I lived in NY briefly at the same time as this gentleman. It was a rough city. He captured it somewhat well but I would have liked a LOT more pictures and less talk about and with some of the inhabitants (especially the newsstand guy) it seemed very narrow focused and could have covered a wider range of folks.. I was also wishing, he had titled the pictures. ( )

It was okay, but the attempt at New Journalism didn’t quite pan out, as the fictionalizing of the “street people” made them seem wooden and verging on stereotypes. I wanted to like it more, but I just couldn't find myself all that interested in the people.
Also, I couldn’t help but feel that, for a book that aimed to explore the people of New York, it could have happened anywhere by just changing the place names. ( )

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Early Reviewers program. No compensation was received other than the chance to read this work.

This book contains photographs and interviews conducted by the author when he was living in New York City during the 1970s. An interesting look into the lives of several people he spoke with, Bookbinder captures the feel of the street and the times in the various photographs and the in-depth discussions of everything from a person's personal history to how their worldviews are shaped by both the city and their everyday struggles.
The book overall is unevenly paced, with the pages on Morris the newspaper vendor slowing down the work and feeling like those pages overwhelm the chapters surrounding it. Those chapters, on prostitutes and trans individuals, feel as if they were shortchanged in the narrative when compared to Morris and a man towards the end of the book who is certain he is God come to Earth.
Lucid and interesting, this book is a good read when treated as a snapshot into New York City's ever-changing lifestyles.

Recommended for: Those who enjoy personal narratives, those who are interested in the lives of everyday individuals, and those who enjoy urban art photography. ( )

I gave this book only three stars because at times it concentrated too much on two particular New YOrk residents to the detriment of the book, the newsstand owner, Morris, and Edward, the schizophrenic. Otherwise the book was well written and interesting as it discussed interviews the author held with various residents of NYC in the 70s. This included bag ladies, addicted homeless people, transexuals and prostitutes. Mr. Bookbinder amazingly enough gained the trust of these people who revealed details of their lives to him. The reader feels as if he/she knows the characters in the book after reading Bookbinder's interviews. ( )