Book Description
The underground has been a dominant image of modern life since the late eighteenth century. A site of crisis, fascination, and hidden truth, the underground is a space at once more immediate and more threatening than the ordinary world above. In Subterranean Cities, David L. Pike explores the representation of underground space in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a period during which technology and heavy industry transformed urban life.
The metropolis had long been considered a moral underworld of iniquity and dissolution. As the complex drainage systems, underground railways, utility tunnels, and storage vaults of the modern cityscape superseded the countryside of caverns and mines as the principal location of actual subterranean spaces, ancient and modern converged in a mythic space that was nevertheless rooted in the everyday life of the contemporary city. Writers and artists from Felix Nadar and Charles Baudelaire to Charles Dickens and Alice Meynell, Gustave Doré and Victor Hugo, George Gissing and Emile Zola, and Jules Verne and H. G. Wells integrated images of the urban underworld into their portrayals of the anatomy of modern society.
Illustrated with photographs, movie stills, prints, engravings, paintings, cartoons, maps, and drawings of actual and imagined urban spaces, Subterranean Cities documents the emergence of a novel space in the subterranean obsessions and anxieties within nineteenth-century urban culture. Chapters on the subways, sewers, and cemeteries of Paris and London provide a detailed analysis of these competing centers of urban modernity. A concluding chapter considers the enduring influence of these spaces on urban culture at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Book Description
The pulse of great cities may be most palpable above ground, but it is below the busy streets where we can observe their rich archaeological history and the infrastructure that keeps them running. In The Secret Lives of Cities journalist Alex Marshall investigates how geological features, archaeological remnants of past civilizations, and layered networks transporting water, electricity, and people, have shaped these cities through centuries of political turbulence and advancements in engineering — and how they are determining the course of the cities' future.
From the first-century catacombs of Rome, the New York subway system, and the swamps and ancient quays beneath London, to San Francisco's fault lines, the depleted aquifer below Mexico City, and Mao Tse-tung's extensive network of secret tunnels under Beijing, these subterranean environments offer a unique cross-section of a city's history and future.
Stunningly illustrated with colorful photographs, drawings, and maps, The Secret Lives of Cities reveals the hidden worlds beneath our feet, and charts the cities' development through centuries of forgotten history, political change, and technological innovation.
Customer Reviews:
Amazingly Revealing!.......2007-05-30
I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about the history and underworkings of the great cities of the world. It gave me a new appreciation for what goes in to the planning, creation and development of a major city.
What's there beneath our feet.........2007-03-23
I almost started by stating this book isn't for the average reader. But, I'm an average reader, and frankly I found the information within it fascinating. Coincidentally I lived in N.Y.C., and have a little more experience with its underground infrastructure than just having been a straphanger (subway rider). Mr. Marshall has a no nonsense writing style, and his research has resulted in much interesting information regarding what's buried beneath our feet. The history of how, and why things got, and get buried in the first place makes the book all the more enlightening. Especially the consideration that things get buried as a result of debris that accumulates over time, and how history is lost, and then sometimes rediscovered in the process of modernization.
Explaining the Underworld.......2006-12-29
A beautiful book, monumental piece of research, with clear and engaging prose and a great mix of maps, illustrations, capsule histories, lively facts, and timelines. If you ever stood over a manhole or at the dark edge of a subway tunnel and wondered, "What's down there?" then this book will tell you. Beneath the Metropolis describes what's underneath 12 world cities -- New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris, London, Rome, Cairo, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow and Sydney. With pith and concision, Marshall details the infrastructure, the archeology and the geology. In Paris, we learn about the fossilized bones and the beautiful sewers and subways. In Rome, we tour the ancient ruins and rickety subway (did you know there was one?). In Beijing, we learn about the vast network of cold war tunnels that few visit. Marshall uses each city's underground to trace its history, politics and economics. It's a pleasure to learn how successful cities, like London or Paris, can take different approaches to infrastructure. As a fellow author and former Columbia classmate, I admire and envy Marshall's success in wrestling such a huge topic into a pleasurable masterpiece. Beneath the Metropolis is destined for many a reader's nightstand as well as planning and political offices and classrooms.
