Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Subway Chronicles by Jacquelin Cangro


The Subway Chronicles, edited by Jacquelin Cangro, is a collection of essays by various authors about the New York subway system and their experiences riding it. Some of the authors include Francine Prose, Lawrence Block, Calvin Trillin, Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead, Jennifer Toth, April Reynolds and others. There are 27 essays. Each essay is followed by a short biographical sketch of the author and their body of work.
The stories range from comic to haunting, from history to wry observations about the people encountered riding. I enjoyed it quite a lot, partially because New York City is my favorite place in the world, and I have experience with the subway system as a visitor. The book is a great pick up book when the reader only has a few minutes as most of the essays are fairly short. I recommend this book for the general reader and for those planning a trip to New York City.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Oh! This sounds right up my alley! I lived in the city (and rode the subway daily) for five years. This sounds like a great idea for a book. I always used to tell my husband that they could make a great documentary on Subway performers. Thanks for the review. :o)