Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block
By:
Judith Matloff
Buy it now at Amazon.com!
Lowest New Price: $11.86
List Price: $25.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Description:
After twenty years as a foreign correspondent in tumultuous locales including Rwanda, Chechnya, and Sudan, Judith Matloff is ready to put down roots and start a family. She leaves Moscow and returns to her native New York City to house-hunt for the perfect spot while her Dutch husband, John, stays behind in Russia with their dog to pack up their belongings. Intoxicated by West Harlem’s cultural diversity and, more important, its affordability, Judith impulsively buys a stately fixer-upper brownstone in the neighborhood.
Little does she know what’s in store. Judith and John discover that their dream house was once a crack den and that “fixer upper” is an understatement. The building is a total wreck: The beams have been chewed to dust by termites, the staircase is separating from the wall, and the windows are smashed thanks to a recent break-in. Plus, the house–crowded with throngs of brazen drug dealers–forms the bustling epicenter of the cocaine trade in the Northeast, and heavily armed police regularly appear outside their door in pursuit of the thugs and crackheads who loiter there.
Thus begins Judith and John’s odyssey to win over the neighbors, including Salami, the menacing addict who threatens to take over their house; MacKenzie, the literary homeless man who quotes Latin over morning coffee; Mrs. LaDuke, the salty octogenarian and neighborhood watchdog; and Miguel, the smooth lieutenant of the local drug crew, with whom the couple must negotiate safe passage. It’s a far cry from utopia, but it’s a start, and they do all they can to carve out a comfortable life. And by the time they experience the birth of a son, Judith and John have even come to appreciate the neighborhood’s rough charms.
Blending her finely honed reporter’s instincts with superb storytelling, Judith Matloff has crafted a wry, reflective, and hugely entertaining memoir about community, home, and real estate. Home Girl is for anyone who has ever longed to go home, however complicated the journey.
Advance Praise for Home Girl
“Although I always suspected that renovating a house in New York City would be a slightly more harrowing undertaking than dodging bullets as a foreign correspondent, it took this charming story to convince me it could also be more entertaining. Except for the plumbing. That’s one adventure I couldn't survive.”
–Michelle Slatalla, author of The Town on Beaver Creek
“After years of covering wars overseas, Judith Matloff takes her boundless courage and inimitable style to the front lines of America’s biggest city. From her vantage point in a former crack house in West Harlem, she brings life to a proud community held hostage by drug dealers and forgotten by policy makers. Matloff’s sense of humor, clear reportage, and zest for adventure never fail. Home Girl is part gritty confessional, part love story, and totally delightful.”
–Bob Drogin, author of Curveball
“Here the American dream of home ownership takes on the epic dimensions of the modern pioneer in a drug-riddled land. Matloff’s story, which had me crying and laughing, is a portrait of a household and a community, extending far beyond the specifics of West Harlem to the universal–as all well-told stories do.”
–Martha McPhee, author of L’America
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 2008-06-24
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
From S. Krishna's Books - I usually don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I've been making it a point to read more of it lately. When Julie at FSB Associates offered me the chance to review it, I was really excited - here was a memoir that seemed to have all the elements of the fiction books I so enjoy reading. It was fun and exciting, humorous and enjoyable, but also altogether shocking! I couldn't believe the obstacles Judith and her husband had to surmount in order to simply make their new home habitable.
I read somewhere that the best memoirs are written by people who have previous writing experience. I think that definitely holds true for Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block. The book is suspenseful enough to keep the reader hooked but the need to build that suspense doesn't get in the way of the quality of the writing. It is definitely well-written and easy to read.
I admired Matloff's bravery at buying a house in, basically, the worst part of Harlem, but I was sometimes surprised at her level of denial. I am fastidious about checking every detail and making sure everything is ok, so every time she rationalized something to herself, I inwardly cringed - I knew something bad was about to happen. In a fiction book, this would probably bother me. But for some reason, in a non-fiction book, it didn't. I felt like it spoke to the author's sincere and ardent desire to make a home, no matter the location or surroundings. She had to make the best of what she had and could afford, which in New York City, wasn't much. But Matloff turned her home around, and arguably helped turn her area of Harlem around; it is an incredible feat to read about and it took a lot of bravery and courage.
