DOC Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga by Frederik L. Schodt in Arts-Photography

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Good Historical Technical ReadBy Scotch LoverThis book really went in depth into the people behind the creation of the WTC; and how certain decisions affected the structures and the people who worked in them. The chapter on the actual plane crashes was very difficult to read; like revisiting the horror. This book does a very good job of making you understand the circumstances that led to structural failure.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Wait for the PaperbackBy Mcgivern Owen L"City in the Sky" is a well- researched; well -documented account of the site acquisition; construction; and eventual collapse of the New York World Trade Center. (There are other WTCs). It is immediately obvious that the authors have conducted extensive interviews and research. Full disclosure: This reviewer worked at the facility for 24 years for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Most of the anecdotes retold in CIS are just as I originally heard them years ago. (With some exceptions: On Austin Tobins first trip on the newly acquired Hudson and Manhattan Railroad; the sleeping drunk supposedly woke up long enough to bid the Executive Director "good evening" before passing out again. Also; some of the PA titles are inaccurate; though not wrong. There was one obvious leg-pull about a "mailroom worker".) CIS in really 3 stories in one: The first is the strongest: That tale encompasses the struggle to condemn the surrounding real estate; overcome local opposition and secure Governmental cooperation for the project. Those who enjoyed such works as Robert Caros "The Power Broker" will be in their element here. The second is concerned with the actual construction of the 2 towers and satellite buildings. The authors manage to include just enough technical details to tell the story without allowing this section of CIS to become too technical. The final part deals with that tragic day we now call 9/11. This reviewer does not wish to minimize that awful event but this tale has been told better; or as well; elsewhere. One assumes its inclusion was virtually mandatory in a 400+ page work on the Trade Center but it emerges; perhaps strangely; as the weakest section of CIS. This reviewer hopes he was mistaken when he read that some of the victims who jumped to their deaths were in fact pushed by co-workers needing window space. A major difficulty with the text is that the authors appear too inclined to blame the Port Authority for inadequate fireproofing of the towers. This may-or may NOT! -be so but this serious charge is not substantiated here. Furthermore the PA executive most of the allegations are heaped upon has been dead for some 20 years and is hardly in a position to defend himself. CIS strength is the relating of the struggles to build the Towers in the light of another era. Those were the days of Radio Row; a vastly different New York City; the maximum power of the Rockefeller Family and what those a bit older that this reviewer fondly remember as the "good old days" at Mother PONYA. CIS is entirely worthwhile but far from urgent reading. ers may wish to wait for the more moderate prices of a paperback edition. That event would warrant a 4th star.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. INFORMATIVEBy Gary R. PattersonI read this book because it was picked to read for our book club. To just pick it up and read I would not have. Having said that it was a good book and I am glad to have read it. The first part could be boring to some because of its technical information; political haggling; and informative information; but with that said it kept me hanging on as I plowed through that part. I did enjoy the book and learned a LOT of information I otherwise would not have known. I do recommend it because of its historicity.