Grand Central Winter: Stories from the StreetA New York Times Notable Book Whether Lee Stringer is describing "God's corner" as he calls 42nd Street, or his friend Suzy, a hooker and "past due tourist" whose infant child he sometimes babysits, whether he is recounting his experiences at Street News, where he began hawking the newspaper for a living wage, then wrote articles, and served for a time as muckraking senior editor, whether it is his adventures in New York's infamous Tombs jail, or performing community service, or sleeping in the tunnels below Grand Central Station by night and collecting cans by day, this is a book rich with small acts of kindness, humor and even heroism alongside the expected violence and desperation of life on the street. There is always room, Stringer writes, "amid the costume" jewel glitter...for one more diamond in the rough." Two events rise over Grand Central Winter like sentinels: Stringer's discovery of crack cocaine and his catching the writing bug. Between these two very different yet oddly similar activities, Lee's life unwound itself, during the 1980s, and took the shape of an odyssey, an epic struggle to find meaning and happiness in arid times. He eventually beat the first addiction with help from a treatment program. The second addiction, writing, has hold of him still. Among the many accomplishments of this book is that Stringer is able to convey something of the vitality and complexity of a down—and—out life. The reader walks away from it humming its melody, one that is more wise than despairing, less about the shame we feel when confronted with a picture of those less fortunate, and more about the joy we feel when we experience our shared humanity. |
Contents
What happened was I was | 13 |
When I was out there | 19 |
The Streets of New York City 1985 | 35 |
Grand Central Terminal Winter 1985 1230 am | 43 |
Grand Central Terminal Winter 1989 | 51 |
West Fortysixth Street Winter 1989 | 63 |
In New York City there are three | 69 |
Hells Kitchen Fall 1994 | 91 |
I was having a real | 147 |
I was smoked out tapped out | 157 |
Its time for my nightly | 181 |
Sure life on the street | 193 |
Dear Honey | 203 |
Manhattan has only two | 215 |
His name is Marvin | 229 |
If at the time of this | 235 |
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Common terms and phrases
addict arrest Barbara Blimpie's block Blue buck buzz cash child Church comes cops crack Craig Dear Homey dollars door drug druggies Emerald eyes face fact feel front Geraldo give Grand Central Grand Central Terminal grin hand head Hell's Kitchen homeless hustle inside Ischi issue Jeffrey Rose Jersey Jimmy the Greek Joe Klein keep Kurt Vonnegut later Lee Stringer less living look lunch Metro North midtown minutes never night Ninth Avenue once papers peer pissed pocket police ramp Richard says seems shelter shit side sitting sleep smoke standing story stuff subway sure Suzi Suzi's tell there's thing thought told Tom Cruise turn Upper West Side Valentine vendors waiting Waldorf walk wants to know Wayne wonder write York City Zagat