Down 42nd Street: Sex, Money, Culture, and Politics at the Crowwroads of the World [Anglais] [Broché]

In Down 42nd Street, Marc Eliot offers a fascinating and pugnacious history of what may be the most famous street in the United States--or at least the most famously decadent one. "By 1980, [New York's] fabled Manhattan crossroads had become ground zero for the manufacture, exhibition, and distribution of pornography, drug dealing, pedophilia, prostitution, and violent street crime," he writes. Eliot describes 42nd Street's development over time, and he's not afraid to go after a few sacred cows. Here's what he says about the "greatest generation" right after the Second World War: "GIs returning to the U.S. via New York City's harbors and ports were point men in the postwar sex and drug revolution." Today, of course, 42nd Street is a very different place, thanks to a conscious cleanup effort that has brought in Disney and other corporations. Eliot views this trend with a distaste that other may not feel: by the end of the 20th century, he notes with irritation, "42nd Street had become a horizontal Statue of Liberty, a place native New Yorkers avoided like Yellow Fever." All in all, Down 42nd Street is an excellent piece of opinionated urban history told with verve. --John Miller --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

A rambunctious social and political history of Times Square and "the deuce" street slang for 42nd Street covers a lot of territory, but makes its points with wit and an insider's keen insight. Eliot, co-author of Erin Brockovitch's forthcoming advice book Take It from Me! and of Barry White's Love Unlimited, piles up fascinating historic details, from Revolutionary War battles on the nascent site of 42nd Street to the building of Grand Central Terminal; from the growth of New York's theater district to how the business-oriented Committee of 14 attacked prostitution, censored theaters and nearly killed Broadway from 1904 to 1930. Explaining how the street became famous for sophistication and then for sex, grime and crime, Eliot is best when focusing on the economic developments that shaped the area: Vanderbilt bullying city officials to build Grand Central; Ed Koch's deals with developers for redevelopment in the 1980s that destroyed many historic theaters; the Gambino crime syndicate's lost claim on the area to "a rodent of a different sort" the Disney corporation. Comfortable and conversant with a wide range of cultural artifacts and events (Dead End Kids movies, the changing censorship laws of the 1950s and '60s, changing fast food habits of New Yorkers), Eliot paints a lively portrait of urban life. While the book would have been helped by drawing upon newer, groundbreaking critical works such as Samuel R. Delaney's Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, it does present a popular and engaging look at "the crossroads of the world."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Not all writers are good readers, but Marc Eliot excels at both. With his tenor voice, he captures the mix of playfulness and seriousness contained in this book and does so with clarity, a great pace, and excellent vocal characterizations. He presents the story of a street, but not just any because 42nd Street in New York City may be America's most famous piece of real estate. Like the street itself, the text is provocative and lively. Eliot tells of the street's rise to fame; its decline as a venue for pornography, prostitution, and drugs; and its public resurgence as a venue for major corporations. Eliot's Ed Koch imitation is great, as well as his characterizations of several other lesser-known figures. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

*Starred Review* Best-selling biographer Eliot takes us on a walk down New York City's Forty-second Street, providing historical perspective and insight into the roles played in its development by many famous politicians and celebrities. The author traces the events that make the two-and-one-half-mile trek from the East River to the Hudson River a fascinating journey, from the East Side, which is the daytime home of industry giants, to west of Times Square, an area known for sex, drugs, and lack of police presence. Three fascinating events are explored in depth: the battle to keep Grand Central Station from the wrecking ball; how attracting Disney led to the revitalization of the theater district; and the convoluted tale over many years of politicians, Mob bosses, society figures, and vested interests who struggled to dominate the West Side, which was as colorful as it was deadly. For all those who love New York or are interested in city economics, planning, and development, this narrative proves that truth can be more compelling than fiction. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

From the Revolutionary War era to the shanty towns of the 19th century to the glory, deterioration, and "Disneyfication" of the street in the 20th Century, DOWN 42ND STREET brings to vivid life the fascinating stories embedded in more than two centuries of cobblestone and pavement. Author Marc Eliot takes readers back in time to discover a battlefield from which General Washington was once forced to retreat that is now Bryant Park and evokes colorful images of the glittering days when West 42nd street was lined with bustling theaters. Packed with the unforgettable characters who once walked the street, including the famous, the notorious, the entrepreneurial, and the depraved, this colorful social history is a must for everyone who loves New York. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Marc Eliot is the New York Times bestselling author of several biographies, including To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles, Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince, Down Thunder Road: The Making of Bruce Springsteen, and Death of a Rebel: A Biography of Phil Ochs. He is also the author of Rockonomics: The Money Behind the Music and The Whole Truth. A native New Yorker, he divides his time between Los Angeles and New York City. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.