The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City
by Jennifer Toth
List Price:
Our Price: $7.00
You Save: $9.95 (59%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.35 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Jennifer TothEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-10-01
ISBN: 155652241X
Number of pages: 280
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Book Reviews of The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City
Book Review: "Mole People don't exist beneath the surface of NYC, but people do."
Summary: 4 Stars
Written back in 1993, 'The Mole People' might be a little dated, but I'm certain that the underground communities still not only exist but flourish beneath NYC and other cities. Jennifer Toth has written of the colorful background of the "under-city" and the colorful people who live there. Her study is literally peppered with stories straight from the mouths of those who live below, telling in their own way of their fears, their lives, their creed, their reasons, and most of all their humanity.
The tunnels are everywhere: Port Authority Station, Grand Central Station, Penn Station, Amtrak tunnels along the Hudson River in upper Manhattan, Amtrak tunnel under Hell's Kitchen along the West Side, under City Hall, below the theater district on Broadway, Lafayette Street Station, the Bowery tunnels, the Lexington Line, and more. Toth went into all of them, studying the societies as far down as seven levels underground.
She found loners, families, communities (like Bernard Issac's under Riverside Park), some complete with appointed "mayors". There's the "Condos", a natural underground cavern where two hundred people live. There's an old waiting room, complete with crystal chandelier and grand piano. A ninety-two foot merchant sailing ship was found under Front Street, as part of the landfill. Toth uncovers many mysteries in the deep.
Ranging from holes littered with needles and feces to vast chambers with stolen electricity, wallpaper, carpet, TV's and VCR's, kitchen utensils and food supplies, the "mole people" are a diverse people. Many suffer from mental illness and drug abuse, others range from illegal aliens to those who have Master's Degrees from "upstairs". All seem dispossessed in one way or another, whatever the reason for their decent into the tunnels.
Toth talks about the organizations to assist the tunnel people, like ADAPT and HELP, while Bernard talks about the same organizations as having their own, separate, job-saving, money-making agendas that go against what the tunnel people want or need.
The book contains black-and-white photos (though not enough), footnotes, bibliography, and an index. While Toth's study is well done and documented, I liked the fact that she let the people speak for themselves, dedicating a great portion of the book to their own words. This study is interesting, especially if you are fascinated by subcultures or just like "underground stories". I liked the book and recommend it. Enjoy!
More The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Newest Review
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Newest Review
Poverty Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Poverty Books
White Coat, Clenched Fist: The Political Education of an American Physicianby Fitzhugh Mullan
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1976-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.00
Contemporary Social Problemsby Vincent N. Parrillo, John Stimson, Ardyth Stimson
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1989-02; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
An Introduction to Human Services: Policy and Practiceby Barbara Schram, Betty Reid Mandell
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1994-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $92.38
Women and Crack-Cocaine (Macmillan Criminal Justice)by James A. Inciardi, Dorothy Lockwood, Anne E. Pottiger
Macmillan Coll Div; Published: 1993-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.00
Price in other shops:
Hidden Betrayed Exploited & Forgotten Hoby Cathy Glass
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2007-11-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.85
Six degrees: our future on a hotter planetby Mark Lynas
Fourth Estate; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.62
The Revenge of Gaiaby James Lovelock, J. E. Lovelock
Basic Books; Published: 2006-07-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
The Essentials of Family Therapy, 2nd Editionby Michael P. Nichols, Richard C. Schwartz
Pearson Education, Inc. / Allyn & Bacon; Published: 2004-02-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.00
Price in other shops:
Down and Out in Paris and London (Essential Penguin 2)by George Orwell
Penguin Books; Published: 1999-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.92
Rule By Secrecy: The Hidden History that Connects the Trilateral Commision, the Freemasons and the Great Pyramidsby Jim Marrs
Harper; Published: 2000-04-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.50
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in Americaby Jonathan Kozol
Broadway; Published: 2006-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops:
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Childby Francisco Jiménez
Dutton; University of New Mexico Press; Published: 1997-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops:
The Control of Natureby John McPhee
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 1990-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.55
Price in other shops:
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Modern Library)by Jane Jacobs
Modern Library; Published: 1993-02-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Placesby Sharon Zukin
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2011-05-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.49
Price in other shops:
The Forest Peopleby Colin Turnbull
Touchstone; Published: 1987-07-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.40
Price in other shops:
Slumming: Sexual and Racial Encounters in American Nightlife, 1885-1940 (Historical Studies of Urban America)by Chad Heap
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 2010-10-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.97
Price in other shops:
Geisha, 25th Anniversary Edition, Updated Editionby Liza Dalby
University of California Press; Published: 2008-12-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.62
Price in other shops:
Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas (Travel Holiday Guides)by Matthew O'Brien
Huntington Press; Published: 2007-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Tunnel Peopleby Teun Voeten
PM Press; Published: 2010-09-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.75
Price in other shops: