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I'm thoroughly enjoying Charlie LeDuff's collection of pieces he wrote for the New York Times, Work and Other Sins: Life in New York City and Thereabouts.
LeDuff specializes in brief, incisive, and evocative portraits of Average Joes and Jills, and in portraying them, he offers an indelible portrait of the city in which they reside.
As I read the book last night (staying with it far too late, which I knew I'd regret this morning), it occurred to me that, as engaging and fascinating a work as it is today, it's a volume that will prove to be a greater treasure in years to come. Imagine stumbling upon a tattered copy of this book in a used books store (should they still exist) in fifty or even a hundred years; what a treasure it will be. I'd certainly pay a pretty penny today for a contemporary account of the people of New York as they lived in 1950 or at the turn of the last century.
An acquaintance of mine once wrote of New York City and its denizens, "Even New Yorkers who have lived here all their lives are happy to sit back and chat away about the place as if they'd just come across it. It's a regular topic of conversation. And what's nice is that it's neither particularly narcissistic nor self-loathing, this chatter, but more curious and delighted."
I couldn't agree more. I've been in New York for more than twenty years now, and I remain as fascinated with the place as when I'd only just arrived. I love to hear New York stories -- from fellow NYers, those who wish they were NYers, and perhaps even a few who are glad they aren't.
If you feel the same way, LeDuff's book is a must-have.
Posted by brett at 01:55 PM | TrackBack