Book Discussion: Paradise Alley & New York City Walking Tour

The Book!!

Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker
Synopsis

In his second New York novel (after Dreamland), Baker takes a grisly event-the 1863 Civil War draft riots-and crafts a terrifying, human story bursting with all the calamity, brutality and power of the riots themselves, which may have been the worst civic disturbance in U.S. history. Baker, an American Heritage writer, bases his work largely on historic events-Lincoln's announcement of the draft law did in fact propel thousands of New Yorkers, mainly Irish, to burn and loot the city and murder hundreds of innocents. The book follows the difficult lives of Ruth, Deirdre and Maddy, three women living on Paradise Alley, a dingy Lower East Side passageway, during the five days of riots. Each chapter alternates among many voices, however; in addition to the women, Baker speaks through a New York Tribune reporter, an escaped slave, an immigrant boxer turned criminal, an army private, a volunteer fireman and other characters. The formula works brilliantly, giving Baker the opportunity to flash back to Ruth's survival of the Irish potato famine; the voyage she and so many Irish made from their ravaged country to America; and her future husband's journey from slavery in Charleston, S.C., to freedom in New Jersey. The combination of momentous events, tellingly real aspects of lower-class 19th-century life, and raw emotions like fear and pride make this a viscerally affecting story. . Baker intertwines love, violence, history, adventure and social commentary to give readers an invigorating, heartbreaking tale of the immigrant experience.

The New York City Walking Tour!!

The "Official" Gangs of New York Tour

A tour exploring the legends and lore of the Five Points neighborhood and Herbert Asbury's 1927 classic The Gangs of New York ? the inspiration for the major motion picture directed by Martin Scorsese. Stops could include: Paradise Square, Murderers Alley, and sites associated with Bill The Butcher Poole, William M. Tweed, Master Juba, and the 1857 Police and 1863 Draft Riots.

Meet: the southeast corner of Broadway & Chambers Street, at City Hall Park. Trains: 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge, 1/2/3/9/A/C/E to Chambers Street, R/W to City Hall.
http://www.mapquest.c...

Public Walks
Adults $15
Seniors (over 63) and Full-Time Students $12
New York Historical discount is now $3 off of adult prices.

www.bigonion.com

Tour Information:

The majority of our walking tours do not require reservations. Please feel free just to show up and join us.

All tours begin on time. Tours last approximately two hours and cover between one and two miles at a moderate walking pace

Please look for a guide holding a sign that reads "Big Onion Walking Tours" at the meeting site.