Product Description
Unabridged
Customer Reviews:
Great.......2003-02-21
I am an avid Deathlands fan and of all the books I've read (new and old) I love how they are put in this "ghost city". A whole city devoid of people outside of the protected area is sweet. It's not like the Skydark series were they go island hoping or in Seedling were they fight other gangs. It others a realistic approach of a major city abandoned except for the few living residents and the REALLY COOL Muties. I recomend to read this book. Even if you hate Deathlands, read this book!
Zero City (Deathlands, No 52).......2003-01-21
I would like to say first that the book dealer sent this book very quickly . I ordered it on the 14th and recived the book confermation it was on the way the 15th and on the 16th it arrived. With the purchase of this book my friend now has the complet set of books and he really enjoys readign this series of books. He is looking forward to the next book due out in march 2003.
Zero City -- Pleasant change up with characters.......2001-01-26
This installment of DL was very refreshing in the aspect of giving the reader a glimps into the seperate personality of each of our seven characters. The author who wrote this installment [Under the pseudonym of James Axler], style tends to be different than what is the typical style of DeathLands writing. This has been a bone of contention [yes even I have rebelled against this style] for the consistancy aspect with some DL fans, but his creative ablity overall has never been called into question.
Minimally, there are some discrepancies with past facts established in prior books. There are consistancy discrepancies such as Krysty not 'sensing' any danger initially then she 'senses' something later in the book, and over all individual personal qualities but it is not as distracting from the story.
In Zero City, we finally see Ryan in the full meaning of being a father over a survivalist when his young son Dean is at death's door. We finally see Mildred [who is my absolute favorite character!] in her primary role as a Doctor and not using her Olympic sharpshooting prowess as her only value in the group.
The introduction of a possible genetic link to Krysty introduces a possiblity that there are other factors in our survivalist lives then just the struggle to survive one fight to another.
I look forward to the next installment.
zeroing in on zero city.......2000-12-22
as a fan of the deathlands series, Zero city was a good read, however I've started to notice a sort of slopines creeping into Mr. Axlers writing. I realize that we're dealing with fantesy here, but stricter attention needs to be paid to realistic "shelf lives" of items such as fuel, food and medical supplies, for me ,better accuracy in this department matters greatly to my enjoyment of the book. Also, references to characters,and situations in previous books is becoming less and less. Having read all the Deathlands books, I thought this gave contunity to the whole series. On a final note, I thought the reckless effort to recover the bag of medical supplies was out of character for the usually caucious Cawdor band. Having said that,I still enjoyed the book, and as a true Deathlands fan,await the next book.
DEATHLANDS MEETS PITCH BLACK!.......2000-12-07
This new and exciting new novel takes Ryan Cawdor and his warrior survivialists to a jump into a ghost town, haunted by some very interesting creatures that resemble some kind of enormous bats. These mutie creatures only come out at night and are extremely fast and deadly. This new writer to me does a wonderful job in keeping with the characters IN CHARACTER. The pace is swift and action scenes are very well done. Even the writers flying creatures are somewhat a story unto themselves instead of just your run-of-the-mill mindless creatures. The writer gives them depth and makes you wonder just where they came from - mutated or man-made? These mysterious monsters attack Ryan and his band in the haunted ruins of Zero City, leaving Ryan's son, Dean, wounded and near death. This forces the group to split up and go into a nearby ville ruled by a mad baron that may be some kind of cousin to Krysty Wroth. Now this is what sparks interest in the baron when he see's the similarities between himself and Krysty. For me, this was the best part of the book when Ryan and Krysty go alone into this strange ville and Krysty is taken captive. The writer is at his best in this part of the novel and the action scenes are some of the best I have read in this awesome series. The unspoken communication between Ryan and Krysty is very well done, and I am always a sucker when these two gell and have a little adventure together without the group constantly being there. The baron makes fertilizer out of the people that screw up in the ville and Charleston Heston aint around to save the day. But Ryan Cawdor is! This latest from the great story-telling writers of Gold Eagle is a very fun and exciting read for the hardcore DEATHLANDS fans. I am such a fan and I want to extend my thanks to Gold Eagle books and the creative minds at work in this series for keeping up the great work and thank you for not giving up in this awesome series. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Book Description
The autobiography of an unsung hero of the Greatest Generation, a leader on the frontlines of American history
John Whitehead began life in Montclair, New Jersey, as a child of the Depression and went on to lead an exemplary life in the years of the Greatest Generation. In this intimate, charming autobiography, he shares his stories and the lessons he's learned about quiet leadership.
