Four Streets and a Square, Marc Aronson
Four Streets and a Square, Marc Aronson
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
Club: $13.75

Four Streets and a Square
A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea

Author: Marc Aronson

Narrator: Tom Parks, Marc Aronson

Unabridged: 11 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/16/2021


Synopsis

From a Sibert Medalist comes the epic story of Manhattan—a magical, maddening island “for all” and a microcosm of America.

A veteran nonfiction storyteller dives deep into the four-hundred-year history of Manhattan to map the island’s unexpected intersections. Focusing on the evolution of four streets and a square (Wall Street, 42nd Street, West 4th Street, 125th Street, and Union Square) Marc Aronson explores how new ideas and forms of art evolved from social blending. Centuries of conflict—among original Americans and Europeans, slavers and the enslaved, rich and poor, immigrants and native-born—produced segregation, oppression, and violence, but also new ways of speaking, singing, and being American. From the Harlem Renaissance to Hammerstein, from gay pride in the Village to political clashes at Tammany Hall, this clear-eyed pageant of the island’s joys and struggles is, above all, a love song to Manhattan’s triumphs.

About The Author

Marc Aronson is an award-winning author and editor whose books include 1968: Today’s Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change and1789: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change, both coedited by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; War Is. . .: Soldiers, Survivors, and Storytellers Talk About War, coedited by Patty Campbell; and Master of Deceit: J. Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies. He is part of the graduate faculty at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. Born in Manhattan, he now lives in New Jersey.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Laura on December 11, 2021

As a native New Yorker, I highly recommend this book. Nothing is left out and it is chock full of incredible pictures. Truly a must have for every school, public or personal library. I loved it!......more

Goodreads review by Lynn on March 28, 2022

Fantastic history of Manhattan with drawings, maps and photographs. Great to read and look at.......more

Goodreads review by Linda on December 13, 2021

Wow, if you love New York City, or if you've only or never visited, Marc Aronson has given his all in this history. I wonder if it wouldn't inspire students to do some research on their own cities or towns. Certainly, each one has a history that is fascinating! Aronson says he has chosen certain as......more

Goodreads review by Brooke - TheBrookeList on November 07, 2022

Marc Aronson takes a unique view of Manhattan by writing a history about the changes and adaptations of famous streets (and a square) through time. Four Streets and a Square employs a more relaxed writing style than many "histories," but still maintains a high level of academia in bringing the islan......more

Goodreads review by Ma'lis on August 31, 2023

I found this history of Manhattan totally fascinating. Marc Aronson explores history from a multicultural point of view. He has chosen four streets and a square (Wall Street, 42nd Street, West 4th Street, 125th Street and Union Square) to illustrate how New York grew from the Native Americans to the......more