Customer Reviews

Five Points: The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, I must point out that I work about eight blocks away from the infamous Five Points intersection in New York City. Also, I am very familiar with American history. With these two points mentioned, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed and learned alot from this book. If you are considering reading "Five Points", it is very important that you assess beforehand what you hope to get out of this book. It has the potential to be either VERY rewarding and informative to you OR, to bore the life out of you and make you want to fling it in the trash! This book is certainly NOT for the casual reader. It is remarkably detailed and meticulous in research chock full of 66 pages of footnotes and a small font, select bibliography of five pages. I had the great advantage of being able to walk over on my lunch hour and follow the included maps around the neighborhood to see where these locations were and, in some cases, see the still standing buildings mentioned in the text. If you are not from New York City or familiar with it's history, this book can be painfully tedious. If this book was a college course, I would estimate it to be either of the 300 or 400 level.

Some may take issue with the way the material is arranged. Trying to write about a whole neighborhood with so many layers of diverse history is no easy task. I personally enjoyed the format once I got used to it. Anbinder starts each chapter with a prologue vignette of a few pages describing an event or person who well exemplifies the topic following in the main chapter. I found myself going back at the end of each chapter and re-reading the prologue with the new information just gleaned in mind. The chapters cover the historical making of the Five Points neighborhood, why the neighborhood inhabitants originally (mostly the Irish before the Civil War) came there, how and where the residents lived there, how they worked and what they did, the politics the neighborhood was involved in over the years, the diversions and entertainment found in the neighborhood, types of vice and crime seen there, religion and reform issues (including extensive accounts of the activities of the Five Points Mission and the House of Industry), the infamous riots the neighborhood was a part or cause of (mostly in the 1850s), the neighborhood changes underway during the Civil War and the rise of Tammany Hall, the remaking of Five Points after the Civil War as Italians became more prevalent, the life and activities of the Italian majority in the 1870s and 1880s, the influx of Chinese to the neighborhood and the making of Chinatown, and the activities of Jacob Riis and other reformers towards the eventual demolition of much of Five Points in the 1890s. The author fills in some background information on discussed topics, but it helps greatly to be already familiar with the era's history. Examples would be needing to know the basics of Andrew Jackson and his "Democrats" before fully understanding the causes and issues relating to the rioting so common in Five Points before the Civil War or, familiarity with what Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall was. Some may also quarrel with the need for extensive statistics about the nationality makeup of individual Five Points tenements or the amount of money in residents bank accounts over the years, but extreme details such as those give insights to how New York City has become what it is today. Causes of the rise of the modern fire and police departments, some unions, gangs, and building code details are just some of the contemporary NYC realities that can trace a significant portion of their origins to Five Points.

With the previously mentioned warnings in mind, I highly recommend "Five Points" to the ravenous history student. This is no beach read or intro to Five Points. It is thick and heavy like cheesecake, but make sure you know that you love cheesecake before trying this supreme example!

Although I am an avid NYC history fan, I must admit that I knew next to nothing about the Five Points prior to the release of the movie 'Gangs of New York'. That movie sparked an intrest in me for that area, that has yet to cease...This book takes you into that exact setting, and separates the truths from the myths. The cronological timeline of maps is one of the things I found to be quite interesting as well. I also thought it was quite amazing that the author dedicated entire chapters to some of the more imfamous sites such as The Old Brewery and Paradise Park.

Sometimes I wish more of these things were preserved and still viewable today; but I guess the Five Points was an area the city simply wanted to rid itself of...And they did a good job. The five-pointed intersection has been reduced to two 'points', and the site contains no plaques or historical landmark signs whatsoever (Unless you want to count the plaques at nearby Foley Square).

Hundreds of people casually stroll through the area every week, without a clue about the historical significance of the ground they walk on...However; if they were to go back in time 150 years, I'm quite sure that wouldn't be the case. The corner of Baxter and Worth will always be a special place for me...One of the few ghostly remains of a bygone era of poverty and corruption in the city, and a silent reminder to anyone who cares, of just how far the city has progressed and evolved since then.

This book is definately worth your time.

I am also a native New Yorker like the first reviewer. And I am also a history buff. This book is not tedious, and does not read like a text book. It's a page turner, it's addictive... and packed with every detail about this era in New York. You will come away with knowledge that such difficult times did exist, and be greatful that you did not have to endure them.

Five Points, lower Manhattan's most corrupt and dangerous neighborhood during the mid 1800's comes alive in this work. Five Points, located just to the northeast of the WTC site, was described as a place where mostly-Irish immigrants settled and had to fight... literally... for a foothold in this great nation. Tammany Hall, the most powerful Democratic party machine in the nation at the time, is exposed for its heinous crimes and financial corruption. Prostitution and murder, dance halls and taverns, where a nickel good buy you time at the beer hose (guzzle until you purge), its all described in this book. This and The Gangs of New York are worth your time.

Tyler Anbinder presents a history ostensibly focused narrowly on a lower Manhattan neighborhood. In actuality, Anbinder not only delivers the history of the Five Points area, but he also conveys a larger sense of the context and background that made this neighborhood significant. Anbinder organizes his material into very approachable chapters, each preceded by a brief illustrative anecdote or incident, which relates to the theme of the specific section.

Great book on NYC history. Anbinder has done a good job of digging up what may seem to the casual reader as ancillary - or even tediously unnecessary - information. But going through church rolls and Emigrant Savings bank records gives a very personal and human touch to the information. This wasn't just a "slum;" this was a thriving neighborhood, in a packed city, with a multitude of characters, displaying the best and worst of human behavior.

A good text for a serious history student. Scorcese fans who want a companion book to his recent movie should get Herb Asbury's instead, which has proven to be part history, part mythology, and more in step with the film.

Sure, it was a rough neighborhood, but it can't possibly be any worse than any New York neighborhoods of the 20th century. Anbinder merely gives us the evidence that New York, for all its changes, is a timeless City.

I enjoyed this book about the early times of New York. Even though this book is specific to the FIVE POINTS area of New York, it also intertwines so much other history into the chapters. I bought this book along with other great books on the same subject (ie: GOTHAM, GANGS of NEW YORK, and LOW LIFE), and I enjoyed reading all the books together.

If you love history and especially the history of New York , this is a wonderful book for a very nice price .

I like to read about history which can get boring at times, but not with Five Points. The book read like a movie. It's almost too incredible to think that what I was reading wasn't fiction. I was so intrigued that as soon as I read about the area known as 5 points, I had to get on the subway to see how life has changed. If you like history and love NYC, this is a great book to learn more about how the city is defined.

I am amazed at the record keeping done at this time. In order to compile this look at the Five Points the author uses only actual records of the time. He also includes the 'Myths' of the time. Certain stories told and retold ended up with a life of their own. The author clearly states the known recorded facts and also lists any neighborhood, or for that matter, nation wide myths and embellishes to people or events that took place in the Five Points. It's an iteresting read and an honest insight on how and why some people living there had no problem doing so.

My interest in reading this book was less about the political side and more about the social. That being said, the book is impeccably researched and brings a lot of humanity to this important part of NY's history.