One thing I really appreciated about the book was Matloff's honesty. On the rough days, she admits she may have made a mistake in buying the house. When she is scared, she says so but also bravely faces them head on. In the end, she and her husband realize that buying the house was a great thing, but it is nice to see her being honest about it throughout the renovation process.
I really enjoyed Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block and definitely recommend it to anyone who think the premise sounds interesting. Usually, non-fiction books take me a long time to read because I find them to be more difficult than my regular fiction. However, that wasn't the case with this book; it flowed smoothly, and I think most people will find it reads just as quickly as any fiction book. It's definitely a worthwhile read!
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Customer Review: 3 out of 5
Picking that Perfect Home? - Picking that Perfect Home?
Wanting to grow roots, Judith and her husband John decide to purchase a home as a place of permanent residence in New York. Judith's story is one that describes her metamorphosis from a career-driven, wanderlust reporter living out of a suitcase to a homeowner attending community meetings. She describes, early in the book, this desire to set roots in her late thirties. I understand this desire and change in life, as I am also in my late thirties and my home and home life mean more to me than anything else. I don't know much about life on the streets, drug dealers, or areas in which there isn't a strong presence of community and order. From that vantage point, I was interested in picking up the read and seeing where it took me.
The Review:
Title: Home Girl, Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block
Author: Judith Matloff
Author's Website: www.judithmatloff.com
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages (Hardcover): 283
ISBN #: 978-1-4000-6526-4
With Fiction being my absolute favorite genre to read, this book was a bit different than what I'm used to... getting lost into a story built of characters and the untrue. But, I must say that Matloff did a good job bringing the characters on her street alive in this story about rebuilding a brownstone in West Harlem in 1999-2000 time frame. My favorite character, in fact, was named "Salami."
The book begins with Matloff describing her career as a journalist living in the most dangerous and impoverished areas in our recent history. She fell in love with a writer, John, in Johannesburg and married him. She owned a home there in which she lost considerable money and they later moved to Russia. With the both of them working, writing and traveling, their lives were less than ordinary, by my terms. It was after two miscarriages that Matloff comes to terms with the fact that, if she wants to have a baby and a family life, she must lay roots. John and her decide on New York City and she moves to commence the search for the home. John, however, remains in Russia to complete out his job contract.
Judith Matloff & Anton
As Matloff has been abroad for well over a decade, she doesn't have the typical credit rating required to finance a home. However, due to her mother's crafty investment of her money, she has $250K to purchase a home, cash outright. This, of course, limits her choices. In addition, they are looking for a somewhat sizable home for their collected furniture, namely this enormous yellow dining room table.
Matloff eventually purchases a dilapidated home in West Harlem in a less-than-desirable neighborhood, for more reasons than one. She commences a renovation of this brownstone in the midst of a drug-dealer operated and practically owned neighborhood. Seemingly, she is the only white person there and she sticks out like a sore thumb. The drug dealers, squatters, vagrants, and homeless people who surround her become a part of her life... and, for some, a part of her heart.
Her husband eventually joins her and the house is eventually completed. In addition, she gave birth to that baby she so longed, a son, Anton. How she deals with her financial woes, the external issues of her home, and the incessant crime in her neighborhood is a good read. She also includes her viewpoint on 9/11 in New York City as well as the big blackout experienced in 2002.
The book, as a whole, is well written. Matloff is a well published author and teaches at Columbia's University Graduate School of Journalism. Therefore, the writing is clean, precise, and well presented. However, for me, this book was much longer than I expected. It almost seemed as though this story could have been condensed. However, if that were the case, the character development may have been lacking. Therefore, in my personal opinion, this book may be really good for some people... those interested in cultural differences, life in that area, or the change in the crime rate and drug-scene in New York City. For me, I learned a lot and am glad I read it... but, it's not the kind of book that I am used to passing along to my friends for "fun reading."
Favorite Quote:
"Here's another one: `Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?' Who shall guard the guardian?"
Sher's "Out of 10 Score":
Again, there are many aspects of this book that I enjoyed. Matloff has a great sense of humor and terrific writing skills. However, I think... for me... the fact that it was non-fiction and not my "typical cup of tea," prevented it from getting a higher mark from me. Matloff gets a 7 for this book.
For Additional Reviews:
http://www.judithmatloff.com/reviews.html
Book Video on Judith's Website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvK3ztvlrNY
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Risky Business - Talk about risk-takers? You are talking about Judith Matloff. She spent twenty years pursuing a journalism career that took her to hot spots around the world--Rwanda, Chechnya, South Africa. Along the way she met and married an equally adventuresome fellow journalist who hails from Holland.
