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★★★★★ 3
New York Burning
Format: Paperback
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This is an important book that explores in depth what is usually only found in textbooks as a one-sentence summation:
"In 1741 there was a slave uprising in New York City."
Scholars will probably be happier starting with the Appendix and bibliography and then reading the book. The text is disorganized and uneven, and although this is non-fiction, the characters could have been more finely drawn. Peter Zenger's trail keeps popping up in unexpected places, often disconnected from the action the author is working on. Some sections are heavy on primary documents and period writings, others are more poetic.
Yes, I do understand the parallels with the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials get more press today because of Arthur Miller's "Crucible." Color and religion of the participants aside, both events are stories of group think and mass hysteria, fear and anger. There is plenty of room here for a first-class film or play to be written.
Read this book, learn from it. Expect to complain about it.
Kim Burdick
Stanton, DE
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Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2014
