin and his wife. They're very nice to her. She also likes it that they're artists and her cousin's wife plays the piano! New York City is very exciting but everyone's waiting for Jessi at home--right? Plus Jessi wants to go back--right?

Wrong. Jessi is accepted to be in the full-time program for the experts and has a very tough choice to make: her #1 goal or her friends and family back in Stoneybrook, Connecticut? What will she decide to do?

Jessi is going to New York to do ballet. In the book, Jessi meets Quint and likes him. Unfortunately, Quint has a crush on Jessi and she has to go home.

The story reads well for any student needing to understand the trials and tribulations of people immigrating to the U.S.Important character traits are developed and their importance in reaching a goal are emphasized. The artwork makes a dramatic statement to anyone who opens the book. Elementary students should be attracted by this outstanding feature. As a school director and recently retired teacher, I purchased a copy for each of our elementary libraries because of the qualiy of this book.

This true story written from the perspective of an 11-year-old immigrant, truly sums up the immigrant perspective. My 4th grade students, journaled each day as if he or she were the central character, and begged for each of the five chapters. This book alone, replaced a 4-week unit that I had used previously to emphasize the impact of immigration on our state. Written by the author's daughter, with photos showing then and now, it is wonderful. FYI: We used, as the final journal entry, an account written by Yehuda when he finds his journal 70 years later and recounts the years since arriving in America.

A wonderful story with fabulous illustrations. A must read for all ages

Well i actually got this book for reaserch for a projet and i think it helped me a lot because it told me that familys strugle to enter america.I would reccommend this book to anyone doing an interview with an immagrant i know it helped me a lot.

This review is from Debbie,Paul,Ryan and Melissa. We all modelled for the illustrator,Laurie McGaw, of this book. It was a wonderful experience since some of our grandparents left Russia and Poland because of the war and we felt we could relate to the people in the book.The book has been presented to the our childrens' school in conjunction with the Holocaust unit. Teachers and kids alike found the book to be very interesting and beautifully illustrated. We recommend it to all nationalities and ages.It is not only a book about Jewish people, but also a book about what any immigrants coming to North America might have experienced.

My son is incarcerated and I sent this book to his cell mate who is an aspiring artist. He loved it. He has talent and someday, maybe, we will all be buying JP Kennedy's!
Thank for sharing the story-you never know who'll you will be inspiring to stay straight and focused.

JUBILEE CITY is one of the most moving and unusual memoirs I've ever read. It's snapshots from an artist's life that are often funny and heartbreaking all at once. They are always moving, and often universal experiences. Andoe has a fresh and unique way of expressing himself. I loved this book and found myself reading stories from it over and over again.

Joe Andoe must be fifteen years younger than the artists and poets I'm most familiar with who hailed from Tulsa--the WHITE DOVE REVIEW crew of Joe Brainard, Dick Gallup, Ron Padgett. His book JUBILEE CITY rivals the memoirs of Brainard (I REMEMBER) and Padgett (OKLAHOMA TOUGH, MY FATHER KING OF THE TULSA BOOTLEGGERS) as far as getting the lowdown on one of America's most exciting, durable, and dreamlike city-states. When I picked up this book, out of curiosity towards all things Tulsa, I had never heard of the painter Joe Andoe, and now that I've read it I realize he's one of the most famous artists of the world and he's shown all over the known universe. Somehow he flew under my radar but perhaps I have my head in the clouds or buried in the sand like a West Coast ostrich, what do I know? In any case Joe's childhood was like a real-life version of JT Leroy books, except for one stabliizing factor, his father was a real man's man who didn't say very much but Joe always knew that, no matter how many juvenile shenanigans young Joe got his sorry butt into, there was always going to be one man who had his back, his dad.

The saddest part of the book was when Andoe Sr., a relatively young man, had a heart attack and Joe had to bundle him into the car and drive him to the hospital, simultaneously talking him alive, keeping him going. But I think Mr. Andoe didn't want to stay alive not smoking, having to watch his diet, living as "half a man," and so, it wasn't long before they were carrying him back to his Maker.

Joe's interest in art went into high gear when he found out that his chichi society drawing teacher could sell a drawing or a watercolor for 900 dollars--900, as much as the car Joe was driving cost. "He looked like veal to me, all soft and white." And Joe was skeptical of the teacher's talents, thinking to himself, if his s**t flies, then mine will too. At college he learned about men like Robert Smithson, Dennis Oppenheim, other hipsters like himself, but as he says, it wasn't until he saw one of Warhol's pink Marilyns that art got its hook into him once and for all. The teacher told him he should have more humility but Joe just looks at him sideways and says, "I don't know what that word means--is it like humid?"

He had to deal with rapacious and uncaring dealers who tried dicking him every which way from Sunday, and he wound up with a Smith College alumna girlfriend in NYC who, addicted to heroin, had him breaking into his own kids' piggy banks for nickels and dimes. His brushes with the law were frequent and outrageous, and if you read THE BASKETBALL DIARIES or seen the movie with Leo Di Caprio you will agree with me by admitting that Joe Andoe was the baddest boy in many moon,s but he never lost his soul and he never lost heart. His story further proves the continuing vitality of Tulsa and Tulsans, who include also Garth Brooks, Leon Russell, Gene Autry, and David BREAD Gates in music and, in other fields, Jennifer Jones, John Hope Franklin, Sammy Sosa, Larry Clark, Alfre Woodard, S. E. Hinton who wrote THE OUTSIDERS, and Wes Studi. What do these folks all have in common? They're tough and they're cool, ubercool.

Reading Joe Andoe's memoir is like walking through a collection of his paintings. Sublime, sensual and haunting. His words reach right into your soul as do his paintings.Unlocking ghosts of distant memories.For anyone who has lived outside the box ,or for that matter looked inside and not quite know how to fit in there is comfort in knowing you are not alone. Loved it.

So, world-renowned (and successful--which isn't so easy to pull off) artist Joe Andoe has written his memoir. Why do you care? Because Joe grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma - an unlikely breeding ground for an artist. Because Joe grew up misbehaving in all sorts of ways, had more close calls with the law and death than he can count, until he finally moved to New York City to make his name and to find his fame. Joe's voice, as a writer, is like an undertow -- before you know it, you're miles off shore, completely sucked into his world of all-encompassing love (for his children, his painting) and lust (for women, alcohol), as he paints and parents his way to recovery and redemption. The life presented here is one lived on Joe's terms, with sparkling moments of bigheartedness, crazy humor, and poignant regret. I was entranced by his bad boy youth in Oklahoma, full of muscle cars and dewy teenage girls, the insider details of the world of art galleries and agents, and most of all by how he sorted out all his inner demons and rebuilt connections with his family, friends, children.