He describes how on D-Day he commanded one of the landing crafts at Omaha Beach, and witnessed one of the greatest battles in American military history. Later, in his role as co-chair of Goldman Sachs, he was one of the pioneers of the globalization of international finance that was to change the face of American business. In 1985, Whitehead was appointed Deputy Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and became the architect of the Reagan administration's successful efforts to wean the countries of Eastern Europe from the Soviet Union and to open up space there for the democratic movements that eventually resulted in the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Most recently, he was appointed by New York Governor George Pataki as Chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is charged with the task of rebuilding Ground Zero. Whitehead provides a first-hand account of the difficult decisions the LMDC has made in meeting its goals of re-developing lower Manhattan and honoring the victims of 9/11 as the capstone of his remarkable career.
Customer Reviews:
A compelling personal account of a life well-lived.......2007-09-27
A brief summary of John Whitehead's accomplishments thus far indicates the nature and extent of his "life in leadership": most recently, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC); previously, co-chairman of Goldman Sachs and then deputy secretary of state, second-in-command to Secretary George Shultz, in the Reagan administration; also tenures as chairman of the governing boards (at one point or another) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the United Nations Association, the International Rescue Committee, the Harvard Board of Overseers, Haverford College from which he earned a B.A. degree, and the Asia Society. It should also be noted that, during World War Two, Ensign Whitehead commanded a Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or "Higgins boat" that successfully delivered troops to Omaha beach on the first day of the Normandy Invasion.
With all due respect to Whitehead's numerous and considerable accomplishments, however, what most impressed throughout his memoirs is his passionate commitment to being an effective leader of others whose welfare has been entrusted to his care. He has always cared deeply, indeed passionately about sustaining that commitment, whatever the given circumstances may be.
As a case in point, after retiring from Goldman Sachs, Whitehead was determined to disengage himself from his various responsibilities and therefore "was dead set against" accepting New York Governor George Pataki's invitation to serve as chairman of the LMDC, following the attack on the World Trade Center. After completing a rigorous analysis of the "pros" and "cons" of acceptance, "it was clear to me that I had to say no." Then, after he looked around his office at all the photographs and memorabilia, "I took a deep breath, and I knew what I had to do. I picked up the phone again and dialed the governor, and when he came on the line I told him I'd accept." There are dozens of other, comparable situations in which White also had to make an especially difficult decision, none of which he later regretted. "I don't allow myself that luxury. What's done is done."
There are several important lessons that can be learned from Whitehead's personal as well as professional experiences that he so generously shares in this volume. Those of greatest interest and value to me include these three:
1. Effective leadership is first and foremost both a privilege and an obligation; those who would lead others must embrace the obligations of trust, compassion, and dedication as well as of rigorous preparation, precise and enlightened decision-making, and courage. It is worth recalling that Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.
2. Effective leadership also requires not only an understanding and appreciation of teamwork but also a determination to help develop effective leadership skills in one's associates. Hence the importance of recognizing and, yes, celebrating the achievements of others.
3. Finally, effective leadership functions simultaneously within three dimensions: the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual. Throughout history, the greatest leaders are those who possess (a) highly refined analytical skills and sufficient knowledge that enable them to make appropriate decisions, (b) a temperament that enables them to sustain a proper balance of what is most important, and also (c) what is often referred to as a "moral compass." As Bill George has so eloquently explained in his book True North, authentic leaders must be authentic people.
When concluding his memoirs, Whitehead observes that he can't help thinking how "lucky" he has been. "Mine has been a good life, filled with lots of fun, interesting experiences, drama, and an engagement with serious issues at the highest level...I have lived at a time when there has been a lot to be done, from fighting the Nazis to battling terrorists. I like to think I have risen to many of these challenges in my own quiet fashion, and I am confident that the next generation of leaders will meet them in their turn. I have been glad to do my part in all of these great endeavors. More than glad. From first to last, I have been thrilled to be in on the action."
John Whitehead is an exemplary leader but also, in my opinion, an exemplary human being. My hope now is that many others, especially those preparing for a career or who have only recently embarked on one, will read and then re-read this compelling personal account of a life well-lived, committing themselves to honorable and productive service when they are also "in on the action," whenever and wherever that may be.
