Re: Just City. My father was chair of community board seven (upper west side) in the late 1960s and early 70s. I was really too young to understand much of the politics, but I recall there were big fights about allowing any lower income apartments in those big projects going up on Columbus and Amsterdam avenues. Opponents claimed they were afraid the neighborhood would “tip.“ Of course, now this all seems absurd.
Thanks for the recs! Just City sounds great. Particularly compelling:
"Baum was free to roam the city, strike up friendships, attend concerts, fall into and out of trouble, and grow up into a fully-functioning adult without neurotic and overbearing supervision. Children then were not infantilized. In a far more sanitized, safer New York, parents seem more terrified than ever."
There is a great book, academic but accessible, devoted entirely to this question - On Being Authentic by Charles Guignon. It is both philosophical and an intellectual history of the idea.
Nice reviews. Authenticity is such a difficult topic for me, since reading Catcher in the Rye in high school I think it made me paranoid/obsessed about it! Subbstack be seen as something like a text version of livestreaming, since the mode of transmission is more extemporaneous/bloglike than an essay
Re: Just City. My father was chair of community board seven (upper west side) in the late 1960s and early 70s. I was really too young to understand much of the politics, but I recall there were big fights about allowing any lower income apartments in those big projects going up on Columbus and Amsterdam avenues. Opponents claimed they were afraid the neighborhood would “tip.“ Of course, now this all seems absurd.
Thanks for the recs! Just City sounds great. Particularly compelling:
"Baum was free to roam the city, strike up friendships, attend concerts, fall into and out of trouble, and grow up into a fully-functioning adult without neurotic and overbearing supervision. Children then were not infantilized. In a far more sanitized, safer New York, parents seem more terrified than ever."
Love these brief succinct reviews. Picked up a copy of The Hermit based on the premise and the opening pages. Thanks!
More are coming!
Thanks for this! You helped sell a book, because I didn't know about Jennifer Baum's, and it's up my alley .
". .. what is authenticity anyway?"
There is a great book, academic but accessible, devoted entirely to this question - On Being Authentic by Charles Guignon. It is both philosophical and an intellectual history of the idea.
Great, very informative series. Keep it coming!
I want to get to yours soon! It's on my to-read pile
Oh, wow! No rush :)
Nice reviews. Authenticity is such a difficult topic for me, since reading Catcher in the Rye in high school I think it made me paranoid/obsessed about it! Subbstack be seen as something like a text version of livestreaming, since the mode of transmission is more extemporaneous/bloglike than an essay