DOWN 42ND STREET Sex, Money, Culture, and Politics at the Crossroads of the World

Not all writers are good readers, but Marc Eliot excels at both. With his tenor voice, he captures the mix of playfulness and seriousness contained in this book and does so with clarity, a great pace, and excellent vocal characterizations. He presents the story of a street, but not just any because 42nd Street in New York City may be America's most famous piece of real estate. Like the street itself, the text is provocative and lively. Eliot tells of the street's rise to fame; its decline as a venue for pornography, prostitution, and drugs; and its public resurgence as a venue for major corporations. Eliot's Ed Koch imitation is great, as well as his characterizations of several other lesser-known figures. M.L.C. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]