I'd strongly recommend Mr. Rosenthal's work to anyone who is interested in the devastation suffered by those in the South Bronx during the 1970's and 1980's as well as those who have an interest in "urbicide."

Based on what was available, I felt for a long time that there was a great gap in books available on the Bronx; either they spoke of the grand old days or focused solely on the destructive elements of the Bronx experience. Or, in other words, there was little on the lives of those who were trying to make a "go" of the place, despite the inexorable forces arrayed against them.

Mr. Rosenthal's work fills that gap in a diligent and eloquent manner.

Rosenthal has produced an excellent book about one of New York's most troubled neighborhoods.Working in the South Bronx for many years I've witnessed firsthand the struggles of area residents against the tide of arson and crime.Rosenthal's photographs tell the story of the survival of the human spirit in one of the most devastated areas in the country and the efforts to rebuild it.

"Not since Eudora Welty photographed rural Mississippi in the 1930s has anyone caught so memorably a people and a place as Mel Rosenthal has done in this unforgettable record of the South Bronx." --Willimam Jay Smith, former Poet Laureate of the United States and author of The Cherokee Lottery

"Rosenthal's disturbing stories and portraits of life in this neighborhood during the 1970s and 1980s are the work of an activist's committed lens, revealing how public money does not always result in public progress." --Doubletake

"Rosenthal's protraits convey the still vibrant life of a community hurtling toward ruin." --Erin Christman, Ruminator Review

"The photographer doesn't just give readers the clichés of burned buildings and homeless people. We see the richness and complexity of life that the South Bronx supported, even during its darkest day, and that may be the book's most significant accomplishment." --Damaso Reyes, The New York Amsterdam News

"Whatever historians may conclude about factors involved in the deterioration of the South Bronx, the juxtaposition of photographs of burned out buildings with vibrant portraits of South Bronx residents makes Rosenthal's book a provocative historical and sociological document." --Leslie Cohen, The Jerusalem Post

These are stories of real-life love and relationships (ie: imperfect, strange and unexpected - not cheesy or sappy at all). Paley drops the reader into the heart of the character and creates for us a world so vivid, yet so different from what we know, that I felt dizzy the first time I read one of these stories. Her use of language is so perfect it makes me laugh out loud (on the subway) and I enjoy reading any given paragraph over several times. I use this book for inspiration every time I try (in vain) to write something creative myself... check it out!

What makes Paley worth reading and important is her language, which is plain, simple english, but the order in which she places the words create sentences that burst with gut-life. Her sentences are like clever, immigrant hands--hard-won wisdom with an untiring lust for life. Most of the stories are set in a New York reminiscent of The Honeymooners, unfortunately due to my age my only point of reference. But ultimately, as the subtitle says, these are clear, gritty stories of men and women at love. This is writing that your mother would understand; and make you glad to be alive.

I read this book over 20 years ago and have never been able to forget it. This is a lost masterpiece that nees to be reissued. It may remind you of Malamud or Roth but it has a voice uniquely its own.

Nothing compares to hearing Grace Paley read these stories herself. You will care about these characters, you'll understand them and what motivates them and you will think you know them from somewhere. Deeply moving, and not to be missed.

Well, a tad bit overstated, but I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Essays by 25 women on subjects of growing up and growing old(er). All told wonderfully in very accessible and memorable language. I'm buying more to give as gifts.

The preface alone is worth the price of the book.

These stories are the equivalent of being hit on the head with a literary sledgehammer. The points that they make (the Arabs as The Other, the Holocaust as having an impact on modern Israeli society, etc.) are pretty obvious to anyone who has any knowledge of Israel or Jewish history. They occasionally read like writing class exercises, actually.

That being said, the stories are a good window into Israeli society and show elements which you don't see on the news. For excellent Israeli literature, though, I'd have to recommend Yaakov Shabtai, Amos Oz or A.B. Yehoshua.

This is a wonderful book of short stories which contradicts the sterotypical picture of Israelis so often portrayed in the nightly news. It shows (mostly from the female point of view) the nuances of many types of Israelis, from religious to secular, from Ashkenazi to Sephardic, from Arab to Jew. In particular, it brings out the human side of each of its characters and demonstrates that feelings change from time to time and situation to situation. These are beautiful studies of human interaction.

