Winner of the Association of New York Public Historians 2023 Excellence in Local History Award
Winner of the American Legacy Book Award 2024 for United States History
Winner of the NYC Big Book Award 2024 for Regional-Nonfiction
Winner of the IAN Book of the Year Award 2024 for Outstanding Non-Fiction: History
The Van Wyck, the Major Deegan, the Jackie Robinson, the Hutch, the Merritt, FDR Drive, or the Henry Hudson...you might drive them regularly, without really noticing that those road names are, well, names. But, who were these people?
New York's many roads, bridges, tunnels, neighborhoods and institutions bear the names of a diverse cast of characters. The Kosciuszko Bridge honors Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish American Revolutionary War hero and fervent abolitionist. The Outerbridge Crossing, named after the Port Authority's first chairman, Eugenius Outerbridge, is called a crossing because Outerbridge Bridge sounded absurd. Shirley Chisholm State Park celebrates the first Black woman elected to Congress, the larger-than-life Shirley Chisholm. Clifford Holland originally designed his tunnel under the Hudson River to accommodate horse carts. These place names embody the rich history of the city that never sleeps, yet few know their true stories. Author Rebecca Bratspies uncovers the vibrant personalities behind the names that have become New York's urban shorthand for traffic jams, culture and recreation.
Details
Pages: 208
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Imprint: The History Press
Publication Date: 23rd January 2023
State: New York
ISBN: 9781467151405
Format: Paperback
BISACs: HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA) HISTORY / Historical Geography ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Landmarks & Monuments BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical
Reviews
In the rush of daily life, we tend to traverse our communities with little awareness of the visions, struggles and travails of those who shaped vital structures or whose lives are memorialized in their names. For the world’s greatest metropolis, Rebecca Bratspies has helped fill that awareness gap by crafting an illuminating guide to the people behind New York City’s transportation, recreational and institutional landmarks. -Andrew Revkin, journalist and co-author with George Steinmetz of The Human Planet: Earth at the Dawn of the Anthropocene
Rebecca Bratspies’ Naming Gotham” presents a sometimes dishy, sometimes disturbing, always fascinating look at the lives of the men and women whose names grace New York City’s neighborhoods, roads, bridges, stadiums and monuments. In telling these individual stories she illuminates the history of the city itself, a place shaped by privateers and slave traders, indigenous sachems (chiefs) and farmers, social reformers, socialites, furriers, lawyers, athletes, and others, all of whom lived lives that were big enough to leave a permanent mark on the Big Apple. This deeply researched but never dry or academic look at NYC will delight both visitors and New Yorkers alike, and give them a lot to think about as they walk, ride and drive around the city. -Pauline Frommer, author Frommer’s New York City Day by Day and Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City
I could not stop reading this book. -Christine B. Harrington, NYU Professor of Politics
As we play in the parks or drive down the highways, as we travel the bridges or live in the neighborhoods, the names of our favorite spots become part of our everyday language - but we never stop to think about them. In “Naming Gotham,” Rebecca Bratspies brings those names - and the people behind them - to life. In a dynamic and lively way, Bratspies beautifully captures the personalities and history behind the amazing landmarks and places we call home. And after reading Bratspies’ well-researched, wonderfully-told tale, and learning the good, bad and ugly within each story, we’ll likely never look at New York City the same way again. - Randi Marshall, Queens mom and writer
A compelling narrative about individuals whose varied legacies go far beyond the individual places that bear their names to shape, and even haunt, the city we live in today. -Emily Sohmer Tai, CUNY Academy Book Talk series
Author Bio
Rebecca Bratspies is a longtime resident of Astoria, Queens. She is a professor at CUNY School of Law. A scholar of environmental justice and human rights, Rebecca has written scores of law review articles; four other books, including Environmental Justice: Law Policy and Regulation; and three environmental justice comic books: Mayah's Lot, Bina’s Plant and Troop's Run (with Charlie LaGreca-Velasco). She serves on NYC's Environmental Justice Advisory Board and EPA's Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, is a scholar with the Center for Progressive Reform and is a member of the NYC Bar Environmental Committee. ABA-SEER honored her work with its Commitment to Diversity and Justice Award.
