When the City Stopped: Stories from New York's Essential Workers

by Robert W. Snyder

In When the City Stopped , Robert Snyder tells the story of COVID-19 in the words of ordinary New Yorkers, illuminating the fear and uncertainty of life in the early weeks and months, as well as the solidarity that sustained the city. New Yorkers were "alone together," separated by the protective measures of social distancing and the fundamental inequalities of life and work in New York City. Through their personal accounts, we see that while many worked from home, others knowingly exposed themselves to the dangers of the pandemic as they drove buses, ran subways, answered 911 calls, tended to the sick, and made and delivered meals.

Snyder build bridges of knowledge and empathy between those who bore dangerous burdens and those who lived in relative safety. The story is told through the words of health care workers, grocery clerks, transit workers, and community activists who recount their experiences in poems, first-person narratives, and interviews. When the City Stopped preserves for future generations what it was like to be in New York when it was at the center of the pandemic.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

352 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2025

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Started off good, but then started to feel dated, even though this was just 5 years ago. Also, I know this is a NYC book, but much of it seemed like it was from another world. Anyway, parts were good, other stories not so much.

[Adrian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given a copy of When the City Stopped, Written and edited by Robert W. Synder from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Gee, I feel bad about giving this book two stars, but I will explain my reasoning and hopefully, it will make more sense.

As we sink into 2025, the pandemic is becoming part of our history, which is why I was so intrigued by this book and this description: Snyder builds bridges of knowledge and empathy between those who bore dangerous burdens and those who lived in relative safety (...) When the City Stopped preserves for future generations what it was like to be in New York when it was at the center of the pandemic.

My biggest problem was that I thought this book would be similar to And the Band Played On, which, as well as being one of the best titles ever for a non-fiction book was such a unique project from Shilts. Characterising victims, politicians, scientists, journalists, and those connected with the disease's rise and spread of the disease, I was intrigued as to how Snyder would handle the countless sources. Perhaps I should have paid more heed to the reference to poems, first-person narratives and interviews, however, because the first poem reads like this - early morning fog/covers the town like a shroud/death floats in the air. I'm not quite as prose-y but this book generally seemed to include far too many sources he received fragmenting the narrative to vingarettes of people in NYC at the time.

And the Band Played On was a chronological journey through the madness of the AIDS madness, punctuated by social, political and medical analysis. Synder's introduction is descriptive but textbook. He mentions that he cherrypicked the sources that best illustrated the shared experience; however, perhaps the book could have had a more inciteful narrative pull. After all, the pandemic is still so fresh in people's minds but history allows us to comment on the absurdities and errors in which we make the mistakes, which are the cause and effect.

This book is punctuated into chronological chapters; however, there could have been a better link between all the persons involved. He could have maybe begun each chapter with a geographical exploration of NYC a bit like Mrs Dalloway did. His voice, which introduces every chapter, is free of any narrative thrust. For such a passionate topic, it feels a little bloodless. We start with the early days before heading into the eye of the storm, Spring 2020. This chapter is lengthy as each contributor gives mini-essays into what happened. It needed tightening (although I felt the Echoes of AIDS essay was pertinent and a good addition) and lacked cohesion in a way that made me realise that the book would not be easy to hold on to. There's an equally lengthy chapter about workers, a chapter on losses, coping, the tentative return to normalcy, the vaccines (which included a 'lexicon of the pandemic' that I found excessive), reflections and a conclusion.

I recently watched Come from Away, which centres around about 5 days of fear, uncertainty and, ultimately friendship as travellers disembark in Gander, Canada whilst the world is in flux. The musical had an impressive sense of community in the musical as the 12 actors interpreted various characters with heart and soul. There's a conclusion somewhat akin to this book; we shouldn't forget what happens. I just feel that this book would have benefited from a different approach, although I hope Synder has success with this historical time capsule.

[Léonie Galaxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert W. Snyder has created an extraordinary collection of stories that captures one of the most challenging periods in New York City's history while celebrating the remarkable courage and solidarity of ordinary people. Through carefully gathered as-told-to narratives, Snyder reveals the heroic actions—both dramatic and everyday—that enabled the city to survive its darkest hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What makes this book exceptional is Snyder's focus on the grassroots response to crisis. His documentation of medical personnel collaborating across hospital systems to find innovative health-care solutions and bus drivers maintaining essential routes despite enormous personal risk creates a moving portrait of professional dedication and civic responsibility. These stories reveal what Snyder eloquently describes as a "little-recognized truth of the pandemic": that New York was ultimately "saved from the bottom up" by the collective actions of its residents.

