We Used to Own the Bronx: Memoirs of a Former Debutante

It is a very revealing book about someone who is born into privilege and how they think. It all goes back to their ancestors who are raised by nannies and servants and that they rarely see their own parents except for being presented at tea time, etc. The parents really don't want them to work but be very competitive at sports and go to many parties all the time. I know the author as a "runner" and since her "awakening" into the middle class world and always believed her to be one of us. It was so interesting to read her story about her background and how she changed her views.

Most of us of will never see inside the world into which Eve Pell was born, as described elsewhere in these reviews. The story of her gradual personal evolution from a privileged upbringing among three of the wealthiest enclaves in America through radical journalist to suburban housewife sounds like a film script (note to Ed Pressman: sign up Jane Fonda now!), but few could write this better. This is a primarily a story about relationships and the realities of life for women of Eve's generation (born just before World War II) with the added complexity of the effects, both positive and negative, of her family's wealth and social position. You cannot help but have great empathy for someone who is so honest about herself, sharing her most intimate experiences, aspirations, fears and feelings. Her struggle to assert her independence coincided with '60s radicalism; her insulated background seemed to have left her naive regarding the motives of those she became involved with during her personal transition. She paid a price, but seems to have found strength in living independently at last. Winning the Dipsea race (if you are unfamiliar with it, you might Google it) certainly gives credibility to her personal strength and tenacity. She tells the story so well that the book is very difficult book to put down. Highly recommended.

It is said that if you want the emotional truth of an era, read a novel, not a history book. In this day and time, a great memoir is a combination the two. In Eve Pell's "We Used to Own the Bronx: Memoirs of a Former Debutante," there is deep emotional truth that shatters the myths of the frivolous fifties, as well as the radical idealism of the sixties. An award-winning journalist, Pell is an intelligent, insightful, and courageous woman who fought hard for reality in the world around her and in her personal life. We, as readers, are lucky she was willing to share her journey.

We used to be neighbors, but I've only met Eve Pell a few times. After reading her `We Used to Own the Bronx' I feel that I've know her for ever. Her story is illuminating exposé of one of the most prominent early families in the country: wealthy as Croesus, but with all that privilege there was an unhealthy dose of tension. Eve takes us on her compelling journey from a life of servants and horses to elite schools to life as a socialite to radical activist and award winning journalist. Along the way, she found time to become a first-rate, long-distance runner. We get `skinny' on the Edwardian era leisure class with its obscure rules and prejudices that tend to insulate them from the real World but which can backfire causing angst, divorce, alcoholism and suicide. Couldn't put it down...

.....I stayed up late into the night to finish Ms. Pells book. I absolutley love the way she writes! She drew me into a world I'd never been, took me to places I'd never seen and then made me think, as a great writer does, about what I'd just read. Clearly, incredibly researched, Ms. Pells book is smartly written...and with clarity and wit, she's able to put her dymanic upbringing into perspective for the reader and for herself and then take us on a 'trip' through the '60's and her coming out as a young, brave and talented journalist. I could read anything that she writes!