--Christopher D. Ringwald, author of A Day Apart: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Find Faith, Freedom, and Joy on the Sabbath (Oxford, 2007)
Amazon.com
Alligators breeding in the sewers of New York City is an urban legend; thousands of people living in the tunnels beneath New York is not. Ms. Toth has written a compelling, compassionate and extraordinary documentary about the "Mole People."
Book Description
This book is about the thousands of people who live in the subway, railroad, and sewage tunnels of New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Living beneath the horizon.......2007-09-30
The 'mole people' are not a singular group of people: their reasons for living in the tunnels are varied, and the degree to which the tunnels constitute 'home' also differs. In the world depicted in Ms Toth's book, there are individuals, collectives and communities existing in (largely) man-made spaces built for other purposes. In this world (as in all worlds), we see triumph, ingenuity, despair and different levels of belonging.
I think that Ms Toth did a good job of presenting what she saw and understood. All realities are relative.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The Mole People.......2007-09-10
This book was an eye-oener for me. I had no idea so many people lived in the underground of NYC. I also was interested to know that many of thes people are satisfied with their life below the city.
Another world exists beneath the streets of NYC.......2007-09-07
The Mole People provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of society's castaways, people who, for various reasons, chose or were forced to live in the catacombs beneath New York City. Toth describes the society that has evolved under the streets, and details the everyday lives of the misfits, outcasts, and dropouts who inhabit that subterranean world. The vignettes she presents are moving, disturbing and thought provoking, and many times just plain spooky. For instance, Toth often describes her amazement at how quietly the tunnel dwellers moved--most approached so silently that she didn't sense their presence until they were only inches away.
Toth's narrative is gripping--I often felt as if I were reading a suspense novel rather than a work of non-fiction. A chapter midway through the book, entitled "Dark Angel," is especially intriguing. In it, Toth describes a tunnel dweller who many swear is the devil himself. Her description of the man "who knows what will scare you" evoked memories of my first encounter with Randall Flagg in Stephen King's apocalyptic novel The Stand. Toth's description, however, is more frightening because it is based on grim reality.
interesting subject, okay book.......2007-07-24
The subject matter of this book is very interesting, but it is just an okay book. The main problem with the book is that it is repetative, telling parts of the same story over and over again. It also references individual "stories" in the book before they are told, leaving you wondering whether you missed something. However, the book is still interesting; it just leaves you wishing you had a little more.
Opens your eyes whether you want to or not............2007-06-10
This slim volume is original research that is brave, refreshing and depressing. Brave because she descended deep into the guts of New York City which is very dangerous, refreshing because she did her research thoroughly and told it like she experienced it, and depressing because so much of what goes on down there IS an escape from some of the worst aspects of modern life--as bad as it is in the tunnels, there is a sense of community, family, and cooperation that is fading topside. As short as the book is, it took me many nights to finish it: I couldn't really put it down, but I could only digest a little at a time. Instead of fostering morbid fascination, it ellicits compassion and understanding, even a feeling of solidarity with the Mole People....
Book Description
In this marvelous work, Stephen Smith explores the life and history of London from an unusual angle—underneath. Beginning with the rivers that run under the capital and ending in the system of tunnels beneath the Thames Barrier, Underground London is an enthralling journey into a subterranean world. We find the author descending into St. Andrew’s crypts, where the dead are being raised; joining miners digging tunnels; and exploring the culverts beneath Hampton Court, a stunning feat of engineering designed as a secret passageway for Henry VIII’s mistresses. Smith visits Victorian sewers, wartime bunkers, and secret vaults. He explores tube stations and the now-defunct Mail Rail, the miniature railway that once transported twelve million letters a day.
