Five Points : the 19th-century New York City neighborhood that invented tap dance, stole elections, and became the world's most notorious slum

Available (2)

Location	Collection	Call #
CLP - Main Library	Mezzanine - Non-fiction	F128.68.F56 A53 2001
Location	CLP - Main Library
Collection	Mezzanine - Non-fiction
Call Number	F128.68.F56 A53 2001
Community Library of Castle Shannon	Non Fiction	974.71 Anbinder
Location	Community Library of Castle Shannon
Collection	Non Fiction
Call Number	974.71 Anbinder

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review: "A haven for hellions and harlots during the 1800s, New York's Five Points area, now the heart of Chinatown, had a notorious reputation. In researching the history of this microcosm, Anbinder faced a paradox: there is an abundance of journalistic material about Five Points, much of it sensationalistic, and a paucity of primary records about the lives of the neighborhood's almost wholly immigrant population--first Irish, then Italians and Chinese. But his in-depth research has resulted in a narrative that never stagnates, in part due to Anbinder's prefixing of each chapter with a story of an individual's experience in the milieu of depravity, crime, and opportunity that characterized Five Points. One way up from the streets was politics, a pugilistic variety from which issued many riots, rigged elections, and colorfully corrupt characters whom Anbinder profiles. A marvelously tactile work that radiates how this legendary immigrant neighborhood pulsed with schemes, dreams, and despair. Gilbert Taylor"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "H" `FIVE POINTS!... There is Murder in every syllable, and Want, Misery and Pestilence... crowd upon the imagination as the pen traces the words,' " bemoaned Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in 1873. That's a lot to live down to, even in New York. Long ignored by academics, Five Points an internationally notorious intersection in what is now lower Manhattan's Chinatown that was the site of crime and poverty for most of the 19th century is now a hot topic in history, sociology and even pop fiction (much of Caleb Carr's bestselling The Alienist was set there). Anbinder, associate professor of history at George Washington University, delivers the best of these studies. His splendid book draws upon wide-ranging sources census lists, the logs of charitable organizations, police records, real estate registers, personal documents, news stories, reformers' reports to create a breathtaking overview of the extraordinary poverty and squalor in which the area's German, Jewish, Italian and Irish residents lived. Replete with riveting incidents (the gang war between the Bowery Boys and the Dead Rabbits) and details (a devastating survey of spousal abuse and murder cites specific cases), this history comes vividly alive with enormous depth and heart. Whether describing children's work (boys sold papers or blackened boots; girls swept streets and sold corn, and were always in demand as prostitutes the going rate for virgins was $10) or the significance of saints festivals for Italian immigrants, Anbinder proves himself a superb storyteller and historian. Illus. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Additional Information

Subjects	Slums -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century. Ethnic neighborhoods -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century. City and town life -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 19th century. Five Points (New York, N.Y.) -- History. Five Points (New York, N.Y.) -- Social conditions. New York (N.Y.) -- History. New York (N.Y.) -- Social conditions.
Publisher	New York :Free Press,2001
Language	English
Description	viii, 532 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Bibliography Notes	Includes bibliographical references (pages 511-515) and index.
ISBN	0684859955
Other	Classic View