The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City | Jennifer Toth

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City | Jennifer Toth | A great book

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The Mole People: L...

	The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City Jennifer Toth Chicago Review Press, 1995 - 280 pages average customer review:based on 114 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great Non-Fiction Read

I loved this book. I was never a big fan of non-fiction books, however this one really interested me. I recommended it to my book club and they're all reading it now. I can't wait to get their thoughts on it!

A great book

The homeless have always fascinated me, but even if you dont share the same awe as I do, dont let that stop you from reading this book. Jennifer did an amazing job gathering the information and putting it together in this well written book. You can tell that she did spend a lot of time in school however, from the term paper style she uses complete with the bibliography at the end. It really doesnt get in your way though, the writing style that is.

She explores the tunnels, what seems like mostly with a guide, but after she gets comfortable, she goes out on her own in places. One place she goes, even though it is a short account, is pretty damn creepy, and no one else would go with her. For the most part however, her tales and accounts are, for lack of a better word, pleasant. She doesnt get hurt I guess would be the best way of putting it.

Most chapters are of the people she meets, the way they live, why and how they became tunnel dwellers. It might not all be what you think, not every tunnel is dirty and disgusting. One, that I wish she would of spent more time on though I dont think the "mayor" let her linger, was for the most part, utopia. A self sustaining, clean environment with a school, a nurse, shower rooms, even a weight room. You will just have to read it to get the whole understanding.

Overall, an amazing book. There are a few pictures, and the end is, frightening, but none the less, a great way to end the book, not that she had intended on ending it that way. I say buy it, and while your reading it, remember that she is a single white women, in the tunnels beneath NY. with only a can of mace, and the desire to write a great book.

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Toth humanizes a harsh hidden reality

Ms. Toth put herself in great physical and mental peril to bring us this rich emotional and visual journey describing life under the streets of New York City. She is so careful not to judge or condemn these people, many of whom are just trying to make a life away from the rest of society whom would surely judge and condemn them if they had a chance. In return for her openness, they open to her, sharing with her, and in turn, us, a whole different reality from that which we are accustomed. They revert in a way back to our raw, survivalistic animal nature. If they go deep enough, they exist without our imposed system of laws and codes of ethics. They make their own rules, sometimes demonstrating more humanity and compassion for eachother than is ever expected topside, and other times taking full advantage of this social anarchy through incredible displays of deception and brutality. Toth sees it all, and reports back to us in a remarkably sensitive and personal way for us to experience as she has, only without the threat of imminent danger, or the feeling of multiple pairs of staring eyes on our backs in the pitch black.

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The Mole People

This book was an eye-oener for me. I had no idea so many people lived in the underground of NYC. I also was interested to know that many of thes people are satisfied with their life below the city.

Living beneath the horizon

The 'mole people' are not a singular group of people: their reasons for living in the tunnels are varied, and the degree to which the tunnels constitute 'home' also differs. In the world depicted in Ms Toth's book, there are individuals, collectives and communities existing in (largely) man-made spaces built for other purposes. In this world (as in all worlds), we see triumph, ingenuity, despair and different levels of belonging.

I think that Ms Toth did a good job of presenting what she saw and understood. All realities are relative.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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