A brief summary of John Whitehead accomplishments thus far indicates the nature and extent of his "life in leadership": most recently, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation LMDC); previously, co-chairman of Goldman Sachs and then deputy secretary of state, second-in-command to Secretary George Shultz, in the Reagan administration; also tenures as chairman of the governing boards (at one point or another) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the United Nations Association, the International Rescue Committee, the Harvard Board of Overseers, Haverford College from which he earned a B.A. degree, and the Asia Society. It should also be noted that, during World War Two, Ensign Whitehead commanded a The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or "Higgins boat" that successfully delivered troops to Omaha beach on the first day of the Normandy Invasion.
With all due respect to Whitehead's numerous and considerable accomplishments, however, what most impressed throughout his memoirs is his passionate commitment to being an effective leader of others whose welfare has been entrusted to his care. He has always cared deeply, indeed passionately about sustaining that commitment, whatever the given circumstances may be.
As a case in point, after retiring from Goldman Sachs, Whitehead was determined to disengage himself from his various responsibilities and therefore "was dead set against" accepting New York Governor George Pataki's invitation to serve as chairman of the LMDC, following the attack on the World Trade Center. After completing a rigorous analysis of the "pros" and "cons" of acceptance, "it was clear to me that I had to say no." Then, after he looked around his office at all the photographs and memorabilia, "I took a deep breath, and I knew what I had to do. I picked up the phone again and dialed the governor, and when he came on the line I told him I'd accept." There are dozens of other, comparable situations in which White also had to make an especially difficult decision, none of which he later regretted. "I don't allow myself that luxury. What's done is done."
There are several important lessons that can be learned from Whitehead's personal as well as professional experiences that he so generously shares in this volume. Those of greatest interest and value to me include these three:
1. Effective leadership is first and foremost both a privilege and an obligation; those who would lead others must embrace the obligations of trust, compassion, and dedication as well as of rigorous preparation, precise and enlightened decision-making, and courage. It is worth recalling that Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.
2. Effective leadership also requires not only an understanding and appreciation of teamwork but also a determination to help develop effective leadership skills in one's associates. Hence the importance of recognizing and, yes, celebrating the achievements of others.
3. Finally, effective leadership functions simultaneously within three dimensions: the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual. Throughout history, the greatest leaders are those who possess (a) highly refined analytical skills and sufficient knowledge that enable them to make appropriate decisions, (b) a temperament that enables them to sustain a proper balance of what is most important, and also (c) what is often referred to as a "moral compass." As Bill George has so eloquently explained in his book True North, authentic leaders must be authentic people.
When concluding his memoirs, Whitehead observes that he can't help thinking how "lucky" he has been. "Mine has been a good life, filled with lots of fun, interesting experiences, drama, and an engagement with serious issues at the highest level...I have lived at a time when there has been a lot to be done, from fighting the Nazis to battling terrorists. I like to think I have risen to many of these challenges in my own quiet fashion, and I am confident that the next generation of leaders will meet them in their turn. I have been glad to do my part in all of these great endeavors. More than glad. From first to last, I have been thrilled to be in on the action."
John Whitehead is an exemplary leader but also, in my opinion, an exemplary human being. My hope now is that many others, especially those preparing for a career or who have only recently embarked on one, will read and re-read this compelling personal account of a life well-lived, then commit themselves to honorable and productive service when they are also "in on the action," wherever that may be.
Full of Business Nuggets.......2006-01-05
I am about through with the book and I normally don't make comment until I'm done with a book, but this man is truly remarkable. The author has lived a remarkable business life and the book is an inspirational biography full of relatable business lessons or nuggets. I have had a lot of fun laughing and learning from his life lessons.
On the other hand, I feel that the lesson I have learned most is that a balance of work and life is imperative to me. The author is twice divorced and I believe he dedicated more time to his work life than his family life. I think he is kinda reluctant to talk in more depth about it having only dedicated three pages to the topic. I think he would agree. Nonetheless, I have become a huge fan of John C. Whitehead.
Educational, Honest, and Inspiring.......2005-09-17
I had trouble finishing this book because I could barely get through a couple of pages without getting so inspired that I had to stop so I could take action on my own dreams. As a recent graduate of NYU, I was reminded that my career path will take many unexpected turns and of the possible impact I can have by following my vision and sticking to my values.
This autobiography is written with such authenticity that it is completely relatable. The author's struggle to pay his own way through college in 1939 reminded me of my own in 2000. I could relate to the feelings of triumph. And I could certainly relate to the mortifying mistakes (although perhaps I haven't yet experienced anything as bad as driving Henry Ford home in a Chevy!).
At the same time, the book is incredibly educational. History, business, political, and leadership lessons are encapsulated in every story. As Whitehead describes his experiences, certain themes begin to emerge, giving the reader tools they can apply to their own life. I found myself using lessons I derived from Whitehead's diplomacy missions in my work with others!
