New York Books

The Crane is a nice, interesting story. Behind the story is is the parable of what happens when war comes. It is a great lesson in life and a great classic

A wise and well illustrated (by the author) childrens book, that is well known in Europe, and sadly overlooked in the US. Like "The Little Prince", this book has a charm and quality that transends age. It is about a man and a crane. It is about work,life,...the big questions the big answers. Good stuff. Sadly out of print.

'The Crane' is one of the most beatifully written childrens stories of this century. It is a parable that carries many important questions about who we are and how we live. As a teacher of English, I have found this book a remarkable resource and one that really allows for differentiation of learning with children around 11-12. It is a funny, sad and very touching story and I emplore somebody to reprint it, so that more people can access this wonderfull book. Why it isn't more widely known I do not understand.

I read this every summer at my grandma's. I never quite understood it, and I didn't quite like it but I did keep coming back to it. It's something of a fairy tale and something of a philosophical tale. If I had to describe it now I would call it hauntingly beautiful.

Reiner Zimnik, a former carpenter, was 26 and student at the Munich Art Academy when he wrote and designed this book in 1956. The illustrations, simple black and white sketches, stayed with me all my life. The most powerful one covers two pages with a few black strokes of sky, a fallen over little shoe, a dazed bird und the scribble: "Da war das Land traurig, und die Erde weinte." (The country was sad. And the earth wept.) As an adult I might say that it's a fable about the Second World War - what was there before and what came after. As child I experienced no other book that would speak to me with such immediatness. Though it wasn't that widespread in Germany I would still say that it's our best children's book till today.

Frank McCourt must've penned a primer for those who write autobiographies profiling their rise out of quintessential Irish childhood to become successful teachers, pub owners or actors in the Big Apple. If not, we'll develop a one, having slogged through a few Irish experience autobiographies in the past few years. CROSSING HIGHBRIDGE, a soulful reflection penned by Maureen Waters, fits the bill. The first of her family not born in Ireland, Ms. Waters left a secure Irish Catholic Bronx neighborhood to become professor of English at Queens' College. In HIGHBRIDGE Waters revisits her old neighborhood and youth in an attempt to exorcise a few demons and make sense of tragic loss.

Speaking of school, name a primordial recollection that separates Catholic childhood experiences from those of the less fortunate. Stumped? Parochial school--does anything compare? I recall nuns swooping like hawks about the classroom slapping the ten-thumbed hands of boys while praising the girls, all who had mastered the fine motor skill control requisite to master the Palmer method of penmanship And priests, remember their surprise visits? They dashed about classrooms rooting out the heathens who failed to memorize today's catechism. Waters pens a charming reunion visit to that school we loved, where Sister Immaculata, or Sister Alvera, or Sister Whoever, ruled the roost with an iron claw, er, fist.

Waters infuses a recognizable dose of Irish Catholic guilt. To wit: "You want to be a teacher? Are you daft Maureen? The proper thing, young lady, is to save yourself, marry a decent man and have a dozen children!" Or the refrain heard by many a young Irish lad, "Pat, the family hasn't ordained a priest in two generations. Your mother and I want you to consider the seminary." Familial guilt threads its way through CROSSING HIGHBRIDGE.

No growing-up-Irish spiel should lack a smattering of old-country angst, and it doesn't hurt to parade a skeleton or two out of the family closet in the offing. Forced by her father to work the family farm at an age when she should've been in school, Water's Mayo-born mother exuded the lifelong melancholy of lost opportunity; melancholy she wore on her shirtsleeve. According to Waters, an aunt told her that her maternal grandfather beat the six daughters, including Maureen's mother, Agnes. Also prone to unleashing impressive levels of violence, maternal grandpa Ruane was once hush-hushed off to a mental institution. Further, Water's father, Daniel, witnessed his share of perverse Black and Tan justice and senseless political murder while caught in the flame of Ireland's republican fire of the 1920s. Waters also lost an uncle in a failed attack on a Sligo military garrison during the Free State revolution. There's more--but perhaps these are skeletons better left in the closet.

