The New York Commuter's Glossary

by Michael Malone

The New York Commuter's Glossary is a collection of words and phrases--neologisms, mashups, made-up terms--that defines the life of the train commuter into, out of, and around New York City, from the tense fight for leg room with the rider facing you ("kneegotiations"), to the frightening feeling of waking up on the train and bolting for the door, certain that the present stop is your own ("tramnesia"), to the husband and wife pairs that ride together each day ("train couplings") to the almost always available row of seats near the toilet (the "stenchbench", of course). The words and definitions are vibrantly illustrated by acclaimed artist Joseph Walden to fully depict the maddening life of a commuter, and the heart--and humor--buried in the humdrum act of riding the rails with a few thousand strangers each day.

48 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2012

About the author

Michael Malone was the author of ten novels, a collection of short stories, and two works of nonfiction. Educated at Carolina and at Harvard, he was a professor in Theater Studies at Duke University. Among his prizes are the Edgar, the O. Henry, the Writers Guild Award, and the Emmy. He lived in Hillsborough, North Carolina, with his wife.