One of the Best Business Books Ever Written.......2005-06-27
I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in leadership, but especially young business people at the beginning of their careers. This memoir gives an incredible inside and frank perspective on leadership of an individual who has had a more ecclectic and successful career than most people could ever hope for. Furthermore, this book is also fascinating because it provides a historical insight into the business world that a history textbook could never provide.
Lastly, I recommend this book because the leadership lessons it provides are universal. They aren't fly-by-night strategies, but basic and simple values that can be applied to almost any leadership position at any time.
Incredible Business Memoir.......2005-06-25
In my opinion, this is one of the best business memoirs ever written. While John Whitehead may not be as well known as Jack Welch or Mayor Giuliani and other individuals who've written best-selling autobiographies, in many ways his career and character are no less impressive.
This book was extremely readable and I finished it all in one day! What I appreciate the most is its honesty and integrity. As I reader, I felt that John Whitehead, now in his late 70s, wasn't writing this book as a tool to step up his own career or feed his ego. I felt that he genuinely wanted to share his experiences and the lessons he's learned from them.
Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the focus on character. Unlike other business memoirs, which focus on business strategies, this book focuses on simple values such as hard-work, honesty, integrity, humility, and friendliness. It is inspiring to see these values in somebody who achieved massive success as a business man, states man, and philanthropist.
Book Description
In Up from Zero, Paul Goldberger, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, tells the inside story of the quest to rebuild one of the most important symbolic sites in the world, the sixteen acres where the towers of the former World Trade Center stood. A story of power, politics, architecture, community, and culture, Up from Zero takes us inside the controversial struggle to create and build one of the most challenging urban-design projects in history.
What should replace the fallen towers? Who had the courage and vision to rise to the task of rebuilding? Who had the right, finally, to decide? The struggle began soon after September 11, 2001, as titanic egos took sides, made demands, and jockeyed for power. Lawyers, developers, grieving families, local residents, politicians, artists, and architects all had fierce needs, radically different ideas, strong emotions, and boundless determination. How could conflicting interests be resolved? After hundreds of hours of often rancorous meetings, the first sets of plans were finally revealed in the summer of 2002–and the results were staggeringly disappointing.
Yet, as Goldberger shows, the rebuilding process recovered and began to flourish. Rather than degenerating into turf wars, it evolved in ways that no one could have predicted. From the decision to reintegrate the site into the dense fabric of lower Manhattan, to the choice of Daniel Libeskind as master planner, to the appointment of a memorial jury, the process has been marked by moments of bold vision, effective community activism, and personal instinct, punctuating the often contentious politics of public participation.
Up from Zero takes in the full sweep of this tremendous effort. Goldberger presents a drama of creative minds at work, solving seemingly insurmountable clashes of taste, interests, and ideas. With unique access to the players and the process, and with a sophisticated understanding of architecture and its impact on people and on the social and cultural life of a city, Paul Goldberger here chronicles the courage, the sacrifices, and the burning passions at the heart of one of the greatest efforts of urban revitalization in modern times.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
A true page-turner.......2006-09-18
Up From Zero should appeal to anyone interested in architecture, urban planning, real estate, politics, and to those who desire a lucid and highly readable account of what has happened at Ground Zero in the few years following 9/11.
Paul Goldberger chronicles a number of events, from the widely reported-on World Trade Center master plan competition, called the Innovative Design Study, to numerous community forums and private meetings, and the players that are significant to the eventual outcome of the site. It speaks to Goldberger's skill as a reporter and writer that he is able to organize all of his information into a seamless narrative, while recognizing the tenuous nature of the rebuilding process. The result is a cohesive, mostly unbiased account, and a true page-turner.
The book has several pages of b&w illustrations, but including more of the designs themselves would have been helpful. If you want a better sense of the types of designs submitted in conjunction with the Innovative Design Study, I highly recommend the book Imagining Ground Zero (2004) by Suzanne Stephens. Imagining Ground Zero: The Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site (Architectural Record Book) Here you see why Daniel Libeskind's winning design and runner-up THINK's received such acclaim, while others were deemed too progressive or traditional.
Urban planning on the scale and in the context of Ground Zero has never been untaken before, which Goldberger makes a point of in the preface. Major building projects take years, some more than a decade, to complete. With the intense pressure to build on the former World Trade Center site, it is impressive to consider that the years this book covers (mostly 2001-2004; the paperback has been updated to include events in 2005) may likely turn out to be but a prelude to the whole of the design process.
