Mole People: Life in the Tunnels beneath New York City

Marginalization and Levels Within the Deepest Levels of Destitution

Author/journalist takes one on a tour under one of the richest cities in the world, New York City (Manhattan), to see the lifestyle of thousands of the most impoverished types (mainly US citizens) from all walks of life whose lifespan in that domain is often less than six years. Within the tunnels are deeper and deeper levels, and those that live in the deepest sections have lost the vocal ability to even communicate except in grunts or so as the author states. Some of these underground dwellers are artists, some with advanced, fancy accredited USA university degrees that once held nice jobs, others are divorcees, families without jobs, and so on. Many of these dwellers state they were marginalized by society and did not choose that way of life but were pushed into it, and that lack of jobs and affordable housing, as well as every day NYC stress, made it more possible and easier for them to live in the tunnels. The more they live in those conditions, the less they are inclined to find better opportunities the book suggests, as they more easily rapidly adapt to their substandard living conditions in order to survive those immediate horrible conditions (but die early anyway) than try to make better for themselves and get out in the sun and live as humans.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Interesting but often trite

I had heard many whispers of these subterranean dwellers on several occasions and I am sure this book chronicles only a portion of the thousands who surely seek a "home" below ground. It does well to highlight the relative sophistication of these people, all things considered, and certainly their resourcefulness in utilizing things most of us have long since abandoned use of. The people are, on the whole, jarringly human, however, and the communities they fashion are like hyperbolized versions of many 'upstairs' - their problems merely magnified by the fact that they live in such a bluntly Darwinian environment. The writing itself is not terribly compelling and the book often reads much like a report or case study, which in effect is what I expected. As the book wears on however, Toth's doe-eyed lack of perspective grows evermore annoying, and despite her efforts to hide it, it eventually becomes glaringly evident that this book is written by a well-to-do, white, Ivy League college-educated woman with little perspective on the real world. Her idealistic views on these people and their problems/lives are maddening at times and it unfortunately ends up tainting a rather interesting book on a compelling, fascinating subject. By the end I felt myslef siding with Blade!! Borrow it - don't buy it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Should be Fiction

Please, people. Google this author and this work and you will find the facts to be unverified and highly dramatized. There is an element of truth in the premise, but this is non-fiction only in the same sense "A Million Little Pieces" is..

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A fascinating journey thru a world most will never have the opportunity to visit

You knew there was something under the streets of NYC, however, none could have imagined the depth "The Mole People" discloses. A city under the city, under the city, and perhaps another level below this is a facinating look at some of the greatest survivors of modern day. The people with whom you come in contact are just as intresting and alive as those who walk the streets, live in the apartments, work in the office buidlings,ride the rails and travel the busy streets above ground in NYC each day.

This book takes us on a fascinating journey thru a world most of us would be fearful of visiting. I am so happy I made the trip.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intriguing

A dark and curious book. I spent many hours reflecting on what life would be like underground. For those of you who had your interest peaked due to this book, try watching the movie "Dark Days", a documentary about an abandoned NYC railroad tunnel.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fascinating, Enthralling, Thrilling and Captivating

Enthralling...are the stories of the mole people. Fascinating...are the relationship dynamics between mole people and their communities. Thrilling...how the author dared enter the mole people's domain. Captivating...I felt like I met everyone of them.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Captivating

i read this book after visiting California a few weeks ago. This girl stated to me that she thought all homeless people in New York live underground. I was wondering why she would say such a thing. Then i read this book. It is very well written and gives the reader a better understanding of what the homeless population has to indure.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you believe all of this, seek help.

I expected to find this book to be a reasonable piece of journalistic work about people living in the tunnels of NYC. I finished reading it feeling absolutely amazed that the author and publisher pass this work off as nonfiction. The many characters she describes just read as pure fiction, and the thought of her exploring the tunnels by herself meeting hundreds of people and not getting hurt or worse is beyond belief. In the final chapter she is literally chased out of NYC by her former tunnel-dweling friend, 'Blade,' who is now out to kill her! Get real. This book is a terrible disappointment and an insult to serious journalistic reporters.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Humanity lost...!

I , by chance read this book back in 94, and could not believe that this was posible. It struck a cord in my heart with a deep sense of sorrow and disbelief. Read this book it will move you to tears , if not , at least it will instill a feeling of regained humanity and a need to help others in need...R. Cruz

False! False! False!

I have read this book. I work here in NYC and have for the last 30 years. My father was born and worked in this city for twice as long. This book is ka-ka. Ms. Toth watched too many episodes of Beauty and the Beast. There are NO seven levels below Grand Central. There is no underground forest of trees! Before you buy this book, speak to a REAL New Yorker who will tell you this book is bull****! Ms. Toth made up three quarters of it. And the sad fact? If Ms. Toth had actually gone and visited all the places that homeless people in this City congregate and done a little research, she might have actually written a powerful book. Instead, she chose to pass off fiction as reality and leave the City before she could be found out to be a fraud. All libraries and schools should remove this book from their shelves or shelve it under 'Fiction.'

Gripping

I live in New Jersey shadowed by the great city of New York so of course the title of this book grabed my attention. From start to finish the book was so gripping I couldnt put it down. The author does a great job sharing the stories of the lost souls they call the Mole people.

This is real!!!

I grew up on the NJ Pailsades cliffs and can say I've met a few of these people myself. That this waif of a woman dared to document this story is a marvel in and of itself. Considering that this was written back in '93 and their population was then estimated at 50,000 it's a wake up call for anyone living in a major city.

Amazing

I thought that this book was excellent. I think that most of the book was based on fact. I've read many reviews that felt the book was fiction, but I don't agree. I thought that it was well written and overall an amazing book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in New York City or homelessness in general.

Riveting

This is a scintillating account of hundreds of people who eke out a living in the bowels of New York City, unbeknownst to the millions of surface dwellers. I've heard lots of doubters, naysayers and jealous tunnel-Nazis try to debunk the existence of the Mole People over the years, but their presence has been confirmed in numerous documentaries and films. This book was the first to describe the lives of the Mole People, and remains the best of the genre, in my opinion. Toth deserves a Pulitzer Prize for risking her life to tell us this incredible story.

Mole People????????

Once you pick this book up, there is no putting it down, be prepared for what is on the insides of the cover, It will give you a whole new outlook about what it is to be homeless, or to have sudden changes happen in your life for the worse, Meet the people and hear there stories about what it's like to live UNDERGROUND, I highly recommend this book for any curious readers out there to get a taste of something real and hardcore..............

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