Flophouse: Life on the Bowery (Hardcover)

by David Isay (Author), Stacy Abramson (Author), Harvey Wang (Photographer) "From the end of the nineteenth century through the middle of the twentieth, the Bowery was the world's most infamous skid row..." (more)
Key Phrases: White House, New York, Mike Gatto (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
From the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, nearly 100,000 men found shelter each night in places with names like the Dandy, the Niagara, the Palace, and the Grand Windsor Hotel. These lodging houses, located in the infamous skid row known as the Bowery, are almost gone now, but those that remain provide a fascinating view of old New York and a vanishing era. Isay, an award-winning radio documentary producer, and Wang, a professional photographer, have captured this world in Flophouse. To present the story of this neglected population, the authors interviewed a number of residents in each of four remaining "flops." Each short narrative is told in the resident's own words and is accompanied by one or two full-page photographs. These are stories of immigrants, drug addicts, and men who are just down on their luck. There's John, who gets up every night at three in the morning to bleach his floor; Jack, who's been shooting dice for over 50 years; and Ted, the intellectual dishwasher, who set out to be nothing and succeeded. This compelling read is recommended for all libraries.
-DDeborah Bigelow, Leonia P.L., NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This book should be required reading in every home across the country. It tells of the lost ones, the forgotten men who have given up on the American dream, and once we enter their crumbling, derelict world, our own world will never look the same to us again. Harvey Wang's photographs are superbly honest and raw. The testimonies gathered by David Isay and Stacy Abramson are little poems of desolation, vast hymns to the paradoxes of the human heart." --Paul Auster

"This book takes you to places you think you don't want to enter, to people you think you don't want to meet, to lives you think you don't want to live. And makes you rethink all your assumptions. It reveals the tremendous strength and humanity of those who are usually ignored. And as you pay attention, your humanity expands."
         -- Susan Stamberg, Special Correspondent, National Public Radio -- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375503226
• ISBN-13: 978-0375503221
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #988,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, August 23, 2000

By	Michelle Blankenship (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I just bought a copy of this book last night after attending a reading with the authors and photographer, along with some of the men who are profiled in the book. This book is so touching and achingly beautiful. It reads like poetry. The words of the men themselves are printed alongside poignant photographs that seem to capture the sentiment of their words. I feel honored to have met some of these men in person and even more honored to have had the pleasure of asking them to autograph their individual pages. The title of my review here is what one of the men, Bruce, wrote to me last night.

To be able to put a voice and a human face to those who have likely seen the best and the worst of life is a gift to all thinking and compassionate people. This book proves that every person has a story to tell and if the words don't quite express it, the photos do.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Flop, August 19, 2000

By A Customer

Flophouse gives America a rare glimpse into the underbelly of the American Dream. With photos and personal interviews of 50 residents of genuine Bowery flophouses this book reveals the raw grittiness and humanity of those at the bottom of American society. So often politicians and other such moral crusaders seek to demonize those on drugs and welfare. The real story why these men have fallen into the abyss is often more complicated than simple explantions provide. The story of these men asks each of us to re-examine our beliefs about the least among us. I should know-I live among them and am featured in the book with my bicycle. Many of you who read this are but a few paychecks away from similar circumstances. I encourage you to buy this book and keep it as a reminder to save every dollar you can in a 401K-lest you spend your last days in a Bowery Flophouse!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A paradigm Shifting Journey, November 2, 2000

By	W. Bierwirth "all tech'd out" (Darnestown, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought my 1st copy of this numbing book immediately after seeing Isay & Abramson interviewed on C-Span Booknotes. Since then, I've ordered 6 more copies for others. Mandatory reading! The forbidden journey through the fragile cubicles of the flop houses is an eerie dream where life's faceless are given faces, the nameless names, and the definitions of hope and hopelessness take on new dimensions. Isay & Abramson highlight the great talent and intellect of so many who have lost their way, reminding us that there, but for the Grace of God, go we. But with poignance and artistry they also show the consequenses of hope lost. Like Ghosts of Xmas Future, Isay & Abramson's work shouts at us not to let this life become an alternative for our fellow human beings. Brava!