Libeskind may have won the master plan competition, but by the end of the book, his bold design had been subject to significant modification. Libeskind, depicted as maverick and avant-garde, would continue to see his role diminish and his scheme compromised by the competing visions that many stakeholders have in the site and some of the economic and political realities of building in such a highly visible place. The early life of Libeskind's design alone should serve to illustrate how much of Goldberger's great book is prefatory.
As expected, Goldberger cannot end his account satisfactorily insofar as the process has not been played out fully, and it may be years before it is. It is then no surprise that the epilogue is meandering, as the author tries, for the sake of his readers, to impose some kind of conclusion to the events and offer a reasonable explanation as to why something that should be guided by collaboration is instead being dictated by commerce. In the end, it is the visionaries, whether they are architects like Libeskind or planners, and the citizens of New York City who walk away as losers.
But nor does anyone emerge as a winner. Certainly not Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of the World Trade Center, who is painted as a greedy developer exerting considerable influence on the design process. His triumph may turn out to be 7 World Trade Center, his building adjacent to Ground Zero that was also destroyed on 9/11. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, it was completed a few months ago and has been well-received.
Golderberger's book reveals how democracy, bureaucracy, and powerful constituencies work in continuum at Ground Zero. And slowly but surely a picture of how it will look is emerging.
A true epic of a great contemporary city, New York. .......2006-07-25
What's so great about this book?
Is it because the book carefully analyzes
pros and cons on the history of the area?
Is it because the book brings alive the political
games of Port Authority and LMDC?
Is it because the book broadcasts the competition
of world-class architects?
Is it because the book records the behind scenes
of super architects' dirty cat fight?
Is it because the eye of the book is not only from
top-down, but also bottom-up?
Is it because the book tells what the role of developer is in NY?
Well, the book surely answers all of above-mentioned questions. But the real drama of the book is in what the New Yorkers did together to make this site memorable and meaningful (both symbolically and practically); a strong testimony to the victorious civic life against the destructive terrorists attacks.
Paul Goldberger bites that drama with such tenacity and rigor that it's really difficult to put down the book once in hands. The book actually mentions that NY had to wait several months before speaking of rebuilding because nobody dared to speak when the scars of terrorism was just around the corner. What a tragic yet promising story!
The heart of the matter is that in the turmoil of rebuilding energy arises a revelation how a great contemporary city -such as New York- claims it's identity. It's a city of ideas. It's a city of debates. It's a city of interactions, and it's a city of generating hope from the deepest despair of human affairs. "It's a city of Victors, not Victims"
I would like to believe that Goldberger, as a New Yorker, simply could not resist speaking of what he had witnessed. The book is mind bothering, yet, heart beating read.
Factual, informative, broad, and surprisingly objective.......2005-07-10
Who would have expected from Paul Goldberger to produce such a restraint in personal opinion and - instead - factual, informative, surprisingly objective, and detailed history of the Ground Zero's struggle to rebuild the WTC in NYC? It is a story involving distribution of billions of dollars by those having executive power (combined with exemption from NY City building code) giving the politicians ("Emperor" Pataki, the Director of LMDC Roland Betts - a close friend and business partner of President George W. Bush, ...) opportunities to establish arbitrary restrictions and allowances regardless of the cost and usefulness, to arbitrarily select the participants of design process regardless of their merit, ability, capacity, and a public interest, etc. They created (initiated and developed) opportunities for favored participants in the design process to gain from their political and not entirely appropriate, but self-serving decisions, which - at the end - bit them, after confronted by a reality check, which exposed their selfishness and ignorance.
Supplementing illustrations are in "Imagining Ground Zero" - ISBN: 0847826570.
Book Description
The events that took place on September 11, 2001, in New York City are the background for a series of essays exploring the response of different cities at different times to natural or man-made disaster. How have cities coped with cataclysmic change in the urban fabric both physically and psychologically? How have they memorialized what they have lost, and how have they imagined their future? What have been the effects, in both the short and long term, of these efforts to rebuild the city?
From the devastating earthquake that shook Lisbon in 1755 to the Great Chicago fire in 1871; from the bombing of Hiroshima to the destruction of Rotterdam and Plymouth during the second World War; from the cities and towns ravaged by the Bosnian War to the symbolism of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem—this book offers varying perspectives on how cities have responded to catastrophic disasters. Following these case studies is a history of destruction and rebuilding in Manhattan, and a reflection on the role of cities in sustaining democratic culture concludes the book. Contributors to this volume include leading urban theorists, architectural historians, cultural critics, architects, and a film-maker.
