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City Lights: Stories About New York
by
Dan Barry
With a poet’s clear eye and a journalist’s curiosity about how a city works, Dan Barry shows us New York as no other writer has seen it.
Evocative, intimate, piercing, and often funny, the essays in City Lights capture everyday life in the city at its most ordinary and extraordinary. Wandering the city as a columnist for The New York Times, Barry visits the denizens o...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
October 30th 2007
by St. Martin's Press
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Enjoyed his writing and the collection, but appreciated the stories more when read one or two at a time and savored rather than all at once.
Dan Barry is now one of my favorite writers....pure talent! These stories captivated me. I laughed, cried and read with anticipation....hanging on to every word. His stories of every day people are proof that we do not need sensational journalism.
If you know New York, you want to read these stories, and if you don't, you want to read these stories. City Lights is about us all.
Here are the stories I read twice:
People Cringed, But Twelve Cameras Never B...more
If you know New York, you want to read these stories, and if you don't, you want to read these stories. City Lights is about us all.
Here are the stories I read twice:
People Cringed, But Twelve Cameras Never B...more
What a wonderful treasure of a book! This is a collection of Dan Barry's "About New York" column from the New York Times. He wrote the column from 2003 to 2006.
Each of the columns collected here tells a story about a New Yorker. A few are famous, but most are not. They are ordinary New Yorkers, but their stories are nonetheless extraordinary, especially to someone like me who does not live in such a city.
The stories of our lives are more fascinating than...more
Each of the columns collected here tells a story about a New Yorker. A few are famous, but most are not. They are ordinary New Yorkers, but their stories are nonetheless extraordinary, especially to someone like me who does not live in such a city.
The stories of our lives are more fascinating than...more
I was initially cool toward this collection of NYT columns because the writer refuses to use the first person. Where's the personality, the attitude? These could be feature stories. But especially in the final section, about a variety of NYC characters, his sly wit and eye for detail shone through, and I was won over.
These are columns collected from the New York Times over the past several years. So it's good for a quick snack of a read while you're waiting for the coffee to brew.
The best pieces are the very few in which Barry is able to stretch out a bit from the usual confines of his column, like the aromatic valedictory to the Fulton Fish Market (p. 61). The section of wrenching 9/11 columns should be taken in small doses. If the Texas Hold 'em piece is a little cheesy (p. 139), still it's ...more
The best pieces are the very few in which Barry is able to stretch out a bit from the usual confines of his column, like the aromatic valedictory to the Fulton Fish Market (p. 61). The section of wrenching 9/11 columns should be taken in small doses. If the Texas Hold 'em piece is a little cheesy (p. 139), still it's ...more
Interesting stories about life in NYC
Chris
rated it
For anyone who lives or wants to live in NYC, this book really brings out the many hidden stories of people who live there everyday and show how the city affects their life. From the lady who lost a diamond earring to the person called Manhole cover lady and also Flyer-Man. All these stories really add something special to the city that never sleeps. If you don't live there already, it really makes you wish you did.
Wonderful little nuggets about life in one of the greatest cities in the world, from the sad closing of generations-old businesses to heartwarming stories of rescues, heroes, and quirky NYC characters. Gracefully, lovingly written. A real gem.
Collection of short stories portraying different aspects of NYC. The writing is clear, concise, and alternates between tragedy and comedy - a great portrait of the diversity of the city.
Aaron Benarroch
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