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A review by ztaylor4
Feral City: On Finding Liberation in Lockdown New York by Jeremiah Moss
4.0
I'm disturbed by the changes in New York that Jeremiah Moss has previously described in [b:Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul|32600748|Vanishing New York How a Great City Lost Its Soul|Jeremiah Moss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494452004l/32600748._SY75_.jpg|53181451] (which I enjoyed more than Feral City). I also enjoyed stayed in NY through the pandemic, and enjoyed some of the freedom and changes to the East Village that Moss described here--of course appreciating the danger and disaster coming to many. This book was strongest to me as a chronicle and reminder of those times. I also found the story relatable as protests kicked off and the author got more involved.
I think a better balance for our return to "normalcy" would have been between what we got and what Jeremiah Moss wanted. We couldn't stay like we were in the pandemic, but that we fully returned was a missed opportunity for change. By pulling so hard towards the wildness of the pandemic, I think Moss might have missed the opportunity for synthesis that was needed because of the strength of nostalgia invoked by the pandemic times.
Starting off strong, falling into danger, going wild, going a bit too far, and coming back around--this describes the arc of this book and much of the pandemic experience. Even if I don't agree with every point that Moss makes, I appreciate what he is rooting for, and I'm especially glad to have records like this of a bizarre and possibly unique time in New York history.
I think a better balance for our return to "normalcy" would have been between what we got and what Jeremiah Moss wanted. We couldn't stay like we were in the pandemic, but that we fully returned was a missed opportunity for change. By pulling so hard towards the wildness of the pandemic, I think Moss might have missed the opportunity for synthesis that was needed because of the strength of nostalgia invoked by the pandemic times.
Starting off strong, falling into danger, going wild, going a bit too far, and coming back around--this describes the arc of this book and much of the pandemic experience. Even if I don't agree with every point that Moss makes, I appreciate what he is rooting for, and I'm especially glad to have records like this of a bizarre and possibly unique time in New York history.