By Holly Stuart Hughes
The Brooklynites
Seth Kushner and Anthony Lasala
Foreword by Terence Winter
160 pages/206 duotone photographs/$35
powerHouse Books
If Brooklyn were a city unto itself, instead of a borough of New
York City, it would be the fourth most populous city in the U.S.
This book aims to capture the spirit of this colorful and diverse
world through portraits and interviews with its residents, past and
present, famous (like writers Paul Auster, Paula Fox and Jonathan
Safran Foer, actors Rosie Perez, John Turturro and Steve Buscemi)
and less well known, including artists, musicians, pizza makers,
handball players, a sword swallower, moms and dads and more. It's
no slight to Seth Kushner's luminous environmental portraits to say
that this book is as much fun to read as it is to look at. (The
text is written by Anthony LaSala, senior editor at Photo District
News.) The subjects muse about why they love their neighborhood,
but also provide insights into patterns of immigration and
assimilation, gentrification, the transformation of New York's
industrial base, where to get great food and what makes a
Brooklynite a little different. As one subject puts it, "There are
two and a half million people out there with a crusty exterior and
gooey center."
The Brooklynites
Dec 2, 2007
By Holly Stuart Hughes
The Brooklynites
Seth Kushner and Anthony Lasala
Foreword by Terence Winter
160 pages/206 duotone photographs/$35
powerHouse Books
If Brooklyn were a city unto itself, instead of a borough of New York City, it would be the fourth most populous city in the U.S. This book aims to capture the spirit of this colorful and diverse world through portraits and interviews with its residents, past and present, famous (like writers Paul Auster, Paula Fox and Jonathan Safran Foer, actors Rosie Perez, John Turturro and Steve Buscemi) and less well known, including artists, musicians, pizza makers, handball players, a sword swallower, moms and dads and more. It's no slight to Seth Kushner's luminous environmental portraits to say that this book is as much fun to read as it is to look at. (The text is written by Anthony LaSala, senior editor at Photo District News.) The subjects muse about why they love their neighborhood, but also provide insights into patterns of immigration and assimilation, gentrification, the transformation of New York's industrial base, where to get great food and what makes a Brooklynite a little different. As one subject puts it, "There are two and a half million people out there with a crusty exterior and gooey center."