I have four favorite stories. In "A Room on the Roof", a woman's husband goes to Texas, and she decides to build a new room on the second story of her home while he's gone. Her Jewish contractor leaves her alone with three Arab laborers during the construction process. She is not sure to how to react to their presence near and in her home. "The Road to Cedar City" tells of an Israeli couple (Hassida and Yehiel) and their son Yuval who are traveling in the United States when their rented car breaks down. The wife is unhappy when she learns that she must share a ride in a minivan with another young Israeli couple and their baby who are from Jerusalem. A talkative minivan driver further complicates matters by running his mouth during the entire trip. "Mother's Photo Album" is about a Dr. Joshua Hoshen who looks into his mother's medical record after she is hospitalized in a mental institution. He pieces together her life from what he reads in her record and uses a photograph to help resolve his anguish about what he discovers. A most notable story is "The Homesick Scientist" in which eldery Zerubavel wlcomes his nephew, a well-known Israeli scientist who lives in the United States, as he returns to visit Israel after 21 years. His nephew had frequently spent summers with Zerubavel after Zerubavel's own son Uri had been killed while on reserve duty. Zerubavel, although he had eagerly anticipated his nephew's visit, isn't sure what his nephew's motives were for returning after such a long absence.

Great, tight, vivid, exact writing about the Important Things (universal concerns, issues, and feelings) in the mood of a calm and astute observer/chronicler -- with soul. Perfect. Although these stories are primarily concerned with Israelis, I encouraged an East Indian friend to read "The Homesick Scientist"; it spoke to him so deeply of his own private experience that he immediately ordered the book (from Amazon, of course).

This collection of short fiction demonstrates just how horrible that would be. Grace Paley's work is amazing in its lyrical sound - at some moments sparse, at others extremely detailed, and always poignant. Stories about single mothers, about women visiting elderly parents in odd nursing homes, about families in general, and how the world works (and worked). It is hard to find a good short story writer... Somewhere between a novel (overly stuffed with words) and a poem (too highly styled and formatted to say what it really wants to say) a short story, when good, can come closest to literary perfection - you can say all that you want to say, but only that. Grace Paley's stories come close to that perfection. She is one of the most underappreciated great authors out there.

Grace Paley has that rarest of gifts: a voice all her own. Funny, tough, and compassionate, this voice mirrors her characters, some of whom (especially the eponymous Faith) are people you wish you knew, or already do. At every turn, her characters avoid stereotype, something most self-professed "political" and "feminist" writers fail to do. Three volumes of stories are collected here; the first volume, I think, is the richest. Here Paley is content to represent the hilarious, yet tragic, travails of her characters. In the later volumes, aside from being more experimental in form, she tackles overtly political themes. But the voice never fails her, and even the most dogmatic, contrived story is lifted above the ordinary. Paley never loses her compassion for mankind. At the end of her career, this was her abiding them: when faced with cynicism or compassion, she always extended the latter to her fellow human beings. These are great, tough stories, worthy of reading several times over. Please buy this collection and spread the word. Paley is that dying breed -- an American original.

ENORMOUS CHANGES AT THE LAST MINUTE is a perfect collection of perfect stories. It's too bad the reader from Marietta, GA spews forth such ignorant bile about such a wonderful writer.

I was not very impressed by this book. Its stories were disjointed and repetitive. When properly done, a complex narrative style can be very rewarding(e.g. Thomas Pynchon). However, in this case all it did was confuse the issue. I quickly became disinterested in what the book had to say. Even after a second reading, many of the stories lacked any sort of coherence. I would not recommend this book.

This is one of the best books of American short stories, period. Whether you sympathize with Paley's politics or social concerns, it's irrelevant. Her stories beautifully capture the minutiae of everyday life and expose it for it's life-changing import. A simple sentence of Paley's can say as much as another author's entire novel. If you're at all interested in the short-story form or good writing in general, don't pass this book up.

I want use this book for my class.

While I am a big fan of Grace Paley's short stories and poetry, her work here doesn't do much for me. Perhaps my expectations were set a bit too high, as I couldn't help but feel a little let down by this collection. This compilation of Paley's non-fictional work definitely touches on plenty of worthy social causes and is interesting to read, but it lacks the fire, spark and excitement that pervades her other books. I just don't think that Paley's writing style is properly showcased here - it doesn't let her show off the things that make her writing great. For one, her ear for language and dialogue is almost totally lost in these pieces. I found this book to be very intellectually stimulating, but still found myself feeling bogged down and a bit bored during many parts.

For any fan of Paley's that is interested in learning more about the author, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. As for the more casual reader, I'd pass.

This is an excellent collection of Grace Paley's journalism and essays, revealing her continued and inspiring political activism. With the same sincerity, frankness and heartfelt committment she shows in her fiction, Paley shows us a world full of activists, ordinary citizens, cops and politicians. She has been involved in anti-war activities since her youth and, now in her later years, shows no signs of closing her powerfully observant eyes. Testimony about her experience in Viet Nam during the American war and after is an important contribution to historical studies. She shows no regret for her activism, which is great relief to this reader (tired as I am of seeing the 60s generation back off from their earlier work) and remains unapologetically truthful. A great inspiration for all women who live and work for 'the people'.