Roommates. Apartment hunting. The single life. Competition. The New York persona.
Ah, New York - a city filled with anything you can possibly imagine.
What is it like to move here with nothing and build a new life? I'm Harlan. Before I lived here, I was a nice boy from the South. One day, I decided to make the move to New York to see what would happen. This is one side of an eight-million-sided story.
New York Story is a book of essays about living, loving, and surviving in New York. It's humorous and heartfelt, with a smidge of advice gained from experience thrown in. What happens when a place changes your life overnight? What does it mean to start over in a new city? Told in an honest, original voice, this is my story.
Author and painter currently living in Memphis. Interested in gay issues and themes that are whimsical/apocalyptic/dystopian. I also write poetry. Follow me on Insta - @harlanvaughn for updates.
The moment I worked out this wasn't fiction (and it took a while!) I took to reading it with a completely different view.
I enjoyed the rawness of the story, understanding the emotions that were expressed and feeling like I was reading a human which was wonderful, I was also fully intrigued by New York, since I've never been there it was interesting to near about it from someone who has knowledge in it.
A raw, gritty primer that anyone who is thinking of moving to the Big Apple should read. The author does not romanticize the city. He presents it as it is, warts and all, then lets the reader decide if they like NYC or not. I enjoyed Harlan`s voice throughout and was caught up in his struggles as he battled to leave his Southern roots behind and become a New Yorker.
There are a million books out there that romanticize New York. This is not one of them.
This book is a sincere, nose-to-the-grindstone insider's look at the City that Never Sleeps. Harlan writes in a lovely, quirky voice that makes you instantly fall in love with him. You immediately feel for this starry-eyed twenty-something from Mississippi who one day wakes up and decides to move to the Big Apple with no money, no job, and no plan except to live.
This book shows the side of New York you rarely hear about. The roommates, the jobs, the friendships and the lovers- even people who don't live in New York will love this story of young artist trying to break into the city any way he can.
This is a great book, a fun read, and a remarkably insightful book.
A good primer for folks who know little about big cities, especially the biggest of all in ways other than population and geography. And an emotional core in a wine bar to boot!