The Heart of the World

Everybody has a sad story, and it seems like Nik Cohn went and found them all. This book does the unique...it puts a name and a story with each of those faces you see on your way to work. There's Sasha Zim...who in a few statements sums up the feeling of the book...New York is a hellpit, but it's my hellpit. Not a happy book in the traditional sense, going into it with the wrong mindframe might leave you in a somewhat sour mood. At times dour, at times saddening, at times depressing--you know that these are real people. Cohn brings out the best in these people. Combined with an awesome ability to paint an image, Cohn characterizes each person to the point that they couldn't have told the story better themselves. The characterizations, though, are at times a little too perfect...mostly good, I did roll my eyes a couple of times. Cohn packs as much meaning into a phrase as is humanly possible. I've not read a person who can turn a phrase like Mr. Cohn. However, it is NOT a quick read. Set aside a long period of time...read it in little bits and digest it. The scope of the tale, like its subject, is just too broad to consume in one sitting.