Customer Reviews:
Fair but lacking.......2007-04-15
I was excited to read this volume in preparation for a more research oriented reference work on underground passages in the UK and continental Europe, however the strength in this work is the anecdotal information and less in the hard mechanics of the available material. This book was a second choice in two volumes ordered (the other of which is out of print and no longer commonly available). In hindsight, I would have foregone this book in favor of amterial commonly available on the Internet as public domain, fan-based sites and government information. In all, the information of use amounted to less than 500 words. As a book of entertainment and light reading, it is just about average.
Weird and wonderful.......2006-05-24
A detailed examination of what lies underneath London, from treks down sewerage drains to bits of Rome dug up when the tube was being put in, to disused war bunkers.
It is full of interesting corners, such as the Roman basilica preserved behind glass in the basement of a hairdresser. Or the piece of Roman wall the city wouldn't allow to be removed, so the officeblock developed simply built it into the carpark in the basement.
Wonderful, quirky stuff. One feels very eccentric reading this book.
Literature Instructor.......2006-01-22
Delicious! I am using this book for research for a course I am teaching that culminates with a trip to London. Not only is it an historical account of the great city of London, it is full of off beat, fascinating information. Smith offers his readers a gritty (and often funny) look at the city beneath! Excellent. This will become required reading for my students next year.
Glorious foundations..........2005-10-18
It is somewhat hard to see London as the 'flower of cities all' from dozens of feet beneath the surface. However, some of the most intriguing bits of London fall well below the surface on which most people live. London is in many ways like a Middle Eastern tell - hills that contain the ruins of cities, built up in multiple layers over time, such that the stratification can be seen and identified in ever-increasing age the deeper one goes. London isn't quite so evenly distributed, but the idea is still much the same - there are layers of the city from Roman times to the present, and the more one digs, the more one finds.
This can sometimes cause havoc in a city like London, which has a concern both for the success of present-day business and the preservation and study of its often-glorious past. When construction workers and miners find something of archaeological and historical interest, often work stops for time, and particularly in the city of London, time is money. Author Stephen Smith begins his survey of the history of London underground with a vignette about miners - these may well be Welsh and North England coal miners, but here in London they dig for space below the city, space that can be used for utility conduits and that most massive of subterranean projects, the London Underground.
With regard to the London Underground, again the truth is far more fascinating than at first glance. Smith talks about Beck's map of the Underground (a rather ubiquitous sight in London, and a popular tourist item of memorabilia in its own right), and the way in which it gives just a surface glimpse (if you'll permit the expression) of what is down below. There are dozens of disused tunnels, both from redesign as well as structural flaws, and many no-longer used stations, most of which still have maintenance staff assigned to them - Smith highlights the Aldwych Station, which was in use off-and-on until 1994; even this station had secrets while it was functioning, as part had been closed in 1917, and another major section (about as large as the functioning part) was never opened in the first place.
After looking at this criss-cross of mines and tunnels, Smith looks at the London water supply - the Thames is a mighty river flowing through the midst of London, but is far from the only water source, and both feeds and is fed by underground streams and currents of all sorts. Also, there are areas of London that have water supplies independent from the rest - the Vale of Hampstead was termed 'the Vale of Health' because it had a water supply separate from the rest of London, so it escaped the worst ravages of the plague when it swept through. Like many things in London, much of the surface tributaries and streams of the city have gone underground, but are remembered in place names, building titles, and street signs.
After this two-chapter introduction, Smith progresses in a more or less chronological fashion (drawing in modern features as warranted in the discussion). He breaks the chronology into Roman London, Anglo-Saxon London, Medieval London, Tudor London, Victorian London, and Cold War London. Mixed in with these chapters (in more or less the proper spots chronologically) are sections devoted to The Gunpowder Plot, The Plague, London's Treasures, the London Underground, and even London's Lost Railway.