Which leads us to the subject of humor rampant in Irish tragicomedy. CROSSING HIGHBRIDGE is bound with all the Irish charm and storytelling one would expect---but not the leprechaun-like humor. Waters might've survived unscathed an abusive marriage, the lofty expectations of the Church, the vagaries of a difficult mother, and a professional career bound by the shackles of sexism, but the loss of a son in a tragic accident stopped her in her tracks. Waters wrote CROSSING HIGHBRIDGE, she offers, as a step to recovery and to pay homage to those who had gone before her. Writing with the passion of someone who needs to unlock the past in order to make sense of the present, she keeps an optimistic eye on the future. CROSSING HIGHBRIDGE is a worthwhile read.

Along with her title of Professor of English, Maureen Waters' résumé includes, Director of Irish Studies at Queens College in New York.

I was able to identify with nearly everything Miss Waters wrote about her Irish Catholic upbringing in Highbridge, because I too came from the same place, and I knew her sister Agnes many, many years ago. However, if I had not had the privilege of knowing Maureen and her literary family, I would still have been able to appreciate the writer's gift of style where she combined gracefully, history, philosophy, religion along with the socioeconomic conditions of the 1940's and 1950's growing up in Highbridge.

This profoundly moving memoir of growing up Irish/Catholic/female in the midcentury Bronx began with the author's need to understand the loss of her son to accidental death by drugs and alcohol. As she puts it, "the drive to piece together cause and effect was a belief that I had far more power than I actually did for good or ill." She sifts the past out of psychological necessity, desperate, guilty, and finds ordinary treasure: in human characters - her father, an immigrant from Sligo, her mother from Mayo, a feisty and lovable little sister, Agnes, and, above all, in her beautiful and enigmatic lost child of the flaming red hair, Brian Patrick - and also in their brave and lonely human places (Highbridge on Hudson, Long Island). She looks back for clues to her loss from the perspective of a divorced single mother trying to juggle children and hold her own in academe (she's now a professor of English). Memory sifted through the prism of such luminous prose and honest emotion offers a gentle and moving consolation to this reader. The story of the author's Catholic journey, from insider - the parish was Sacred Heart - to outsider is told with devastating brevity. I'll never forget the final image of women's exclusion. It rings so true. The abyss is present in Waters' world, but to me this is a book of hope

This beautiful memoir of growing up Irish-Catholic-female in the Bronx at midcentury began with the author's tragic loss of one of her sons to an accidental death from drugs and alcohol. In order to survive herself, she must understand: "The drive to piece together cause and effect was a belief that I had far more power than I actually did for good or ill." The bereaved mother, who is also a professor of English, sifts her past for answers. She uncovers the treasure of human characters (her father, Daniel Waters, an immigrant from Sligo, her mother from Mayo; her rebel little sister, Agnes) in their brave and lonely human settlement (Highbridge on the Hudson). She looks back on the cost of parenting alone as a divorced young mother and trying to hold her own in academe. The consolation that memory - and Waters' luminous prose - makes for her and for this reader is profoundly moving. The story of her Catholic journey, in particular, the movement from insider - the parish was Sacred Heart - to outsider, is especially strong: she tells it with a devastating brevity and one final image that I'll never forget. It rings so true. This is a courageous book about loss in which you come to see that what remains is, after all, a matter of life understood and hope.

I could relate to nearly everything that Miss Waters wrote about in Crossing Highbridge, because I came from that Irish Catholic enclave, I knew the Waters family long ago, and I went to Sacred Heart with Maureen's sister, Agnes.

Maureen Waters is a gifted writer who combines history, philosophy, religion, and the socio-econimic conditions in a working class environment in the 1940's and 1950's, with utter grace, and at the same time, the reader can experience some strong emotions of saddness and joy.

