Time and Again - Jack Finney

Wouldn't it be fascinating to open the door one morning and step out into 1880s Manhattan, a time before pollution and skyscrapers, when walking through Central Park at night was safe, the upper west side was farm land, and there were no telephones, much less cell phones? This is the story weaved by Jack Finney, around a government project designed to send qualified individuals back in time to fill in gaps in the history books, and conveniently change events the government would like to see changed. Si Morley is one such individual. He's out of place in his own time, and wishes more of the 1880s still existed today. The descriptions of old New York are wonderful and well researched. I wish I had discovered this book in college while taking an "Architecture in NY" course that traced the history of this powerful city through its origin as a Dutch colony. Part of the fascination of this book is being familiar with the city as it is today, and being able to mentally compare what's here to what once was. This part of the book's "magic" would be lost on anyone who has never been here, or otherwise traveled beyond Times Square. The story line is only a glue that holds together the historical view, and contains a few ignorable gaps. I disagree with the points stated that the 1880s were a better time in the city as a whole (before pollution, vaccines and air conditioning), but otherwise this transplanted NY-er found it a fascinating read.

In Progress:
American Fascists -Chris Hedges
Confederacy of Dunces -John Kennedy Toole
Four Past Midnight -Stephen King