As Smith states in the introduction to this last chapter, 'If the dead stations of the Underground exert a fascination, how much more so an entire subterranean railway running the breadth of central London, decommissioned and shut down but still in perfect working order beneath the streets of the city? This deserted line I all the more intriguing for being pint-sized, a scale model, a miniature railway.' No, this wasn't some railway enthusiasts idea of a practical joke or a toy train hobbyist gone mad - it is the Mail Rail, part of the transport system for the Royal Mail throughout London, operated independently of the Underground, British Rail or other major transport systems.
Among the more fascinating bits of information, given the recent Hurricane Katrina disaster, is the discussion of the problem of flooding in London, a city which is very slowly sinking into the sea (along with the rest of southeast England). The Thames Barrier, the Embankment, and other such defences might be adequate, but the city has never had to face such situations, and what becomes of underground London in such a catastrophe is a cause for concern. The terrorist bombings of the summer of 2005 showed how easily disrupted the normal flow of things can be.
There are a few oversights in this book. H.G. Wells is perhaps the most of literary artists to explore the idea of Underground London carried to extremes in his work 'The Time Machine', in which the Morlochs, descended from those who went to work in the smoky, grimy time of Victorian London, menaced the 'upper' class of people who lived on the surface - however, Wells' name cannot even be found in the index of Smith's book. There are times that the connects are a bit tenuous with the time periods he intends to illustrate, and sometimes his own tours of places are a bit lacking (as someone who worked in the Palace of Westminster / Houses of Parliament, I know there are things that could be highlighted about the underground facilities there that Smith left off, but he did mention the chapel in the Undercroft, and so gets high marks for that).
This is a travelogue more than anything else, and those who have a deep and abiding love of London will find this an interesting tale, possibly with new information and certainly with new perspectives.
Mind the plague pit!.......2004-09-11
News reporter and author Stephen Smith goes below pavement level in London, allowing the reader to vicariously explore burial crypts, dug-up plague pits, sewers, excavated Roman walls, remnants of Henry VIII's tennis courts, poncy wine cellars, secret government bunkers, the bowels of Parliament, and forgotten corners of the Tube.
For me, the the most intriguing chapter dealt with that subterranean environment most obviously accessible to the tourist, the London Underground ("Mind the Gap!"). Did you know that the most prevalent litter in the system, cleaned up during routine housekeeping between 1:00 and 5:00 AM, is human hair blown from the heads of thousands and thousands of train riders every day? Then, there are all those wallets plundered and discarded by pickpockets. And, though it won't be on my Must-Do short list for my next visit to the city, Smith's slog down the northern outflow sewer was gratifyingly informative.
However, UNDERGROUND LONDON is an uneven read. In the chapter dedicated to Anglo-Saxon artifacts, the author first describes a modern day ceremonial ritual involving holding a small schoolboy by his heels over the Thames while he beats the water's surface with a stick, and then goes on to describe the confiscated oddities to be found in the cellars of Her Majesty's Custom House. The connection between these and Anglo-Saxon period seemed forced. And the chapter in which Smith visits an underground vault of safe deposit boxes could just as well have been penned in the above-ground strong room at my local bank. No revelations there.
Perhaps the narrative's best features are the brief lessons in London history, past and recent, that Smith provides as background to the central theme: the evolution of city sanitation, the medieval plague epidemics, the theory and practice of the Thames Barrier, Henry VIII's obsession with tennis, the use of Tube stations as bomb shelters during the Blitz, and the British government's renewed interest in secure bolt holes after 9/11.
A criticism of UNDERGROUND LONDON has been that it includes no photos. Normally, I'd agree. But, in this instance, I'm not sure that the majority of Smith's subjects would've provided opportunity for interesting or instructive visuals. Somehow, a shot of the now-buried Fleet River churning along at the bottom of a well in Clerkenwell, or that of a disintegrating coffin in Kensal Green cemetery, doesn't seem necessary.
