Before and After: Stories from New York

In this excellent collection of New York stories, Bryan Charles's is the standout by far. He describes how a mundane morning at work turned into a nightmare. If you want to know what it was like to be there, this is the story to read. The account of his escape from the Towers will make your heart pound. As time passes and this event takes on even greater historical importance, accademics and general readers alike will look to this story as the primary account of what happened in New York on 9/11.

This is a book that shouldn't be missed. These stories are original, funny, smart, lovely, heartbreaking and real. Way to go, Thomas Beller. It's good to see editors who go out of their way to pay attention to the voices of their generation.

I got this book as a gift and wasn't expecting much from it-I actually thought the whole idea was a bit distasteful. The notion of anyone profiting from Sept. 11th, whether by money or publicity, was abhorrent to me. I have to admit, though, that I couldn't put the thing down! There are some gems in this collection, many from writers I've never heard of but will certainly be looking out for in the future. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this book turns out to be a collector's item in 20 years when some of the younger writers have made some headway onto the literary map (there are already some big names in here like Jeanette Winterson and Phillip Lopate). If you don't have the time or the patience to read the whole book (there are about 60 stories in all), I'd suggest at least reading these (I'm referring to my dog-eared personal favorites): In the Before section, stories by:-Leelila Strogov-Jim Merlis-Maura Kelly-Snooder Greenberg-Luc Sante-Michael Cunningham-Thomas Beller-Josh Kramer-Sabin Streeter-Josh Gilbert In the After section, stories by:-Debra Fontaine-Charles Waters-Bryan Charles-Sam Lipsyte-Elizabeth Grove-Amy Brill-Vince Passaro-Dorothy Spears-Joseph Lieber All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in important, moving, funny, and of course also very sad NY stories, as well as a cross-section of some very fine writing.

I may not be the most objective reader in the world as I have lived in New York for the last 8 years and saw the World Trade Centers on fire myself as I was being evacuated out of downtown Manhattan. But I found this book to be incredibly moving.I was mainly interested in reading the 9/11/01 accounts and wasn't even sure if I would be interested in the "Before" section. But I was pleasantly surprised. The stories are a collection of everything from the humorous to the bittersweet to the ugly. The wide variety of characters span from every walk of New York life. Some people I felt could have been written by my best friends in New York. Some stories I could relate to through my own experiences.The "After" section was grippingly real and heartbreaking. There is one story of a man who survived escaping from the Twin Towers, which is so detailed that I felt as if I was reliving the day as I read it, tears coming to my eyes. This section is also varied, getting different perspectives on what happened and how to deal with the aftermath. I work four blocks away from Ground Zero. There is rarely a day when 9/11 does not come into my thoughts. It is a comfort to read these stories and know that New Yorkers are all suffering in their own ways.

This is a book that should be read if you are interested in people. This is a book not so much about a city, but about the diverse people who make up the city. The stories are drawn largely from Tom Beller's excellent literary website, Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. Some of the stories are by professional writers, others are not. So naturally the writing styles and quality differ from story to story. Over all, the qualty is very good indeed.The book is divided into two parts, part one has stories written before 9/11. The stories here are from people who are proud to live in and be a part of the city. The people who write and appear in these stories are not the cold unfeeling people that New Yorkers supposedly are. They are very warm, flesh and blood people, all too human, even in their occasional flashes of arrogance.The second part is made up of stories that take place on 9/11 and after. The stories reflect people who are hurting, who have witnessed horrible things, who are trying to cope and understand what has happened to them and their city. But these people are still proud to be New Yorkers, even in the depth of their agony. This is a small book, but the stories in it are great indeed.