Helen Levitt's name is less well known than some of her images of New York street life. Perhaps that is the way she would wish it since she seems to have never sought fame. The book is as reticient as she and there is little commentary, but in truth little is necessary though I would love to know more about her and her work. This is a beautifully printed, organized and designed book and it was a pleasure to spend hours looking at the photographs. Often it was difficult to turn the page because each image is so compelling and resonates on many different levels. In a way, they are the perfect street images; they have the look of a snapshot but are so much more than that. Though they are all of New York they have a universal quality and speak about the truth of people's lives in a profound way. I admired the formal qualities of the photographs but what resonates most is the deep humanity of what she does, what she sees and records. It sometimes seems to me that photographers, in their quest for a good images,treats subjects with a level of distain and distance that is uncomfortable and ultimately manipulative. Crosstown is nothing like that and even when the photos are funny, and several are, they are funny in a very human way. There is nothing saccharine or trite in her work either and she has a great gift of photographing children without slipping into cuteness. I am a photographer and I treasure this book. I would certainly recommend it to others interested in photography, but I thinks its' appeal extends to anyone interested in the human condition and how we relate to one another.

Helen Levitt is not one of those New Yorkers who look neither to the left or right as they travel the streets of the city. This is a book about life. The neighborhoods she shoots are generally poor ones, yet we see people that are involved; people who are actively engaged in life even when they seem to be doing nothing. Her subjects -often children- play, they love, they communicate, they are lost in thought, and occasionally are sleeping.

A fine sense of humor permeates many of the scenes. Some subjects are caught in contorted, puzzling positions. We see the incongruous position of objects: an old 33rpm record in the street; a pair of shoes sitting by themselves on a sidewalk; three chickens wandering around a decrepit room -where did they come from? A mother's head is buried in the bottom of a baby buggy while the tyke yelps with joy. A dog is caught in the act of mistaking his owner's leg for a fire hydrant while she talks to a friend.

In general HL catches the warm side of humanity. Only a couple of pictures look like they were taken from a file of Jacob Riis (a 19th century photographer of New York tenement life). There was one particularly sad shot of a woman and her three children sitting on their front steps. They are obviously impoverished. The two youngest children seem quite content, but the mother seems weighed down with her life, and in the teen-age daughter we see the beginning of lost hopes.

This book is a must for anyone interested in street photography. It will take you a long time to get through this book as each photograph will hold your attention for some time.

This book has a number of unique photographs. Ms Levitt with many of these wonderful pictures,leaves you wondering what happened before or just after the picture was taken.
You can I believe see some connection to the style of Cartier Bresson with whom I understand she spent some time working.
I recommend the book.

If you admire the warmth and humanity of Helen Levitt's endearing photographs of New Yorkers, don't miss this book. The selection of photographs is superb and the printing and binding quality are first rate. This book could go out of print soon, from which time its value will grow quickly.

This is my latest favorite photography book. I have a large collection that includes many with Manhattan as subject. The images captured by Levitt are stunning and the binding of the book itself is wonderful.

I came of age as a homo in Boston circa 1987-1991.

Cyclizen is the best account of the political, sexual, and social fulcrum for 20 something gays in New York at that time. Sex and empowerment were in the air and Provenzano captures both in this novel. A great read that includes generous helpings of the events and flavor of the time and believable accounts of the romantic and erotic adventures of Kent a complex but likeable protagonist and narrator. Provenzano also pulls off a novel that has substance and graphic sexual encounters. Highly recommended.

"Cyclizen" is something of a sequel to "Monkey Suits" and continues on the theme of a rather ordinary guy who was swept into AIDS activism. Kent is a peripheral member of ACT-UP, but a more worldly person than the protagonist of "Monkey Suits". The book deals directly and sensitively with the difficulties of sexual relationships between gay men, especially where their HIV statuses differ. It also deals with effort to come to terms with the kind of relationships that a gay man may seek, although this is never fully resolved, much as many men never really figure this out (or they choose a sort of freedom that isn't entirely freeing, as is the case here). Kent seems to enjoy the jailhouse hookups as much as any other aspect of activism and the book captures the varied motives that brought people into ACT-UP and kept them involved. As such, it will disappoint those who want an elegy on a past era of engaged activism.

