Tenants of East Harlem

by Russell Leigh Sharman

Rich with the textures and rhythms of street life, The Tenants of East Harlem is an absorbing and unconventional biography of a neighborhood told through the life stories of seven residents whose experiences there span nearly a century. Modeled on the ethnic distinctions that divide the community, the book portrays the old guard of East Harlem: Pete, one of the last Italian holdouts; José, a Puerto Rican; and Lucille, an African American. Side by side with these representatives of a century of ethnic succession are the newcomers: Maria, an undocumented Mexican; Mohamed, a West African entrepreneur; Si Zhi, a Chinese immigrant and landlord; and, finally, the author himself, a reluctant beneficiary of urban renewal. Russell Leigh Sharman deftly weaves these oral histories together with fine-grained ethnographic observations and urban history to examine the ways that immigration, housing, ethnic change, gentrification, race, class, and gender have affected the neighborhood over time. Providing unique access to the nuances of inner-city life, The Tenants of East Harlem shows how roots sink so quickly in a community that has always hosted the transient, how new immigrants are challenging the claims of the old, and how that cycle is threatened as never before by the specter of gentrification.

Genres: New York, Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Cheryl Harris Sharman, MA, is a writer and researcher whose ethnographic and investigative writing on social inequalities health, housing, homelessness, poverty, race/ethnicity, gender, and labor has been published in the US, UK, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Her work has appeared in publications such as Scientific American Online, the Lancet, the Miami Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle, Central America's the Tico Times, policy briefs, anthologies, and textbooks. She has also worked as an editor, senior interviewer for a federally-funded research study, nonprofit president and treasurer, temp, receptionist, bookstore manager, babysitter/housecleaner, aerobics instructor, and waitress."

Reviews

[Sidik Fofana · Rating 4 out of 5]

SIX WORD REVIEW: Invisible residents and the American dream.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me much longer to read this book than I expected, I think because I didn't particularly enjoy it. I borrowed it from my department chair because I lived in the neighborhood for a decade. The book was published about eight years before I moved to East Harlem, so it was somewhat contemporary-ish to my time there. The introduction bothered me a lot, mainly because it was a very typically anthropologically/sociologically critical (in the negative way) of social dynamics in the area. From stating that Mount Sinai only serves the "well-to-do" of the Upper East Side, to characterizing the Graffiti Hall of Fame as a counterpoint to the institutionalized art and culture on Fifth Ave, to lamenting that the Pathmark lead to the demise of some bodegas, it all felt very myopic. The time I went to the Mount Sinai emergency room, it was almost entirely populated by people who were homeless. The MCNY and El Museo offer free admission to people who live in the neighborhood, and the latter is there specifically to showcase Hispanic artists (though apparently it was a problem when the museum hired a Central American as director rather than a Puerto Rican...). And the Pathmark (which was torn down a few years after I moved in) was the result of years of lobbying by locals who were desperate for a real grocery store in the neighborhood. Also, the Hell Gate post office is not a reference to the crack epidemic, it's a reference to the currents in the East River around Randall's Island. And it's median household income, not medium. Anyway, I did enjoy learning a bit more about the history, including the old wire factory that became the Costco mall, and La Marqueta (which was defunct when this guy lived there, but had been revived by the time I did). It was also fun to see references to the areas where I lived, including the Schomberg, now Heritage, complex. The chapters are basically profiles of people he either knew personally or (I assume) sought out for the purpose of having someone who represents a different racial demographic group present in the neighborhood. The common thread is that almost nobody likes change, and almost everyone doesn't like people outside their own ethnoracial group.

[Esther Chaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very comprehensive

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent, bringing to life each street in East Harlem and the transformations they have gone through over the past several decades. Sharman does a great job of telling 7 different stories ... each one is unique, but strangely reminisicent of it's predecessor. A great read, not for just aspiring Anthropologists [ahem] but for anyone interested in the culture of our city, and how it is rapidly changing.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tenants of East Harlem is a very comprehensive, rich and thoughtful depiction of East Harlem's history (including Harlem and dynamics of New York). By reading the book, not only do you get to know the lives of the featured characterics, but better understand the micro and macro challenges and events from the past that continue to face the residents today. It's also an excellent book for people studying sociology, urban planning/studies, history and anthropology.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating and yet somewhat dry. In some ways, I might have preferred a synthesis of all of the various ethnic groups who have made East Harlem their home, rather than the individual chapters. But, a very interesting read about my current neighborhood.

[Francesbean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dry, and I got the feeling the author was an over-grown hipster, but all in all it was a fascinating read.