The book's greatest strength lies in its celebration of often-overlooked essential workers. Snyder's respectful portrayal of teachers, retail workers, EMTs, and countless others who kept the city functioning demonstrates his deep appreciation for the dignity of service and the power of community solidarity. His ability to capture individual voices while weaving them into a larger narrative of urban resilience showcases exceptional skill as both interviewer and storyteller.

Perhaps most importantly, Snyder frames these stories not just as historical documentation but as preparation for future challenges. His insight that remembering these sacrifices "is the way to prepare for a better future" transforms what could have been simply a pandemic memoir into something more profound—a blueprint for how communities can support each other through crisis.

This is essential reading that honors both individual courage and collective strength, offering hope and practical wisdom for navigating an uncertain world.

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

“There are only two classes of people - those who might get hurt or killed on the job and those who won’t.”

Thank you so much to Robert W. Snyder, Three Hills and NetGalley for this early release copy. For me one of the early earth shattering, dawning realisations of how bad Covid was when we saw the makeshift morgue in Central Park. It’s an image that still haunts me and I don’t think I could go back to New York and not move past that.

This book highlights how the tough New Yorker’s, the City that Never Sleeps, became an epicentre for the Pandemic. We see how the racial disparity, socio economic differences came to play and how ultimately neoliberalism reshaped NYC across the boroughs.

Between March 2020 and June 2024, 46,426 people in New York died from Covid. We hear the stories of 43 New Yorkers working on the the Front Line, in the hospitals, police stations, on buses and delivery drivers bare it all; their fears their hopes and their drives for the future. The book looks at the fear of the undocumented, how certain groups strayed away from being vaccinated due to historical medical testing, how African American and Hispanic communities were faring worse, racial tensions rose and how unfortunately every level of the government: federal, state and local failed to some extent.

This book reminds of the failures but also what the city did best! I would class it as a cross between Adam Kay’s writings and stories shared on Humans of New York. It’s a snapshot of them at that time for the contributors. I would have loved to hear more or a follow up from some of them, but I’m guessing that wasn’t the goal of this book. When I originally requested this book I was worried that it would be wholly academic and dense material so was delighted when I realised it was the human reality, shared by humans, survivors and New Yorkers. When the City Stopped: Stories From New York’s Essential Workers is out on 15th March.

[Faithe · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the City Stopped: stories from New York's Essential Workers by Robert W. Snyder is a wonderful time capsule of New York in the Covid Pandemic. Told on first-person narratives, poetry and first person history told through the words of health care workers, grocery clerks, transit workers, and community activists.

This book preserves for future generations what it was like to be in New York when it was the center of the pandemic

Thank you Robert S. Snyder and Cornell University Press for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

[Liz Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am grateful to have received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is an intense and insightful collection of reflections. I had to take my time reading it due to the depth and heartache of the stories and shared experiences. Nonetheless, it is deeply valuable and an intense reminder of lessons learned, our resilience, and obstacles that we can better navigate and address in any future disasters. It is a heartbreaking and necessary read.

[Jill Sakowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a disappointment. There wasn't enough that was insightful or particularly well written to recommend this book. It's mostly first person accounts, many taken from oral histories, and the quality of the writing is extremely inconsistent, with some of the pieces very poorly written.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relevant and necessary because humans have built in forgetters.

[Lydia Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is intriguing but the stories were less so. They are uneven and the book didn’t hold together as a single narrative. I ended up skimming a bit.

[Hannah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get a review copy of this book.

I love reading books that are filled with stories of different people’s experiences in the same circumstances/fields and this one was no exception. I really enjoyed how there was a mix of stories from people in different areas and wow does this book send you through the emotions. I had tears in my eyes reading some of the stories.

It was really interesting to read about the personal experiences of those who were living in New York during the pandemic. I was lucky that during the pandemic I was living in a country where, when compared to New York, was minimally impacted, so for me it was really interesting to hear the personal stories of those living through what we saw on the news and to hear the things that people did for each other and how the sectors like transit workers had a massive and vital role in keeping things going during the pandemic, although not necessarily recognised