"Frazier loves the idea of uncovering what people might not clearly see--might not even be looking for--and connecting it to the present day . . . Though it's as fundamentally foolish as declaring a Great American Novelist, if forced to pick a Great American Nonfiction Writer, I might choose Ian Frazier, because his work has always resolutely quested to explore, experience, and explain his nation." --Dan Kois, Slate

"Ancient Rome had its Livy, and now the Bronx has its epic chronicler in Ian Frazier . . . a compelling chronicle of the Bronx, all the more effective for its clear-eyed take on a subject so often drenched in sentimentality
or distaste." --Edward Kosner, The Wall Street Journal

"A profound portrait of this storied place . . . Vivid profiles of historical figures . . . The culmination of many years of passionate inquiry, Frazier's deep history--grandly detailed, vibrant, and caring--does right by the resilient, ever-morphing Bronx." --Booklist (starred review)

"[An] appreciation of a unique area that will appeal to those who have had enough tales of Manhattan." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Having grown up in the Bronx, and having always thought of the borough as a series of interchangeable immigrant neighborhoods, this book comes as a marvelously encyclopedic surprise, full of historical dazzle and cultural richness. An absolute pleasure to read!" --Vivian Gornick, author of Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader

"Once known as the Jewish Borough, the Bronx is the real New York. Resilient, diverse, tolerant, brash, ethnic, competitive, and ambitious, it seemed to have everything, not just the Yankees and the Bronx Zoo, but Parkchester, City Island, the real Little Italy, Orchard Beach, Loehmann's, the Loews Paradise, Krum's and Jahn's ice cream parlors, and the largest produce market in the western hemisphere. Readers may not agree with all of Ian Frazier's many judgments, but they will enjoy the tales and the anecdotes. If you ever lived in the Bronx, you can't miss this entertaining and informative book which brings us up to the present." --Kenneth T. Jackson, editor-in-chief, The Encyclopedia of New York City, and president emeritus of the New-York Historical Society.