Winner of the Association of New York Public Historians 2023 Excellence in Local History Award
Winner of the American Legacy Book Award 2024 for United States History
Winner of the NYC Big Book Award 2024 for Regional-Nonfiction
Winner of the IAN Book of the Year Award 2024 for Outstanding Non-Fiction: History
The Van Wyck, the Major Deegan, the Jackie Robinson, the Hutch, the Merritt, FDR Drive, or the Henry Hudson...you might drive them regularly, without really noticing that those road names are, well, names. But, who were these people?
New York's many roads, bridges, tunnels, neighborhoods and institutions bear the names of a diverse cast of characters. The Kosciuszko Bridge honors Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish American Revolutionary War hero and fervent abolitionist. The Outerbridge Crossing, named after the Port Authority's first chairman, Eugenius Outerbridge, is called a crossing because Outerbridge Bridge sounded absurd. Shirley Chisholm State Park celebrates the first Black woman elected to Congress, the larger-than-life Shirley Chisholm. Clifford Holland originally designed his tunnel under the Hudson River to accommodate horse carts. These place names embody the rich history of the city that never sleeps, yet few know their true stories. Author Rebecca Bratspies uncovers the vibrant personalities behind the names that have become New York's urban shorthand for traffic jams, culture and recreation.
Pages: 208
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Imprint: The History Press
Publication Date: 23rd January 2023
State: New York
ISBN: 9781467151405
Format: Paperback
BISACs: HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA) HISTORY / Historical Geography ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Landmarks & Monuments BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical
In the rush of daily life, we tend to traverse our communities with little awareness of the visions, struggles and travails of those who shaped vital structures or whose lives are memorialized in their names. For the world’s greatest metropolis, Rebecca Bratspies has helped fill that awareness gap by crafting an illuminating guide to the people behind New York City’s transportation, recreational and institutional landmarks. -Andrew Revkin, journalist and co-author with George Steinmetz of The Human Planet: Earth at the Dawn of the Anthropocene
Rebecca Bratspies’ Naming Gotham” presents a sometimes dishy, sometimes disturbing, always fascinating look at the lives of the men and women whose names grace New York City’s neighborhoods, roads, bridges, stadiums and monuments. In telling these individual stories she illuminates the history of the city itself, a place shaped by privateers and slave traders, indigenous sachems (chiefs) and farmers, social reformers, socialites, furriers, lawyers, athletes, and others, all of whom lived lives that were big enough to leave a permanent mark on the Big Apple. This deeply researched but never dry or academic look at NYC will delight both visitors and New Yorkers alike, and give them a lot to think about as they walk, ride and drive around the city. -Pauline Frommer, author Frommer’s New York City Day by Day and Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City
I could not stop reading this book. -Christine B. Harrington, NYU Professor of Politics
As we play in the parks or drive down the highways, as we travel the bridges or live in the neighborhoods, the names of our favorite spots become part of our everyday language - but we never stop to think about them. In “Naming Gotham,” Rebecca Bratspies brings those names - and the people behind them - to life. In a dynamic and lively way, Bratspies beautifully captures the personalities and history behind the amazing landmarks and places we call home. And after reading Bratspies’ well-researched, wonderfully-told tale, and learning the good, bad and ugly within each story, we’ll likely never look at New York City the same way again. - Randi Marshall, Queens mom and writer
A compelling narrative about individuals whose varied legacies go far beyond the individual places that bear their names to shape, and even haunt, the city we live in today. -Emily Sohmer Tai, CUNY Academy Book Talk series
Rebecca Bratspies is a longtime resident of Astoria, Queens. She is a professor at CUNY School of Law. A scholar of environmental justice and human rights, Rebecca has written scores of law review articles; four other books, including Environmental Justice: Law Policy and Regulation; and three environmental justice comic books: Mayah's Lot, Bina’s Plant and Troop's Run (with Charlie LaGreca-Velasco). She serves on NYC's Environmental Justice Advisory Board and EPA's Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, is a scholar with the Center for Progressive Reform and is a member of the NYC Bar Environmental Committee. ABA-SEER honored her work with its Commitment to Diversity and Justice Award.
