Book Review: William Langewiesche’s “American Ground”

Journalist William Langewiesche’s 2002 American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center is a unique piece of 9/11 literature. Soon after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Langewiesche secured unrestricted access to the scene and proceeded to cover it extensively until the recovery and clean-up process was complete in May, 2002. …

Book Review: Michael Sorkin’s “Twenty Minutes in Manhattan”

Twenty Minutes in Manhattan is a book by Michael Sorkin, an architect and author whose other work includes the funny and insightful All Over the Map. Structured around the author's walk through Greenwich Village from his apartment to his office - the titular twenty minutes - it would seem at first glance to be a …

Book Review: Michael Sorkin’s “All Over the Map”

Architectural critic Michael Sorkin's All Over the Map: Writing on Buildings and Cities is a collection of writings from the period 2000-2010. Most of the pieces have appeared in print elsewhere earlier, particularly in the Architectural Record. But for those of us who do not subscribe to that publication, this Verso edition is not far short …