"Cyclizen" has gotten far less press than "Monkey Suits" or "PINS", which seems odd to me. Structurally, it is a much better written book than Provenzano's two previous efforts. He uses a straight forward first person narrative and builds that character more fully than the poorly developed Lee of "Monkey Suits". It seemed apparent that Lee was underdeveloped as a way for readers to impose some of themselves on the character and let the story build around him--unfortunately, it just seemed like weak character development to me. The "Wall Street" subplot of "Cyclizen" is the most poorly developed aspect of the story, although it helps provide a narrative that comes to a less rushed and neatly tied ending than "PINS" or "Monkey Suits". Given its brief length, this is more of a novella than a novel and this form may be better for Provenzano, who seemed to treat his other two books like short stories in terms of resolving their plots.

Overall, the book is an enjoyable read. It realistically captures the middle period of AIDS activism and provides a perspective on gay men's relationships. It continues Provenzano's exploration of characters who aren't quite the usual gay lit guys, which is one reason why I look forward to what ever he does next.

Written in a seat-of-the-pants tenor, "Cyclizen" evokes the mood and tone of the times in which it is set. In a basic, sort of scruffy narrative, he tells a very sweet story in the context of a time when a movement was gaining its footing and becoming a "community."

The backdrop of activism, the journey through the edges of Gordon Gekko's Wall Street, the exploration of feelings captured, recaptured, sought after and lost all come together in a narrative that is compellingly evocative; especially if you were around, during those times...

There are some powerful moments, articulated throughout the book; and the end was, to me, quite moving. It won't be moving, though, if you go right to the last pages; you must READ THE BOOK!

So buy it. Read it. Keep Provenzano fed.

While Cyclizen is the third novel by Jim Provenzano, it's the first novel of his I've read. Written in a first-person narrative (a writing style I enjoy immensely), it's set in New York City in 1992. Gay activism, such as ACT UP and Queer Nation, were at their peak and the start of the "greed is good" Wall Street days.

Kent, the protagonist, becomes a bike messenger, and with that he recounts his adventures -- sex, friendships, and even gets wrapped up in the "greed is good" Wall Street of the day. One of aspects of first-person writing, fiction or non-fiction, is the writer can fully explain what's really going through the character's mind. I know what Kent is thinking about more fully when he is by himself or interacting with the other players in his life.

Cyclizen is mean to be an entertaining read without hitting the reader over the head with a specific point (or issue). Kent's passion about his activism is apparent, but it is his own, not meant to "teach a lesson" to the audience.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an example of gay fiction that isn't heavy or moralistic, but simply a good novel!

Cyclizen is another stylistic departure for one of my favorite gay fiction writers.



While it's a far veer away from "Pins" (there aren't any teenagers or wrestles), it seems a good follow-up to "Monkey Suits," which had its flaws, but focused on the same time and setting. This seems to be the downtown version.



"Cyclizen" is much more personal; a first-person telling leaves you wondering less about the main character, who provides a lot of personal details, and more about the wider world of activism and bike messengering he inhabits. New York itself becomes a character.



I got a lot of poetic passages, some sexually explicit yet written with a motivation, a why, why his hot ex-boyfriend activist clone dumped him, and why Kent is hesitant to connect fully with Ness, who could be his true love. All of this is told with a wry combination of humor and bluntness.



His affair with Sheets, the closeted marketing guy with a scheme, embodies the 80s corporate gay white guy. It's interesting to get his naive perspective to counter Kent's almost cynical tone about his years spent in ACT UP.



This was a breeze to read, with action, politically charged sex, and a bit of old mythological stuff woven in, too. I look forward to reading it again on a hot beach.

