For the first time, here is Brooklyn's story through the eyes of its greatest storytellers.
Like Paris in the twenties or postwar G... read full description
reviews
Sep 25, 2011
Hood
rated it: 
Bound: Brooklyn's in the House
The Literary Legacy of a Hipster Borough
SunPost Weekly August 11, 2011 | John Hood
http://bit.ly/oIGoOo
Forget the suits, bespoke or otherwise. Disregard the hats and the saddle shoes, the custom shirts and the silken ties. For like Walt Whitman I am at heart “one of the roughs.” Sure, I chew with mouth closed, mostly, and can manage all of the other manners one has to summon in so-called polite society. Nevertheless (again citing Whitman) “I More...
The Literary Legacy of a Hipster Borough
SunPost Weekly August 11, 2011 | John Hood
http://bit.ly/oIGoOo
Forget the suits, bespoke or otherwise. Disregard the hats and the saddle shoes, the custom shirts and the silken ties. For like Walt Whitman I am at heart “one of the roughs.” Sure, I chew with mouth closed, mostly, and can manage all of the other manners one has to summon in so-called polite society. Nevertheless (again citing Whitman) “I More...
Sep 20, 2011
James
rated it: 
Urban connections is a theme that runs through the mini-biographies that make up this interesting but flawed literary history. Using Brooklyn as the focal point Evan Hughes chronicles the lives, briefly told, of authors from Whitman to Auster. Along the way we meet authors who were Brooklyn natives like Whitman, Henry Miller and Norman Mailer, and those that migrated to Brooklyn and stayed for a while like Hart Crane, W. H. Auden and William Styron. I was reminded of a favorite book, February H
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Jan 05, 2012
Nate
rated it: 
A gift! Thanks, parents! It's probably a sign that I need to catch up on my classics and cornerstones, but I've only actually read anything by a couple of the authors mentioned in here, Jonathan Lethem and Hubert Selby Jr. In general I'd typically rather read work by authors than read about them (unless its someone I'm already obsessed with like Anna Kavan), but that said, I totally learned a lot of useful Brooklyn history and general literary history, so this book was probably a good thing for
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Oct 16, 2011
Ashley
rated it:
I loved learning about authors living in BK and I was surprised to learn that some lived on my very own street! While I enjoyed this book overall, it was a bit of a slow read. This isn't the type of book you would pick up if you've had an extremely long work week, which is probably why it took me so long to get through it. This was as much a history of Brooklyn as a study of authors, and I learned a lot about the changes the borough has gone through in the last 100+ years.
I think this More...
I think this More...
Nov 23, 2011
Tess
rated it:
Liked this one very much, as I have always been interested in the writer's relationship with place. Not only does this book explore that, but provides a literary and sociological history of Brooklyn at the same time, as well as dips into the lives of Brooklyn authors beginning with Walt Whitman. The content is rich and plentiful and I was never bored.
Sep 14, 2011
Lauren
rated it: 
I enjoyed this. It's about the writers who wrote there as much or more than it is about Brooklyn itself. I was born in Brooklyn as were my parents and I've always had a rather romantic attachment to it starting with a love for Whitman who lived there (he also lived in the Long Island town I grew up in).
Nov 17, 2011
Joy
rated it:
This was an interesting book, and overall, I enjoyed it. I've always found Brooklyn a fascinating place, even though I've only been there once or twice. So I found this history of its literary inhabitants very enjoyable. I have just one niggling criticism, having to do with the title: It really isn't "The Story of American City Life" as the subtitle says. Hughes does deal with city life, of course; but that title lays claim to a much broader study than this book really delivers. OK,
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Sep 28, 2011
Michael
rated it:
I grew up in Brooklyn Heights and have connections to the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. A few places the book was dry, but otherwise very good. Between speaking about the different writers, he talks about the neighborhoods they lived in and some Brooklyn history.
Jun 28, 2011
Oct 02, 2011
Catherine
rated it:
A good introduction to the borough's literary life. There wasn't much in it that was new to me, but the author did a nice job of situating the writers in the life (and geography) of Brooklyn itself. I enjoyed it as a survey and a reader with less background could get a great deal out of it. Reading it, I kept imaging syllabi on "Brooklyn Writers" or "Brooklyn in the Literary Imagination", but that is a hazard of my profession.
I received this book through the More...
I received this book through the More...
Jan 22, 2012
Kathy
rated it:
Great history of Brooklyn as seen through the lives of the writers. Reads a little too much like a thesis - could have used an additional edit.
Jan 05, 2012
Mike
rated it:
lots of juicy literary gossip & stories.
Add to the "to read" list, Pete Hamill's A Drinking Life.
Add to the "to read" list, Pete Hamill's A Drinking Life.
Aug 11, 2011
Updating this listing because there is a launch party in DUMBO next week and I think some of you will be interested in that information.
Nov 02, 2011
Lauri
rated it:
I lost interest after awhile although I can see that someone who knows Brooklyn well (and/or is familiar with more of the authors' works than I am) would enjoy this book very much.
Feb 12, 2012
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