For those who love London, UNDERGROUND LONDON will be an occasionally rewarding ... um, travel essay. I'm awarding four stars simply because London is where my heart is. Otherwise, it would rate three, or less.
Average customer rating:
- Not For Kids!
- Not what expected
|
Hidden Under the Ground: The World Beneath Your Feet
Peter Kent
Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Engineering
| Specialty Stores
| Books
| Aerospace
| Automotive
| Bioengineering
| Chemical
| Civil
| Computer Technology
| Design
| Economics
| Education
| Electrical & Electronics
| Energy
| General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Management
| Materials
| Materials Science
| Mechanical
| Nuclear
| Patents & Inventions
| Petroleum, Mining & Geological
| Power Systems
| Reference
| Research
| Special Topics
| Telecommunications
| Welding
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Aerospace
| Automotive
| Bioengineering
| Chemical
| Civil
| Computer Technology
| Design
| Economics
| Education
| Electrical & Electronics
| Energy
| General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Management
| Marine
| Materials
| Materials Science
| Mechanical
| Nuclear
| Patents & Inventions
| Petroleum, Mining & Geological
| Power Systems
| Reference
| Research
| Special Topics
| Telecommunications
| Welding
Similar Items:
-
It Ain't All for Nothin'
-
Autobiography of My Mother
ASIN: 0525675523 |
Book Description
Come visit the exciting world beneath our feet, where trains run, pipes flow, and machines hum, as well as where mysterious creatures are thought to have dwelled. Follow people throughout the ages as they navigate underground caverns, excavate ancient tombs, build elaborate cable systems--and much more. Peter Kent's historically accurate artwork reveals cross sections of various subterranean scenes in intricate and entertaining detail. With objects and creatures to find on almost every fact-filled page, and colorful sidebars containing fascinating bits of information, this book will delight any young reader who has ever wondered about the world hidden under the ground. Peter Kent lives in Norwich, England.
Customer Reviews:
Not For Kids!.......2003-03-29
This book places reality and a Dark Ages view of hell in the same context. It is an extremely confusing and frightening book for the age group of suggested readers. My son an avid reader was disturbed by some of the pictures and had a difficult time differentiating reality from ancient mythic world views. Definitely not on any of my kids reading lists!!!!!
Not what expected.......2002-04-03
Looking for a book on construction, I came across this text. I guess I should have read the reviews, because the content was not underground construction, which is what I was looking for. As a teacher, my 9 yr. old students would be terrified at some of these pages of hell and dungeons. While nor gorey, there is still an insinuation. I may return it.
Average customer rating:
|
Beneath the Earth: The Facts and the Fables (Landscapes of Legend)
Finn Bevan
Manufacturer: Childrens Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding
General
| Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| Earth Sciences
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Children's Books
| Mythology
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 051620954X |
Product Description
The catacombs of ancient Rome served as houses of worship for Christians. When surveyed in the early 1800s, the sewers of Paris yielded gold, jewels and relics of the revolution. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a slave trade thrived in underground chambers along Portland, Oregon's waterfront. And thousands of street people lived in the subway and train tunnels of New York City in the 1980s and '90s. What secrets do the Las Vegas storm drains keep? What discoveries wait in the dark? What's beneath the neon? Armed with a flashlight, a tape recorder and an expandable baton, Las Vegas CityLife writer-editor Matthew O'Brien explored the Las Vegas flood-control system for more than four years. Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas chronicles O'Brien's adventures in subterranean Las Vegas. He follows the footsteps of a psycho killer. He braces against a raging flood. He parties with naked crackheads. He learns how to make meth, that art is most beautiful where it's least expected, that in many ways, he prefers underground Las Vegas to aboveground Vegas, and that there are no pots of gold under the neon rainbow.
