New York Times, NY
Sept 4 2005
A Memorable Cab Ride and Other Journeys Into the Heart of the City
[parts omitted]
THE PROPHET OF ZONGO STREET
By Mohammed Naseehu Ali
Amistad
($22.95, hardcover)
As we crossed the bridge, and drove onto Flatbush Avenue, the cabbie
finally came to the end of a winding statement about one or another
virtue of the Armenians. I looked at him and nodded, to give him the
impression that I had been listening all along.
“I’m telling you, my frien’;” he continued. “The people of Turkey
have a culture today because of us Armenians. They eat all the food
we eat, they cook like us, they even look like us, but they don’t
like to hear that deep in their souls they ar’ all Armenians. They
want to kill that soul and remove it from their bodies. But how can
you do that, my frien’?” he asked, with pompous laughter.
“Impossible,” I said, shaking my head.
“You’re right, my frien’. Impossible,” he roared, absentmindedly
veering out of his lane. The horns of cars riding alongside us
screamed all at once, and were followed by curse words in Urdu,
Creole-, Arabic-, Jamaican- and African-accented broken English by
fellow cabbies and other motorists. The Armenian collected himself
and continued.
“Greece used to be Armenia. The people of ancient Greece and the
whole area around it, all of them were Armenians.”
“Hmn,” I said.
“Incredible, right?”
I nodded.
WASTED BEAUTY
By Eric Bogosian
Simon & Schuster
($24, hardcover)
Within the hour Rena is signed to a three-year personal services
contract. The agency takes care of all her needs. Marissa finds her a
place to live on the Upper East Side with two other girls who model
for the agency. She’s issued a small expense allowance and instructed
where to buy clothes, buy makeup, where to go for dry cleaning.
Appointments are made for facials, waxings, hair conditioning,
manicures and teeth bleaching.
Finally, she’s handed a miniature TV set as a “welcome aboard”
present, an empty portfolio for all the clippings she’ll soon have
and a Dolce & Gabbana knapsack for her “go sees.” She can use Paul’s
pictures for the time being. It’s almost overwhelming.
Before the week is over Rena is so busy, she doesn’t have time to go
on “go sees.” A friend of Paul’s gets her into an editorial shoot
about head scarves for Teen Vogue. Marissa finds her a job down on
Grand Street doing a flyer for a New Jersey department store. For
that she has to wear a nightie and a cotton jersey. Marissa forbids
underwear ads, says Rena is too special for that.
On the following Thursday Rena gets a paycheck for $750 minus taxes
and her allowance, almost double what she and Billy ever made at the
farmstand.