I must agree with the above reviews. I picked up this memoir on a remainder table a year or so ago. I started it but put it down. I suppose I was not in the mood for it. Thankfully, it turned up in a pile somewhere a few days ago and I find myself absolutely engaged. I studied Frank O'Hara in college and always admired his matter-of-fact attitude toward his being gay (or queer as the term was then). JL's book reconfirms that point. O'Hara never was the doomed queen, a persona so common for that time (Tennessee Williams being the reigning royalty of that court). JL, it appears, had the same attitude toward his homosexuality: it simply was his preference. Beyond the queer studies angle, JL brings a wonderfully engaging voice to his memoir. It is, by turns, poetic, conspiratorial, wistful, humorous. So if you want to know more about O'Hara and his circle, read this book

Joe LeSueur's memoir of his friend and companion, is a truly illuminating portrait of the artist. What makes these digressions so rich and rewarding for the reader, is the unique perspective LeSueur is able to bring to this material. These are LeSueur's memories of experiences and events shared with O'Hara and their myriad of friends and acquaintances. I found this book to be compelling, intimate and inspiring (indeed, "Lunch Poems" and "Selected Poems" were never too far out of reach, and both read from cover to cover). By virtue of having been a participant or, at the very least having been an eye witness to the events depicted, LeSueur has captured not just a time and place, but the essence of a cherished friend. I found myself reading slowly, savoring each passage. By the end of the book I felt I had really gotten to know O'Hara and his circle of friends, and found myself in tears as I read the last few pages. LeSueur's memoir is a tribute to Frank O'Hara as both an artist and a beloved friend.

At Frank O'Hara's funeral, composer Virgil Thomsom turned to the poet's longtime friend Joe LeSueur and said, "Baby, I hope you kept a journal." Though clearly not drawing upon stale journal entries, LeSueur's memoir of his relationship with O'Hara (which survived the vicissitudes of its ever-changing status...friends to lovers to friends, etc.) is a nice blend of personal memories and feverish impromptu research (Brad Gooch's biography seems to have been ever at his elbow). LeSueur is neither vindictive nor pointlessly benign. He truly understood and appreciated O'Hara's central position in the explosion of art that was happening in New York in the 50s and 60s. Unlike Ginsberg and the Beat poets, O'Hara was equally at ease among literary folk, musicians, and painters (especially the abstract expressionists). To read about O'Hara is to read about the greatness of post-war New York.

DIGRESSIONS is actually helpful, too. Because O'Hara often adopted a casual, off-hand, personal approach when writing his poems, it is great to have someone who was intimate with the poet to explain "who's who" and "what's what." LeSueur, however, is equally comfortable admitting when he's baffled by an O'Hara reference, and explanations (and reminiscences) are never forced.

One other thing--DIGRESSIONS is an enlightening portrait of gay life in New York prior to the Stonewall riots. O'Hara and LeSueur were both openly gay, though they had quite different approaches to meeting their sexual needs. O'Hara seems to have had fewer partners, usually choosing them from his circle of friends and aquaintances. LeSueur seemed to favor one-night stands and casual sex. Perhaps this difference is one reason their friendship continued long after their sexual intimacy ended. If only LeSueur had lived long enough to write DIGRESSIONS ON GAY LIFE BEFORE STONEWALL.

This is a remarkable book. If you ever loved Frank O'Hara's poetry, the book is really a necessity. It gives personal reminiscences about the writing of some of the famous poems: 'The day Lady died', 'A true account of talking to the Sun...', etc. It brings many of the more obscure and personal poems into remarkable focus. It also illumines many of names and references that appear throughout the poems. All of this from probably the closest witness to O'Hara's life, creative and otherwise. For these reasons, it is a quite an unusual treasure.

But beyond its usefulness to O'Hara's poetry, the book is the story of a friendship. And an account of a special time in American arts and letters - told from one of the members at the party. LeSueur's presence in O'Hara's life might have been partly due to charm and good lucks (which he discusses), but that apparently never stopped him from being important to O'Hara. (The famous 'Lunch Poems' is dedicated to him.) We are fortunate that he was a careful observer and was blessed with a remarkable memory. Apparently he died shortly before the book was published, which is poignant, because the book is also a tribute to LeSueur's life, and a celebration.

