New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg
by Marshall Berman
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Description
New York City in the 1970s was the setting for Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, and Saturday Night Fever, the nightmare playground for Son of Sam and The Warriors, the proving grounds for graffiti, punk, hip-hop, and all manner of other public spectacle. Musicians, artists, and writers could subsist even in Manhattan, while immigrants from the world over were reinventing the city in their own image. Others, fed up with crime, filth and frustration, simply split. Fast-forward three decades and today show more New York can appear a glamorous metropolis, with real estate prices soaring higher than its skyscrapers. But is this fresh-scrubbed, affluent city really an improvement on its grittier--and more affordable--predecessor? Taking us back to the streets where eccentricity and anomie were pervasive, New York Calling unlocks life in the unpolished Apple, where, it seemed, anything could happen. All five boroughs#65533;#65533;--the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island--comprising hundreds of neighborhoods and the interlaced worlds of politics, crime, drugs, sex, and mischief, are explored with a love of the city unclouded by romance yet undimmed by cynicism. Acclaimed historian Marshall Berman and journalist Brian Berger gather here a stellar group of writers and photographers who combine their energies to weave a rich tale of struggle, excitement, and wonder. John Strausbaugh explains how Uptown has taken over Downtown, as Tom Robbins examines the mayors and would-be mayors who have presided over the transformation. Margaret Morton chronicles the homeless, while Robert Atkins offers a personal view of the city's gay culture and the devastating impact of aids. Anthony Haden-Guest and John Yau offer insiders' views of the New York art world, while Brandon Stosuy and Allen Lowe recount their discoveries of the local rock and jazz scenes. Armond White and Leonard Greene approach African-American culture and civil rights from perspectives often marginalized in so-called polite conversation. Daily life in New York has its dramatic moments too. Luc Sante gives us glimpses of a city perpetually on the grift, Jean Thilmany and Philip Dray share secrets of Gotham's ethnic enclaves, Richard Meltzer walks, Jim Knipfel rides the subways, and Robert Sietsema criss-crosses the city, indefatigably tasting everything from giant Nigerian tree snails to Fujianese turtles. It's a long way from old Brooklyn to the new Times Square. But New York Calling reminds us of what has changed--and what's been lost --along the way. show lessTags
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Othemts These book share a nostalgia for New York City in when sex, drugs, and crime were rampant (and rents were low).
Member Reviews
Following up on Ric Burns' New York, I read New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg (2007) edited by one of the stars of that series Marshall Berman and Brian Berger.
This collection of essays looks back with some nostalgia and some disgust at the City in the 70s, 80s, & 90s. For most of the authors, New York once was full of crime, sex, and drugs, yet the rents were low and the City maintained its own character. Today they sneer that interlopers have moved in, built luxury lofts, priced out everything that made New York unique and replaced it with typical American suburbia. Most of the essayists to some extent sink into insufferable self-importance which makes this book hard to read at times.
There's a lot of hyperbole, but there's show more truth mixed in. And there's still a lot to love about New York. Each borough gets its own tribute, with the one on Staten Island being the most illuminating since I know little about that area. There are also great stories on graffiti, civil rights, art, rock music, and ethnic foods. If you love New York, this book is worth checking out. If you hate New York, this book isn't going to change your mind. show less
This collection of essays looks back with some nostalgia and some disgust at the City in the 70s, 80s, & 90s. For most of the authors, New York once was full of crime, sex, and drugs, yet the rents were low and the City maintained its own character. Today they sneer that interlopers have moved in, built luxury lofts, priced out everything that made New York unique and replaced it with typical American suburbia. Most of the essayists to some extent sink into insufferable self-importance which makes this book hard to read at times.
There's a lot of hyperbole, but there's show more truth mixed in. And there's still a lot to love about New York. Each borough gets its own tribute, with the one on Staten Island being the most illuminating since I know little about that area. There are also great stories on graffiti, civil rights, art, rock music, and ethnic foods. If you love New York, this book is worth checking out. If you hate New York, this book isn't going to change your mind. show less
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Author Information
9+ Works 1,619 Members
Marshall Berman is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at City College of New York and CCNY Graduate Center.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction, Travel, Art & Design
- DDC/MDS
- 974.71043 — History & geography History of North America Northeastern United States (New England and Middle Atlantic states) New York New York (N.Y.)
- LCC
- F128.55 .N47 — Local History of the United States, Canada and Latin America United States local history New York
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 32
- Popularity
- 855,821
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.25)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 1
