City of the World: New York & Its People

This spirited history of the Big Apple, from the mid-1800s on, concentrates on its ethnic diversity, viewing the city not as a proverbial melting pot but as a caldron in which successive waves of immigrants fail to fully blend. The struggles of newcomers with natives (and with one another), notes Newsday editor Bookbinder, formed the city of today. Included are chapters on neighborhoods, especially the Lower East Side, first home to many immigrant groups; politics, notably the rise and fall of Tammany Hall; business and industry, which exploited so many yet also provided economic opportunity; the school system, a principal force for Americanization; and pop culture. In addition to a fact-filled text, this handsome volume offers some 200 photos, a bonanza for the Gothamophile. (Jan.)