Customer Reviews:
revisión comparativa.......2004-09-11
Son pocos los esfuerzos editoriales por mostrar casos de proyectos de reconstrucción de ciudades a lo largo de la historia (de los cuales se cuentan infinidades) de una manera comparativa e intencionada para mostrar experiencias que puedan marcar un camino en estos episodios en la vida de tantas ciudades. La muestra seleccionada es buena; las descripciones de los procesos también. Quizás le falta ser más propositivo en los capítulos finales donde intenta dar unas conclusiones un tanto flojas.
Book Description
When we stand in downtown Manhattan in the future and look up and ask, 'Why?'-Why is it so strange, so rude, so striving, so right, so wrong?-we will have Sixteen Acres to give us the answers. Tracing the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site from graveyard to playground for high design, insurgent critic Philip Nobel strips away the hyperbole to reveal the secret life of the century's most charged building project. Providing a tally of deceptions and betrayals, a look at the meaning of events beyond the pieties of the moment, and a running bestiary of the main players-developers and bureaucrats, star architects and amateur fantasists, politicians and the well-spun press-Nobel's book bares the crucial moments as factions and institutions converge to create a noisy new culture at Ground Zero. Tragic and comic by turns, full of low dealings and high dud-geon, Sixteen Acres takes us behind the scenes at a site in search of its sanctity, exposing the reconstruction as the flawed product of a complicated city: driven by money, hamstrung by politics, burdened by the wounds it is somehow supposed to heal.
Customer Reviews:
"Architecture is the art of compromise''.......2006-02-05
`'Sixteen Acres. Architecture and the outrageous struggle for the future of Ground Zero'' by Philip Nobel.
`'Architecture is the art of compromise.''
Daniel Liebeskind
One of the top architecture critics , Philip Nobel takes the readers of his book on an amazing trip, deep into the world of `' the outrageous struggle'' among architects, politicians, developers and businessmen responsible for the rebuilding of Ground Zero in order to fill in the void that has been created at those sixteen acres. It has been an enriching and at the same time interesting experience to read it. This non- fictional account of what has been happening behind the scenes at Lower Manhattan among some crucial players in this game like Larry
Silverstein, Port Authority, the LMDC, Governor George Pataki and other politicians or members of families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy, in fact reads like an extraordinary novel. With his in- depth analysis and an incredibly realistic style of writing, his work can be easily understood not only by professionals but those who know nothing about architecture as well. The book artfully blends some historical information about architecture together with real dramatic life events and very often shocking, hair-rising gossip. As Liebeskind puts it, you need compromise in order to design and create new buildings, ones that will `' speak the unspeakable'' and fairly fill in the void, and at the same time satisfy everyone's needs and wishes. Can this actually be achieved in real life? With so many players involved it might turn out to be a pretty difficult task. Who is the winner and who looses? The book written by Nobel is a great eye-opener shedding new lights on this controversial issue of rebuilding Ground Zero.
To put the message across the author decided to divide the book into twelve chapters devoting extra space for prologue and epilogue. Starting with the description on Ground Zero, touches upon some architectural streams in the past. The plot is expanded with every chapter, rising climax in middle chapters speaking of the competition and actual struggle.
At first it seems almost incredible how by chance the star architects like Gehry or Koolhaans just happen to be in New York when the attack happens. Many designers make numerous trips to the site in order to understand, contemplate, explain, search for reasons and answers. Was the void indeed fixable? Or maybe it should remain intact. Questions were piling up. As Giedion puts it buildings are `' human landmarks which men have created as symbols for their ideals , their aims, and for their actions''. The commercial buildings of WTC represented so many ideals, standing symbolic and triumphant in the skyline of the city. `'Buildings bear silent witness to what we do'' Nobel suggests, they are our immortality on the earth and they are our landmarks. Now that they are torn down mankind looses witness to humanity. How can one rebuild those lost landmarks? The meaning is lost, now it was left to architects to find it back.
