Coney Island: The People's Playground

Rating:
Summary: Newark was better
Review: I bought this book after reading Immerso's wonderful and insightful book about his hometown of Newark, New Jersey. His new book on Coney Island was not at all what I expected. It's more like a book report than a book, consisting of bits of information taken from previous Coney books spliced together with trivia from web sites. There appears to be no primary source material or original research. Immerso repeats the traditional Coney Island stories, weaving them into a dry narrative that will be interesting only to someone who is not familiar with Coney Island. The modern color photos are not very good and seem to be used as filler. Overall, Coney Island: The People's Playground is a pedestrian effort by a good writer.

Rating:
Summary: Carry Me Back To Old Coney Island
Review: I just got Michael Immerso's book on Coney Island as a gift to remind me of the excitement and magic I felt when I visited there. I was delighted to get a coffee table book that was not just slick, but edifying as well. I felt justified in this delight as the pictures were given weight by the academic tone of the narrative explanations. Although I hoped for a bit more colorful "sleeze" in both the pictures, and the descriptions, nevertheless I'm not disappointed. I feel both my need for visuals as well as story have been satifactorily met.

Rating:
Summary: Not Just a Pretty Face
Review: I just got Michael Immerso's book on Coney Island as a gift to remind me of the excitement and magic I felt when I visited there. I was delighted to get a coffee table book that was not just slick, but edifying as well. I felt justified in this delight as the pictures were given weight by the academic tone of the narrative explanations. Although I hoped for a bit more colorful "sleeze" in both the pictures, and the descriptions, nevertheless I'm not disappointed. I feel both my need for visuals as well as story have been satifactorily met.

Rating:
Summary: A Dreamland Come True!
Review: I loved this book. It was a great read, but worth the purchase just for the collection of photos. Michael Immerso does a terrific job of weaving together the story of Coney Island illustrated with wonderful choices of photos that really bring the story to life.

Rating:
Summary: Carry Me Back To Old Coney Island
Review: In this excellent book, Michal Immerso meticulously traces Coney Islands' wild history, from its origins as a sandy haven for rabbits to its development as the most spectacular amusement area on earth to its slow and sad decline.
Although this book would be right at home on a coffee-table, readers should know that they will be getting much more than photographs and anecdotes of Old Coney. Immerso's book is fairly serious in tone and crammed with details: I found myself wishing that I had a map of the area before me, so I could trace all the comings and goings of all the attractions that graced the three spectacular parks of Coney Island--Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase. Immerso also tracks the development of the main streets, the hotels, the great migrations of immigrants (still continuing today). He writes about the destructive fires that regulary swept through large swaths of Coney Island, noting in great detail what was destroyed in each and what grew each time from the ashes.
My favorite sections dealt with the amusements themselves--the many roller coasters (the evolution of which is carefully traced), the carrosels, The Trip To The Moon, Over and Under The Sea, and emporiums with great names such as the Pavillion of Fun and Wormwood's Dog and Monkey Circus.
If I have any criticism, it's that Immerso has given us too much, for in addition to this exhaustive history, he tackles even more ambitious territory: what it all means in the context of the American experience. No doubt Coney Island provided a template for the mega-amusement/entertainment industry that was to develop in its wake. But it also was one of the first, true, democratic vistas, where millions of Americans from every ethnic group have rubbed elbows on one stretch of beach for more than a century. This anarchic democracy born of sand and fun has, according to Immerso, left a profound imprint on the American consciousness.
My only real regeret is that Immerso did not include a time machine and ticket to transport me back Luna Park to see, hear, feel, and taste for myself the thousand-and-one delights of Coney Island on a summer night in the early 1900s.

Rating:
Summary: All the Sights and Sounds
Review: Michael Immerso has taken a slice of America's past and captured it with all the sights, sounds, and glitter that made Coney Island what it was. This book is filled to the brim with history that comes alive on its pages. Mr. Immerso's compelling story telling and vivid descriptions are complemented by many classic pictures. You can't pick this book up without becoming part of one of the great icons of America's history. This is definitely a book to own, enjoy, and share.

Rating:
Summary: An American Wonderland
Review: Michael Immerso once again shows he is a cultural historian of the first order. His first book, "Newark's Little Italy: The Vanished First Ward," was near and dear to my heart as a native of Newark myself. This time, though, Immerso had a tougher sell. Not only did I know practically nothing about Coney Island, I had never set foot in it. After reading this book, however, I feel I know Coney Island's history, development, and demise as well as possible for a non-native.
We all know that there is a story behind just about any historical locale. What we need is the story teller. Michael Immerso is that story teller for this magical place called Coney Island.

Rating:
Summary: The big picture--in very entertaining detail.
Review: This book is a great read. Immerso pulls together an immense amount of data to convey the big picture of Coney Island's history and social significance, in a way that is both entertaining and poignant. I especially enjoyed Immerso's affectionate irony. He clearly loves Coney Island and writes in a straightforward, understated style that works as a perfect foil for all the hyperbolic quotes from the island's proud promoters, incensed detractors, and amazed visitors.

Immerso includes more than a hundred vintage black-and-white photos, chosen with an eye for intriguing detail. There are also gorgeous color plates of Coney Island memorabilia from his own collection, as well as color photos by John Matturri of today's scene with its arcades and mermaid parade. The book is handsomely designed and printed--a real pleasure to own.