Customer Reviews:
Roger Born MyMac.com Review.......2007-08-25
Writing a book about tunnels under a city can almost always spark interest in readers. There are so many tunnels, and so many cities that have them - an astonishing number, in nearly every country of the world. However, most anything written about underground spaces of the cities that have them range from ultra-dry Corps of Engineer type-documents to historical works of varying merit, some of which slide more into myth instead of fact. In other words, there is little written about under city tunnels that is both interesting and factual.
Las Vegas and its tunnels, and Matthew O'Brian's telling of them, is quite different, and of a much higher caliber. His book is "Beneath The Neon." Matthew brings a human touch of reality and immediacy to the people who live below Las Vegas, who are in continual danger of their lives. "Beneath The Neon" therefore, is a very interesting, entertaining and factual book.
Take the tunnels of Orange County, in Southern California, for instance, which has miles of tunnels and spaces, many as wide as the four lanes above them, all of which are bone dry and empty of life. Most of these tunnels channel into massive floodways, snaking through the Los Angeles basin, and eventually empty into the Pacific. Of the few times a decade that they are full of water, people are amazed at both the volume and speed of the water. Whoever gets caught in one of these channels has little hope of survival. Go here for a look at the scope of the tunnels under Los Angeles.
Then there is the Burro Schmidt Tunnel in the upper Mojave desert, a couple of hours north of L.A., built over a number of years by a single individual, through solid granite. Here is a link.
Secret tunnels of historical significance and mystery can be found under San Francisco. And under Seattle.
Cities don't have a monopoly on tunnels either. Colleges and universities sometimes have their own. Here is a similar link. But by far the biggest and most astonishing underground of all, is under Tokyo.
Many tunnels have small collections of people; homeless, addicts, and iconoclasts. The only apparent exception is Los Angeles, where there are no homeless living in the wide, dry, and accommodating tunnels. It is not that these tunnels are policed, it is just that the homeless there are likely smart enough to know better.
But what really interests O'Brien are the homeless people who live in the tunnels under the bright oven that is Las Vegas. He estimates that there are 300 people at any time, who are living in small encampments throughout the tunnel system, and in the course of his research, he got to know many of them.
There is evidence of these people everywhere: an old set of pans; heaps of garbage, including many old mattresses; and graffiti. If you were to wander through the tunnels, you would never know it was 110 degrees or more just above your head. Down there it's quiet, dark, cool--and wet.
You would think the tunnels are dangerous, but O'Brien said they don't feel that way. But he had a guide who knowingly led him around through those spaces, so who is to say? He was most impressed by being underneath Caesar's Palace, for the tunnels are not relegated just to being beside and under the expressways through the city.
The tunnels under Vegas are storm drainage tunnels, built around 1977 to control runoff from the local wash. Prior to that, there were stories of cars washing up in culverts around the town after a sudden downpour. When Vegas started to expand, it was decided that the city needed a subtler way to deal with the results of storms, thus the tunnels were born. Today there are 450 miles of flood channels in Las Vegas, including 300 miles of them underground. O'Brien says that the Las Vegas master plan created in the 1990s calls for 1,000 miles of flood channels and tunnels within 25 years.
Most of the time the tunnels are dry, largely because it doesn't rain much in Vegas. But when it does, O'Brien says, the water level in the tunnels can rise rapidly, quickly turning into a flash flood. Down there is not where you'd want to be if such a thing were to happen. Which is why on a pillar deep underground, someone has helpfully spray painted, "In case of flood swim for your f---ing life."
In fact, spray painting--the graffiti kind--is a major element to the tunnels. Everywhere there is some kind of graffiti, much of it meaningless and uninteresting. But in some places, it turns into art, as the photos in the book, taken by Danny Mollohan, testify.
Because of its unique and dynamic presence in the world, Las Vegas is the subject of more books than any typical community of its size. The Las Vegas metro population is roughly the same as that of Columbus, Ohio, but you don't see many authors flocking to the Buckeye State capital in search of best-selling material.