Matloff and her husband were living in Russia, reveling in their danger-loaded life, when she had what she calls a midlife crisis. She did not go out and get a divorce or buy a fancy sports car; instead, she decided to settle down, buy a house, and maybe start a family. But where? They could choose from the whole world. Montreal? Jerusalem? They settled on Matloff's hometown: New York City. She left her husband and the dog behind to pack and finish up their life in Moscow. She flew off to find the new home. Here comes her risky behavior again!
The family wanted to live in Manhattan, but did not have a Manhattan budget, unless...unless they went to Harlem. Swept up by enthusiasm and challenged by another bidder, Matloff suddenly found herself the owner of a genuine wreck in West Harlem. She did it all on her own. Without consultation with her husband, she sank their life savings into the project. And then she began to worry.
This was not fix up; it was a start-all-over. Home Girl chronicles the family's adventures, not only with making a house first livable and then a home, but also with learning to live in and become part of a neighborhood that was not exactly welcoming. Drug dealers did business on the front stoop and homeless folks threw filth over the back fence. (I mean filth!) Blood-filled syringes were buried in the garden. Quite a challenge. But they pulled it off and soon the neighborhood welcomed the couple's new son to the community where they thrive today. The author does comment that since things have calmed down, the family is finding life a bit tame. Maybe a new adventure is in the offing?
Matloff's professionalism shines through in her writing. She brilliantly captures the setting and the individuals. I felt I could move in right next door and know everyone on the block.
by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Interestng but over-long - After some twenty years working as a journalist in the world's worst trouble spots, where being chased by a machete-wielding madman or having an AK47 shoved in one's chest was close to routine, Judith Matloff decided to settle down with her husband John somewhere civilized, somewhere where the government worked and you could feel comfortable raising a family. Inexplicably, they settled on buying a termite-infested fixer-upper in West Harlem, a 19th-century row house that sat lopsided on a street that was governed by Dominican drug dealers. Buying the house was the usual trial, but claiming it from the neighborhood thugs presented difficulties most new home owners don't have to face: buddying up to the lieutenant of the local drug crew so his minions wouldn't urinate on her steps, purging the back yard of spent needles. Matloff soon met the locals, most notoriously a certain "Salami," so-called because of the length and complexion of his penis, who squatted in the plumbingless house next door. Salami and his one-eyed girlfriend "Bitch," aka "Charm," routinely threw bags of excrement into their back yard, which of course impacted the air quality on Matloff's side of the fence.
The house Matloff and her husband bought needed a tremendous amount of work, but it had good bones. The neighborhood had good bones, too. It had been infiltrated by drug dealers in the 1980s, and police raids were a routine form of entertainment. But while much of the neighborhood was filled with the likes of Salami, there were also a large number of houses still in the hands of older families, people who were unhappily waiting out the dealers' tenure, sometimes cooperating clandestinely with the police.
Matloff does a good job of painting a picture of a close-to-hopeless neighborhood where honest people have to make compromises in order to survive. She even manages to get across what she finds charming about her new home: the vibrant street life, the mix of cultures. She will not, I think, be able to convince many readers that having a baby in such an environment was a smart decision, however successfully it seems to have turned out for her. But I guess if you're used to living amidst the carnage of Rwanda or the Sudan then negotiating with drug dealers for parking spaces isn't so problematic.
Matloff's writing is proficient but not charming. Likewise, her book is interesting in many parts, but it goes on too long and provides too much detail. It's a decent read, that is, but would have been much improved if perhaps a third of it had been edited out.
-- Debra Hamel
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Hopeful Homegirl - I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up Homegirl. The book, as told by Judith Matloff, follows her & her husband as they buy, fix-up & eventually move in to a house on a crack-head & crack-dealer infested block in Harlem in the late 1990's. What I got was an insightful, honest, funny, historical, endearing & hopeful account of what people can accomplish as communities --and the bonds that are created when people work together. I thoroughly enjoyed this right down to the last sentence. And I think anyone who's ever wanted to make change, who has succeeded at accomplishing a feat in the face of adversity ---or who simply remains hopeful in this chaotic time we live in, will enjoy this book.
--> Find out more about "Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block" at Amazon.com or Order Now
|
|
