Name: Vanishing New York
ISBN: 9780062439697

Jeremiah Moss

How a Great City Lost Its Soul

Vanishing New York

Morgan Thomas

To begin with I an a fan of this book. As a lifelong New Yorker I have have seen first hand many of the things that Moss discusses in his book. The way that neighborhood institutions have given way to another bank or Starbucks or CVS (how many does one person need? We are not children we can move about in more than a two block radius if we must). 
What I wish for this book though, is that it would have discussed the way gentrification has more adverse affects on people economically. He mentions it briefly at various points, but the way that neighborhoods, which traditionally had more affluent whites (one example I'm thinking of is the Upper West Side which in my thirty years has always been a wealthy area) are experiencing empty store fronts even in these neighborhoods. It is possible to walk down several streets and see several empty storefronts. 
Another point which I also would have wished he would discuss more (but wondering if I am being to picky as he focuses more on individual neighborhoods and businesses) is that oftentimes with gentrification people from most social classes shift downward i.e. middle class people being unable to afford rent in more affluent areas and moving to cheaper neighborhoods displacing poorer residents who may have been there for a long time. 
But despite all of my complaints this is something that I enjoyed and would recommend to others. It has caused me to think more deeply about the ways that the city is changing due to the particular type of wealth that is coming in.

Vanishing New York How a Great City Lost Its Soul

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