Nonfiction books about Las Vegas commonly come in four flavors:
-- Gambling: Tomes of wisdom and mathematics to beat the odds (or at least not lose all your money during your first hour in the casino).
-- History: Documenting the city's past, from John C. Fremont's brief stop to the Rat Pack era to the rise of the mega resorts.
-- Organized crime: All the dirty details -- some of them actually true -- about Bugsy Siegel, Tony Spilotro and other lovable crooks.
-- Photo essays: Artful pix of leggy showgirls, crowded craps tables and neon signs.
But Matt O'Brien's "Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas" doesn't fall into any of these categories. It's a refreshing departure from the usual fare.
O'Brien, is the news editor of CityLife, a weekly newspaper owned by the same company as the Review-Journal. "Beneath The Neon" is not a boring engineering-type textbook. It is a glowing, personal journey of discovery. Get this book. You will enjoy the read, written by a mostly likely future Pulitzer prize winning journalist.
HERE is a link to some photos of the tunnels under Las Vegas.
Interesting and well written.......2007-08-23
The book is a quick read and will open your eyes to how much is going on that is unnoticed around us. I bought this book to read on the plane to Vegas and it sure gave you a different perspective to what was going on below your feet. You will look at the overpasses, casinos and landscape in a different light.
It was sad to read the stirring stories of the results of compulsive addictive behaviors like alcoholism, drug abuse and gambling. All in all it was a nice dip in a world that most ignore but pass by every day of their life.
Rob
ODDS ARE THIS LAS VEGAS SAGA WILL SHOCK AND THRILL.......2007-07-28
Las Vegas, arguably the entertainment capitol of the world, has an alternate newspaper, akin to NYC's The Village Voice and Boston's The Phoenix. It's called Las Vegas CityLife, and it's writer/editor is a man named Matthew O'Brien, and he is unquestionably an author to watch--or, rather--an author to read. And enjoy. His writing is akin to George Orwell, filtered without fear and loathing through Hunter Thompson, no mean praise for no mean piece of work. His topic is the storm drains under the streets of Las Vegas, a desert town subjected to sudden violent rain storms that, without the drains, would cause extensive flooding. These drains are also a refuge for the homeless, a cool place in a hot desert land to live out a life, to try to get back onto the hectic track, or just give up. And Las Vegas, land of glitz and gambling, showgirls, celebrities, lights and lots of action, has as darker side as any modern city. The juxtaposition between the rich and the poor, the haves and have-nots, the privileged and the penalized, has always been fodder for writers, but O'Brien's notes from the Vegas underground have a resonance, beauty and humanity seldom felt as strongly, or described and illustrated so well. These drains, like the catacombs of ancient Rome, have stories that will make you smile and break your heart. Odds are you'll agree.
Must read for all Las Vegasphiles.......2007-07-21
Oh, my gosh. What an amazing read!! Who knew of the subculture beneath the city of Las Vegas? Matthew O'Brien knew and wrote a masterpiece to let the world know about it. Gritty, humorous, educational, shocking, and intriguing... this book has it all.
Beyond Vegas.......2007-07-21
First, the author's idea is crazy. But second, it rocks. It took me 6-7 hours one Saturday to read Beneath the Neon--all in one sitting, no bathroom or food breaks-ha. I love the lack of compound sentences. I love short sentences. O'Brien is "Elements of Style".
I'm still digesting the stories in my brain. It made me ponder about such things as life and death--beyond Vegas. I appreciated it, yet, that kind of thing hurt my brain. You know, such questions as how big is God, why people feel they are meant to be somewhere ... it made me think of generations of thoughts and degeneration--so much. Also, I kept thinking how nuts he was to KEEP going so many times and then when I got to the line--and sorry if i misquote, but "I'm too old for this goonies-sh**" was HILARIOUS and a great mental thought followed: troll and the old curmudgeon lady on goonies would now pop out and "baby ruth" would echo the drains ... there were a few more zesty liners, so I loved the ideas from the author's head. O'Brien, the author, has a way with people--it seems to shine through in the book--I guess that's why he's a journalist too and apparently a sincere listener--I thought, wow, this guy has lot of patience. So I really had to reevaluate me as a person at points, thinking ... hm ... I suck. Well, I could ramble on and on about the book and how I dig the cover and compliation of stories, vivid depictions (who needs photos with O'Brien's writing) and closing chapter. But it was truly a pleasure reading about the philosophy of the dwellers and knowing people are always intriguing. Can't wait till his next book.