The competition for the new design was certainly a controversial and time consuming task. The author presents us with an in- depth report of what actually happened, all the intrigues and insurmountable questions being asked by a wide cast of characters involved. Money driven developers together with architects loose themselves in searching for meaning. With every single page flipped over the plot shifts its pace, competition gets more and more dramatic, most of all due to that convoluted bureaucratic processes. Finally at its peak Daniel Liebeskind appears with the answer, and his `' Memory Foundations'' win the contest. This Jewish immigrant from Poland happens to know the answer, which is freedom, democracy and independence. His soaring Freedom Tower is going to reach up till 1,777 feet high in order to make a connection with Declaration of Independence. At the end of his presentation he says: `'Life victorious!''. Soon after that he is chosen to be the master planner for the reconstruction of the site. Time will show that this will not be the end, but an offset for another struggle, this time with the powerful Port Authority and LMDC. Before the developers intrude and start influencing Libeskind` s vision, eventually forcing him to cooperate with David Childs, the milk is spilled and gossip enters the media. The media takes its part in it `' tarring the Liebeskinds as alien- worshipping cloners'' Just how far one can go with the intrigues of the century` s most decisive and charged building project. For some players it seemed that George Pataki was the final decision maker in the game. Many questions still remain unanswered. The author tells the story proper with minute details and indeed is meticulous in recording it. At times it almost reads like a soap opera.
In my opinion, what the book lacks is the images or pictures of the designs mentioned. That would help a lot to envision what was being said at times.
The final chapter of the book deals with another contest, this time for the memorial design, which eventually is won by Arad and his `' Reflecting Absence''. Libeskind` s vision is changed from the original one, money wins again, in the end, like all politics, the final decisions for the site were created by a compromise. Again I will quote the master planner: `'Architecture is the art of compromise''. To reach that is definitely difficult, `'to build Art with a capital A'' (Steve Cuozzo) is as well difficult those days, especially when politics and business gets involved in the process.
by Joanna Pszczola, Poland
A lip lock with reality.......2005-08-28
Sixteen Acres is a gripping read for any architect or citizen who hopes that a monumental building in this era can be transcendent. No where have I seen such a thorough accounting of the forces that come to bear on the form of a building. Sixteen Acres is the record of how the desire of the American people to find an expression for the loss they suffered-or the telling off they wished to do-was shaped by the many powerful forces that acted on the site: Governor Pataki's aspirations, the widows', the mayor's, the LMDC, the Port Authority, Larry Silverman's 99 year lease. The book is truly about the profession of "architecture and the outrageous struggle for the future of Ground Zero."
As Mr. Nobel says "...architecture remains the most prominent and most culturally engaged of all the arts. It is also the most contingent-an art that is neither high nor low, an art that gets to art only after locking lips with reality: satisfying a client, securing funds and permits and insurance, getting built." This book paints the lip lock in glowing detail. He has the wisdom to recognize that at the end of the day "...when the politicians line up to cut their ribbons, whatever [building] shades the dais that day will be at once stranger and more fitting than anything they had imagined when they set about to govern its birth. In a way it will be perfect."
For young architects and those who think design is about the power of their vision, this eye-opener will help them see that in addition to having their vision, they must also design the process; that is, they must so understand the interests of the various parties that they can target the area of the overlap. In that area, on any particular job, will be the perfect solution.
Inexplicable lack of illustrations a major flaw in this book.......2005-03-10
Several months ago I read the James Glanz and Eric Lipton book "City In The Sky: The Rise and Fall of The World Trade Center". That book, authored by a pair of New York Times reporters, chronicled the long history of the project from the germ of an idea at the 1939 World's Fair, to the design and planning of a project unlike any other in the history of mankind, to the cataclysmic events of September 11th, 2001. Since I enjoyed that book so much I was very excited when I came across "Sixteen Acres". It seemed to me the perfect sequel to "City In The Sky". Author Philip Nobel writes about architecture for the New York Times and set about the business of documenting the incredibly complicated and sometimes acrimonious process of redeveloping the World Trade Center site.
As one might well imagine, the job of designing a replacement for the WTC was an almost impossible task. There were pressures from so many stakeholders including the families of the victims, the politicians, the various bureaucracies, the tenants as well as from Larry Silverstein, who just six weeks before the attack, had signed a 99 year lease to operate the WTC. Then there was the epic struggle between the competing architects and their visions of what the real estate should look like when all was said and done.
I found that Nobel did a pretty fair job in describing the process and introducing the reader to the various players involved in this drama. But I also found that the author frequently seemed to forget that many readers have absolutely no training in design and architecture. While I thought I was getting the gist of what he was trying to convey, I often felt I was missing something in the translation. And that is why illustrations would have been so helpful. Had I been able to turn to refer to drawings of the proposals Nobel was discussing, I feel I could have gotten a great deal more from this book. It is really too bad and for this reason "Sixteen Acres" is not a book that I can enthusiastically recommend.
Book Description
Read the
Introduction.
Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Anthony Baez, Patrick Dorismond. New York City has been rocked in recent years by the fate of these four men at the hands of the police. But police brutality in New York City is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that refers not only to the hyperviolent response of white male police officers as in these cases, but to an entire set of practices that target homeless people, vendors, and sexual minorities.
The complexity of the problem requires a commensurate response, which
Zero Tolerance fulfills with a range of scholarship and activism. Offering perspectives from law and society, women's studies, urban and cultural studies, labor history, and the visual arts, the essays assembled here complement, and provide a counterpoint, to the work of police scholars on this subject.
Framed as both a response and a challenge to official claims that intensified law enforcement has produced New York City's declining crime rates,
Zero Tolerance instead posits a definition of police brutality more encompassing than the use of excessive physical force. Further, it develops the connections between the most visible and familiar forms of police brutality that have sparked a new era of grassroots community activism, and the day-to-day violence that accompanies the city's campaign to police the "quality of life."
Contributors include: Heather Barr, Paul G. Chevigny, Derrick Bell, Tanya Erzen, Dayo F. Gore, Amy S. Green, Paul Hoffman, Andrew Hsiao, Tamara Jones, Joo-Hyun Kang, Andrea McArdle, Bradley McCallum, Andrew Ross, Eric Tang, Jacqueline Tarry, Sasha Torres, and Jennifer R. Wynn.
Customer Reviews:
Uneven.......2001-11-24
This collection of essays is uneven in quality. Heather Barr's "Policing Madness: People with Mental Illness and the NYPD" is outstanding. It is well written, even-handed, and reflects the frustration of my own law enforcement experience. Most of the other essays are not so clearly written or reasoned. Taken as a whole, the book does not give a precise sense of where we should go when competing personal and social interests are taken into account. Since the concept of "Zero Tolerance" is such an idiotic and painful assault on what it is to be human, I was disappointed.
Timely thoughtful analysis.......2001-04-17
Zero Tolerance offers fresh and necessary perspective on the conflicts between the police, the community and administration policies in New York City. The book highlights the irrationalities inherent in Guiliani's Quality of Life campaign. The contributors' variety of disciplines made the book especially compelling. This is a great resource for civil rights legal practitioners as well as for the academic community.
Customer Reviews:
SPY Assassinates The Literary Brat Pack.......2000-07-13
The late great satirical magazine SPY took upon itself the duty of harassing those oh-so-fashionable novelists of the 1980's: Tama Janowitz, Bret Easton Ellis, and especially Jay McInerney (who got a cover story by his angry ex-wife.) This book is a parody of Cliff Notes and features SPY's trademark withering sarcasm. It's really quite nastily entertaining. Most of it was written by Paul Simms, who later went on to write and produce the marvelous sitcom "NewsRadio." (One of the authors mocked here at the beginning of his career is David Foster Wallace, who has gone on to reveal himself as a major talent.)
Spy at its finest.......2000-03-11
For anyone who had to read any of those dreadful 1980's "voice of his/her generation" books, and I find it hard to believe that anyone ever read any of them voluntarily, this sendup is a must. This sort of satire is what made the old Spy great.
Book Description
Ever since 9/11, no one has been more vocal or articulate about the fate of Ground Zero than architect and social critic Michael Sorkin. He has been writing furiously about the future of New York and lower Manhattan in the pages of The New York Times and books like After the World Trade Center. Throughout the long redevelopment process, he has been highly critical, especially toward the powers-that-be charged with rebuilding the devastated trade center site--the real estate and big commercial interests concerned primarily with maximizing rental and retail revenues are driving the process. This explains why all the plans have featured massive office towers, with some even higher than the old trade center itself. And this comes despite a massive overabundance of vacant office space in lower Manhattan.
In Starting From Zero, Sorkin develops his own vision of the future lower Manhattan. His transformed Ground Zero features a low rise, multi-use neighborhood that is heavily quilted with green space. Central to it is a globe-like memorial, with no rebuilt towers. New office space, he argues, should be decentralized to New York's outer boroughs, where so many office workers actually live. Following this path will help create a more equitable New York. Mixing his inimitable brand of social criticism with more personal reflections, Starting From Zero offers a striving challenge to the Ground Zero redevelopment plan recently chosen by New York's establishment insiders.
Book Description
This inspiring book brings together letters, poems, and artwork by children from New York City and across the country in response to the September 11th tragedy.
Average customer rating:
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Helping Hands: A City and a Nation Lend Their Support at Ground Zero (United We Stand.)
Marylou Morano Kjelle
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
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