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“Four Streets and a Square”

From a Sibert Medalist comes the epic story of Manhattan—a magical, maddening island “for all” and a microcosm of America.

A veteran nonfiction storyteller dives deep into the four-hundred-year history of Manhattan to map the island’s unexpected intersections. Focusing on the evolution of four streets and a square (Wall Street, 42nd Street, West 4th Street, 125th Street, and Union Square) Marc Aronson explores how new ideas and forms of art evolved from social blending. Centuries of conflict—among original Americans and Europeans, slavers and the enslaved, rich and poor, immigrants and native-born—produced segregation, oppression, and violence, but also new ways of speaking, singing, and being American. From the Harlem Renaissance to Hammerstein, from gay pride in the Village to political clashes at Tammany Hall, this clear-eyed pageant of the island’s joys and struggles—enhanced with photos and drawings, multimedia links to music and film, and an extensive bibliography and source notes—is, above all, a love song to Manhattan’s triumphs.

Advance Acclaim for Four Streets and a Square

“This beautifully written book eloquently gives voice to the myriad people who built New York into the singular city it is today. A profound declaration of love for the city of New York.”

Kirkus Best YA Book of 2021

“A well-organized and impeccably researched nonfiction book about the history of New York City from the 1600s to present. From Alexander Hamilton to 42nd Street, from the Lenape to the immigrant communities that made the city what it is, famous people, places, and events abound in this encapsulation of the city. More than just a geographical location, this is an exploration of the culture, people, and events that make New York City a fascinating and iconic place. Aronson’s text is interspersed with photos, illustrations, and multimedia links to his website that give readers an immersive and thorough experience. The author includes a bibliography, a description on how the book is organized, a section on the terminology that is used, why he used specific terms, and detailed source notes that are helpfully limned by chapter. While the book may be lengthy for some middle school students, it will keep readers’ attention with its cohesiveness and strong voice. A great choice for research or for those who can’t get enough of the Big Apple. VERDICT A must-have for middle and high school libraries.”

School Library Journal

“In this insightful book, Marc Aronson invites a new generation of readers to explore the island where New York City was born. Imaginatively conceived, vividly written, and creatively illustrated, Four Streets and a Square is a rewarding read.”

Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian
Professor emeritus, Rutgers University-Newark

“Marc Aronson has written a delightful history of New York City. Four Streets and a Square is a tribute to the city he loves, but one honest enough not to shy away from its conflicts and challenges over the years. Insightful, provocative, and fascinating, this is a read full of fresh discoveries no matter how much you may already think you know about New York.”

Kevin Baker, author of The Fall of a Great American City, New York and the Urban Crisis of Affluence.

Inside Glimpse and Multimedia Links

**Note, some of the following links include advertisements. None of these commercials and/or associated products and/or services are recommendations of Marc Aronson**

These links will take readers to sites created or curated by other scholars, institutions, or history buffs which allow explorations beyond what I say in the text. They are not reference citations but rather offer an opportunity for new experiences. I listed those I visited and found valuable – there are a great many more to be found. Readers should treat these as examples of the wealth of resources on Manhattan history others have curated and created – some key hosts are discussed at the end.

The links below follow the flow of the book. You see Section titles (such as How This Books is Organized and Creating the City) then chapter titles (such as Manna-hata and Wall). Click on a chapter title and you will see every page within that chapter which has associated media, along with a caption.

How This Book Is Organized

Tito Puente’s version of 110th and 5th:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t7aZbpBg2M (Tito Puente)

Creating the City

 10 NYC Decade by Decade can be used to supplement the Snapshots from this period on

Building the City

 87 NY Decade by Decade

https://bigapple.typepad.com/my_weblog/nyc–decade-by-decade/

The City Electric

 175 NY Decade by Decade

https://bigapple.typepad.com/my_weblog/nyc–decade-by-decade/

Difference

The City Suffers

 254 NY Decade by Decade

https://bigapple.typepad.com/my_weblog/nyc–decade-by-decade/

World City, Fractured City, World City

Author’s Note

 379 For the song as performed in the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_cBhdRQgFI