Mole People

I'm reading a new book... Mole People, by Jennifer Toth, per the suggestion of my dear friend Rachel. It's most certainly an interesting read, outlining life in the tunnels below New York City. Since living here for a few years now, the stories hit home. The author acknowledges places like "48th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues... Trains enter the city from New Jersey..." where "houseless" people gain access to their homes. Yes, indeed, this is my neighborhood.  Many of the stories are frightful, as the author interviewed real people who are really living under the city, in areas like Grand Central, Penn Station, and Port Authority.

(photo via wordpress.com) 

Perhaps what is most interesting for me, is that people living under the city have developed families, communities, lives. Many people maintain a certain lifestyle by themselves, but many of them choose to stay social. They have beds, televisions, refrigerators. It's intense. According to the reports outlined in the book, the life expectancy is much lower, but people do survive underground, and choose this lifestyle over the hectic world above.

Let me tell you, busting out this book while sitting on the subway... I get plenty of interesting looks from my fellow car-riders. I'm not finished just yet, but I'm getting close. Need a read that will keep your attention? Pick this up.