Since the 1700s, various ethnic and immigrant groups have been
shifting and negotiating their place in New York City. Hope Cooke
also struggled to find a 'correlation of space' and 'sense of
belonging' when she returned to the city after spending her adult
life living in a place in the Himalayas, the Queen of Sikkim (a
tiny kingdom near Nepal). Abroad for so long, she returned with an
urgent need to rediscover this city, to 'find her way home'. It was
not always a comfortable journey for Cooke: 'On the days I felt
secure, Manhattan's maelstrom was pure energy. On shaky days, the
boundlessness made me yearn for limits, or, failing that, at least
a vantage point'. The book that has emerged is an entertaining and
integrated account of New York City's social history, architecture,
physical space, and culture. Starting with the American Indian
settlements and the early days when the southern-most tip of
Manhattan held little more than a bleak outpost of Dutch fur
traders, Cooke tracks the economic development and journeys north,
from the Village's beginnings as a refuge from dreaded summer
fevers to the present day Dominican enclave of Washington Heights.
Written for armchair enthusiasts and walkabout adventurers, this
book travels fourteen of the city's distinct and significant
neighborhoods. Cooke's guide will make a historical sleuth out of
local residents and tourists alike. Her off-the-beaten-path
insights and witty observations help decode the urban landscape and
reveal how social changes have reworked the city's terrain.
Enhancing the narrative are 140 illustrations, including old
engravings, maps, and current photographs. Author note: Hope Cooke
is a writer and urban historian. She has lectured widely on New
York history, directed the walking tours program at the Museum of
the City of New York, and written a weekly column for the "New York
Daily News". Her essays, short stories, and reviews have appeared
in such popular periodicals as "Redbook", "Travel and Leisure",
"The New York Times", and "The Chicago Sun Times". Among her
previously published books is her acclaimed autobiography, "Time
Change".
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