Paperback, 296pp.
During the 1990s, Times Square changed its colors, from a notoriously seedy urban center to a family-friendly, corporate-sponsored entertainment district. Daniel Makagon captures the competing social and cultural fantasies, the everyday events and historical visions that have given shape and meaning to Times Square. Where the Ball Drops is one of the most complete, nuanced, and ultimately convincing accounts to date of the changes wrought by contemporary urban revitalization.
A street-level portrait of Times Square’s people, Daniel Makagon’s work includes artfully rendered interviews, dialogues, and reflections. Where the Ball Drops reveals an ongoing urban drama that thrives on the contradictions of public and private life, on individual desires for belonging and anonymity, and on a sense of place and placelessness.
Awards
National Communication Association’s Critical/Cultural Studies Division Book Award winner