The rise and fall and rise of the South Bronx: âA thoughtful story of urbanization in a place that most Americans know only stereotypically.â âAmerican Historical Review  Home to the New York Yankees, the Bronx Zoo, and the Grand Concourse, the Bronx was at one time a haven for upwardly mobile second-generation immigrants eager to leave the crowded tenements of Manhattan in pursuit of the American dream. Once hailed as a âwonder boroughâ of beautiful homes, parks, and universities, the Bronx becameâduring the 1960s and 1970sâa national symbol of urban deterioration. Thriving neighborhoods that had long been home to generations of families dissolved under waves of arson, crime, and housing abandonment, turning blocks of apartment buildings into gutted, graffiti-covered shells and empty, trash-filled lots. In this revealing history of the Bronx, Evelyn Gonzalez describes how the once-infamous New York City borough underwent one of the most successful and inspiring community revivals in American history.  From its beginnings as a loose cluster of commuter villages to its current status as a densely populated home for New Yorkâs growing and increasingly diverse African American and Hispanic populations, this book shows how the Bronx interacted with and was affected by the rest of New York City as it grew from a small colony on the tip of Manhattan into a sprawling metropolis. This is the story of the clattering of elevated subways and the cacophony of crowded neighborhoods, the heady optimism of industrial progress and the despair of economic recession, and the vibrancy of ethnic cultures and the resilience of local grassroots coalitions crucial to the boroughâs rejuvenation.  âGonzalezâs reporting and research are excellent, and scholars will appreciate the extensive bibliography.â âLibrary Journal
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