Joe LeSueur has provided the cultural history of American arts in the mid-20th Century with this seamlessly interesting and informative inside perspective on the important role of Frank O'Hara - poet, art critic, champion of the visual, musical, and literary arts par excellence. DIGRESSIONS ON SOME POEMS BY FRANK O'HARA is not only a clever and viable means to writing a memoir: it provides insights into the growingly important works of O'Hara who some are now ranking as the 20th century version of Walt Whitman as Poet of the City. While many of the poems introducing each chapter are well known to us, it is the window to the world of O'Hara's life and times that is so well served by Joe LeSueur's writing. Frank O'Hara was bonded with such luminaries as Willem de Kooning, Elaine de Kooning, Larry Rivers, Joan Mitchell, Jackson Pollock, Grace Hartigan, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Lincoln Kirsten, WH Auden, Kenneth Koch - the list is endless. O'Hara was a behind the scenes observor, never hogging the limelight and in fact avoiding it, always with his keen eye on good art, good music, good writing, and always turning out poems that only now are being read seriously by the general public. Joe LeSueur live with O'Hara, joining O'Hara in his flagrantly 'Out' gay life, hobnobbing with all the other gay artists of his time in a way that makes him the recorder of that important preStonewall age, a time when even the giants such as Aaron Copeland, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, etc were closeted. At times LeSueur borders on the gossipy side, but that only enhances his subject. What we are left with here is a wonderfully composed tribute to a great artist and supporter of the arts. The overall effect of this book is monumental, and at the same time exceedingly conversational. Very Highly Recommended.

Not a hip-hop fan and not interested for a variety of reasons? Then all the more reason to pick this book up. I learned about the origins of hip- hop and the accompaning culture and like many of the characters in the book, I made peace with certain aspects of hip-hop and continue to be perplexed by others. Certainly the read is a mind opening and balanced account of the struggling sub-culture of religious hip-hop to reclaim its roots. Gutierrez's writing is a refreshing look through all eyes focused on the illusive prize.

Eric Gutierrez' DISCIPLES OF THE STREET is a page-turning and inspiring story of faith and hope. This savvy and soulful book really moved me to imagine the rich and diverse ways we can build community. A must-read!

Not so much in the born-again sense but in the living-in-the-now sense, this book chronicles a specific rebirth of organized religion, with all the disorganization, mess, and glory it entailed. This story is complex and multi-sided, and the writer possess an admirable (and humbling) ability to listen and record. Most writers would be injecting their own feelings and opinions everywhere, but this author listens. His attention to detail and nuance is wonderful. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. That's rare.

Fascinating story full of big personalities. Whether you are into hip-hop, or not, the story of the people in Disciples of the Street will appeal to you. I really enjoyed this book!

I came to this book not expecting much but found the characters rendered in complex and fascinating emotional colors. God--and love--comes from the most unexpected places and faith seems that much stronger when it springs up in a weed-strewn, neglected, drug-fueled community. Great read!

Cute, fun, and highly dance-able, "A Duck in New York City" is a must for any child's music collection. We like "A Poodle in Paris" as well, but "Duck" is slightly superior. The Belly Button song is a favorite around here.

I initially borrowed this book and CD set from the library on a whim because the cover looked interesting. Two renews later, I am purchasing one for the house. I have a 2 and 3 year old who listen to this CD non-stop. My 3 year old knows all the words, and I must confess I DO TO. The songs are so creative and catchy -- you will find yourself humming along with the alligators. This is certainly a smart collection of songs that will introduce your little one to various styles of music. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

A friend gave my daughter this CD for her first birthday, and we've been listening to it almost nonstop ever since. The lyrics are clever and fun, and the music is beautifully scored and performed. I sing along with all the songs myself, and my daughter sways and dances. Highly recommended!!!

