Home Girl: Building A Dream House On A Lawless Block (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
I picked this one up because on the surface, I have a few things in common with Judith Matloff. I'm a white middle-class woman who owns a home in a poor neighborhood populated mostly by people of color. There are drugs being sold on my block. Just last night, I overheard some dude yell to his friend, "I'll meet up with you later, I'm 'bout to go catch this ho." (that means OBTAIN A PROSTITUTE). So as a first-wave gentrifier myself, I was curious to read Matloff's take. While I appreciated the journalistic approach she took to her new neighborhood, learning everything about how the cocaine trade came to West Harlem and how the stalwart supporters of the block made their way, I was infuriated by her near constant thoughtless decisions. I get that someone who worked in foreign war zones for 20 years might be prone to impulsiveness, but she was downright feckless at times. She buys this house on a whim, ignoring warnings about termites and structural problems. She hires workmen with no knowledge of their prior experience. When all the rehabbing is finished, she's spent thousands more than her original estimate, because of her lack of planning. Even in small ways, she's irresponsible---she takes in a stray cat while her house is still a construction zone, and the damn thing pisses all over the house. I mean, everything works out for her, but I wish she'd acknowledge that the only reason things work out is because she's middle-class and therefore has the financial cushion to prevent against abject failure. It gave me anxiety just reading about her mishaps. Still, I can't completely condemn this, because at times it was an interesting read, given her background in journalism and neat examination of the neighborhood. I have to give her kudos, too, for actually meeting her neighbors and immersing herself in the culture of the block. Few gentrifiers do the same. I'm quickly (very very) developing an entire genre shelf of books-to-be-tossed-immediately-into-the-nearest-trash-can (and/or books that leave such a bad taste, you need a mint). This is one, as is All the Way Home and Julie and Julia or Julia and Julia or whatever that terrible chick-lit "cooking" guide calls itself.Home Girl: liberal whitey overbids others (mostly other liberal whiteys) on wrecked Harlem townhouse mansion. Steps and stumbles over crack heads and drug dealers to and fro while refurbishing house. Builds relationships with criminals. Calls cops. Cleans up block. Introduces gentrifying and Starbucks. Congratulates self on intelligence/cleverness/withitness/liberalness and whitey-ness. Yucko. I needed a mint after this one.
What do You think about Home Girl: Building A Dream House On A Lawless Block (2008)?
Easy read, interesting....like a long magazine article.
—shahmeet18
