Genius of Common Sense: Jane Jacobs and the Story of the Death and Life of Great American Cities

by Lang, Glenna

• ISBN13: 9781567923841
• ISBN10: 1567923844
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-04-01
• Publisher: David R Godine Pub

Summary

This is the first book to introduce young people, ages 10 - 100, to author and activist Jane Jacobs. In words and pictures, Genius of Common Sense follows Jacobs from her childhood in Seranton, Pennsylvania, through her groundbreaking work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and her involvement in battles to save the very New York neighborhoods she wrote about, to her later life and work in Toronto, Canada. This book is the cat?s pyjamas. It?s the clearest account anywhere of who Jane was, what she did for cities, and how she did it. -Max Allen, Producer of CBC Radio?s Ideas program and editor of Ideas That Matter: The Worlds of Jane Jacobs No stodgy history text ... Genius of Common Sense throbs with (Jacob?s) passionate struggles ... a handsome book, loaded with primary sources like photographs and contemporary news accounts that bring alive these stories for any teenager wondering how she can made a difference in the world. - Ruth Conniff, New York Times, May 10, 2009 An absorbing story of a woman of genius, leadership, courage and imagination who changed the thinking of the world. Though written for younger readers, older ones also will enjoy reading about his remarkable person whose intellect and battles made American cities more civilized and humane places to live. -Ruth Conniff, New York Times, May 10, 2009

Author Biography

Glenna Lang's previous work includes illustrations for four classic poems for children with Godine. She wrote and illustrated the award-winning "Looking Out for Sarah." Although she grew up in New York City, she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and teaches at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.Marjory Wunsch has illustrated and written numerous children's books. While studying architecture, she encountered problems of urban design, rehabilitation of old buildings, and the ideas of Jane Jacobs. Marjory and her husband live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

An Obstreperous Young Girl	p. 11
Growing Up in the Electric City	p. 13
Becoming a Writer in New York	p. 23
Cupid and the Candy-Store House	p. 35
Reporting and Learning at Architectural Forum	p. 43
Jane's Good Fortune Article	p. 51
A Bunch of Mothers...and Children	p. 57
An Attack on City Planning	p. 67
Saving the West Village	p. 77
The Impact of Death and Life	p. 85
Fighting City Hall and an Expressway	p. 91
Reviving Cities Everywhere	p. 103
Epilogue	p. 109
Chronology of Jane's Life	p. 112
Books	p. 113
Notes	p. 114
Selected Bibliography	p. 118
Picture Credits	p. 122
Acknowledgments	p. 123
Index	p. 125
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