We heard your "Duck in New York City" in a CBC radio program in Dec. about kids' music and the value of it to their musical growth. We loved that song and we went to Chapters the same day and purchased 2 copies of the CD. The songs are excellent and it is a great "learn and sing-along" disk. Our only problem(??)is that the 5 year old insists that there are butter-bugs in the slug song and her older sister disagrees! Great fun!! They both listen so carefully, and love to sing and dance to all the songs. We will be on the lookout for your other releases. Thank You...keep them coming!!

This is a really cute book with great pictures and a very imaginative story that emphasizes the "I think I can" theme.
It is great for children of all ages!

Here's a wonderful collection of diverse writings about New York City ranging from an account of Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage down the river that took his name to a very poignant piece about 9/11 by a member of Mayor Rudy Giuliani's staff. Articles by such well-known writers as O'Henry, Theodore Dreiser, Herman Melville, Stephen Crane, Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck (all who have lived in the Empire City) are included. Each selection has a brief introduction packed with interesting facts about the City and the writer of the piece. A great read and reference.

Superlatives seldom meet the mark, except EMPIRE CITY. This is a book of superlative moods, the city of true night and day, and of gifted writers meeting on Gotham's every old and new corner. Each in their own time, they're overwhelmed by the city's human vastness, its diversity, even attracted to its loneliness - the city's unique ability to confer absolute privacy in neighborhoods and buildings that rise into the sky.

To paraphrase, one writer said, "No matter the hour, there's always something exciting happening in New York." Like rubbing minds with Jack Kerouac, or going uptown with Federico Garcia Lorca, and James Baldwin - or rooting for the Yankees with Bruce Catton. Last night I sat ringside at the Polo Grounds for the Firpo/Dempsey fight; the day before I broke my back as a laborer on the Brooklyn Bridge; tonight I'm taking the ferry to see Whitman's leaves of grass. And after that, supper at Delmonico's. If I have energy enough come morning, it's off on the Half Moon to discover Manhattan - and you're welcome to come along.

I haven't even scratched the surface, because there's always something wonderful to do in Jackson & Dunbar's superlative collection, EMPIRE CITY.

I bought this book as soon as it was in stores because David Dunbar, my former teacher, wrote it and he is a GENIUS. Reading the essays and stories between the covers was an even greater experience than owning the work of a friend. It now sits on my coffeetable, waiting for my next trip to Dobbs Ferry, where I will ask David to inscribe the title page with his autograph. Each essay is packed with all the feeling and emotion to be found in the city, in all of its people and buildings and history. To read this book is not simply to follow words on a page...It is to experience the greatest city on Earth. From Joplin to New York and back again, this book, and CITYterm, have together been one of the most enlightening opportunities I have ever had.

Editors Kenneth Jackson and David Dunbar have amassed an enormous collection of essays, letters, diary entries, and poems about New York written by New Yorkers and visitors to the city from the dawn of the modern age (ca. 1600) to just after the ravages of 9/11. While an overwhelming majority of the pieces are pro-Gotham, I was glad that Messrs. Jackson and Dunbar had the wisdom and integrity to present some works that express anxiety and doubt about New York's status. The result is an extensive, celebratory, sometimes warts-and-all biography of the world's greatest city. As Mr. Jackson remarked in the 1999 Ric Burns New York Documentary, New York is not a stagnant, static thing: "New York is always becoming". He and Mr. Dunbar are to be congratulated for reminding us that New York's biography is long, and with a lot more greatness to come.

Rocco Dormarunno,
author of "The Five Points, A Novel"

this book is a masterpiece for anyone on the search. if you are one of those lower east side hipsters who thinks theres no success like failure, but failure's no success at all, then this book is for you. it leans into the kernel, and asks the right questions from beginning to end. get ready to strap on your conceptual goggles and prepare for some authors intention. from joan didion's "goodbye to all that" to walt whitman's "crossing brooklyn ferry" this book keeps the faith all the way.