Average customer rating:
- A True Page Turner
- She's My Wife
- A Page-Turner!
|
Beneath The Underground
Jessi Spray
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Horror
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Love & Romance
| Literature & Fiction
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Drug Use & Abuse
| Social Issues
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Drugs
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Horror Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1413720684 |
Book Description
Denise Lane is an average teenage girl who has just discovered the sweetness of her first love. She has fallen for the suave Chad Boswell. He is everything Denise ever dreamed—until she learns of his growing dependency on heroin. She tries in vain to save him, only to find herself descending into the same world. There, she finds an unexpected love and ally in the dark and brooding Dewayne Townsend. Denise struggles with her love for both men and her temptation to use cocaine.She watches her youth and self-respect wash away with the current of this fast-paced lifestyle. All she ever wanted was to be loved, but the price she pays is a very high one. Denise is determined to save herself from Chad and the maddening drop into the world beneath the underground.
Customer Reviews:
A True Page Turner.......2004-09-17
This book has it all: passion, love, hate, drugs, romance, sex, and so much more. Once I started reading it I was addicted, I couldn't put it down. If you are a true V. C. Andrews fan you will love this. Beneath The Underground is so full of twists and turns you never know what's going to happen next so everything is a surprise. I highly recommend Beneath the Underground! It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. So what are you waiting for? Go buy it now and see for yourself how captivating and enticing it is!!
She's My Wife.......2004-07-06
My wife wrote this novel and let me tell you, I don't read, but I read this. I thought that it was a very good story and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes action and romance.
A Page-Turner!.......2004-07-04
First, let me start off by saying the cover is fantastic! It is haunting and attractive just like you except the storyline to be...then as you enter the mesmerizing world of Dense Lane the young heroine, a teenage girl longing for love beneath the underground, you feel as though you are "her" as she takes you on the journey of her life; through it all, the first loves, the heartaches, the passion, and finally her immense courage and triumph.
The suspense and great narration builds into a smashing, yet satisfying ending that does full credit to Spray's powers of creative invention and great storytelling. I loved this book from beginning to end. A true masterpiece!
Average customer rating:
|
Beneath the Underground
Bob Black
Manufacturer: Feral House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Popular Culture
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Library & Information Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Publishing & Books
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0922915210 |
Books:
- Subway Art
- Terrorism and Homeland Security: An Introduction
- The Bridge Player's Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game
- The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines
- The Crowning Touch: Preparing for Beauty Pageant Competition
- The Devil's Arithmetic (Puffin Modern Classics)
- The Eat-Clean Diet: Fast Fat-Loss that lasts Forever!
- The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
- The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, Book 5)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Where Did I Come From
- Sunset Building Barbecues & Outdoor Kitchens
- My Last Sigh
- Practical English Usage
- Mutants & Masterminds: RPG - 2nd Edition
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- Physiology Through Questions: An Activity of the Department of Physiology, University of Melbourne
- The Web Content Style Guide: An Essential Reference for Online Writers, Editors and Managers
- Houghton Mifflin Accounting: Concepts/Procedures/Applications, Business Simulations, London & Co
- Economic Growth, Human Welfare and Environmental Sustainability
London: A History (Modern Library Chronicles)
Seven Ages of Paris
London's War: A Traveler's Guide to World War II
The Musical from the Inside Out
Selected Poems (Penguin Classics)