To read this book reveals not only plenty of interesting and quite often surprising information on fashions past and current but its text and pictures are highly complementary. In addition a lot of the provided information gives insight into social structures of the centuries referred to - and once more it is proven that fashion is one of the quickest instruments to testify social and historical changes to the world.

Harold Koda's Extreme Beauty surveys concepts of fashion and beauty. Koda considers the evolving, changing strategies of beauty around the world, focussing on different body parts and how they are accented and displayed through varying uses of clothing and cultural perception. Black and white and color photos of unusual fashion choices and styles make for some eye-opening insights.

This is a beautiful book illustrating the different ways cultures reform the body and for what reasons. It is just like actually visiting an exhibit at a major museum. But this you get to take home and enjoy over and over. The photos are plentiful, full color, large and professional. The text is not overly scholarly, but informative and intelligent. It does leave me wanting to delve deeper into the subject intellectually.

Sentient humans with brains as well as bodies have always been fascinated by the way we adorn ourselves and why. Once we can get past the cultural anthropology of fashion, and the fads that make it a billion-dollar world industry, we can dig down to discover the roots of historical and current adorned beauty, and EXTREME BEAUTY does this . . . beautifully.
It is pleasing--in an era in which physical beauty and adornment typified by fashion have been roundly rejected by most of the jeans-wearing public--to find a book that lets beauty out and helps us exercise our sense of mystery and wonder, based in no small part on human sexuality and attraction. Harold Koda (curator of the Costume Institute at New York's Met) has mounted a show and created a book with marvelous insights and passion, and the illustrations are wondrous--consider, as a case in point, Thiery Mugler's 'Chimere,' with its savage eroticism.
One could quibble with Koda's arbitrary division of the body into 'neck and shoulders,' 'chest,' 'waist,' 'hips' and 'feet,'
and his exclusion of the fascinating face/head/hair perplex, and the hands, with their magical touch and allure. But this book and its illustrations will become a benchmark by which human adornment is judged, and is a keeper of power and importance.

Extreme Beauty is a wonderful book that celebrates the Metropolitan's equally brilliant exhibit about fashion and it's different preoccupations with the body. The exhibit was magnificent, and the book truly honors the tone and feeling of it, while being extremely informative in it's own right. The book is divided into different chapters such as neck and shoulders, waist, chest, etc. Each chapter features photos of the garments displayed in the original exhibit, as well as additional historical drawings and photographs of the various fashions and cultural trends that have celebrated the parts of the body. And, as promised in the title, the book explores the cultural foundations of bodily transformation and mutilation(?) through everything from extreme corsetry, [..] footwear and peircing to the tribal women who use metal rings to actually elongate their vertebrae. Harold Koda's insightful and meticulously researched commentary is just the icing on the cake. This is a must for any fashion library, but also of great interest to non-fashionistas.

Well written and amazing to read. Author captured the moment and took you there. Book was flooded with facts.

I would highly recommend this book, it is not only for the history buffs.
If you do enjoy history, you will love the author's details.

I very good book that gives the reader an interesting twist on what was believed to be gospel. The author's research is convincing.

An awesome book....definitely a different view .... a must read for anyone seeking to truely understand Benedict Arnold's story.

Who would have thought that what was assumed by the average student of American history to be an open and shut case against Benedict Arnold could be brought into question. And, furthermore, to do so with such detailed facts woven into a rather gripping novel format. Mr. WIlczak has laid out a compelling case that Arnold was not a traitor but a collaborator with George Washington to ultimately fool the British. This book could be the basis of an excellent movie.

This book expresses a thoroughly researched, fresh approach to one of history's most infamous legends. When I began to read the book I felt my feelings regarding Benedict Arnold could not be swayed. The author, however, through meticulous use of timeline, documented fact, and letters of many of the involved, opened my eyes to the possibility that Arnold may have been the protaganist in a great scheme to free the colonies and help create the United States. I highly recommend this book to anyone who seeks the truth instead of the commonly handed down history stories we have been fed since childhood. AAAAA+++++