Upper West Side Story by Susan PashmanPublished: May 27, 2015
Published by: Harvard Square Editions
Trade paperback, 280 pages
This is an excellent book, a very emotional one. The title is perfect as it refers to a classic story that was made into a Broadway success, but with a different twist. The book cover is brilliant!
The story is told through the eyes of Bettina, a professor of
Women's History in New York's ultra-liberal Upper West Side, and that of her
13-year-old son, Max. When Max becomes embroiled in controversy following an
accident involving his best friend, Cyrus, who also happens to be black, racial
hostility erupts engulfing their families and the community. Political tensions
arising from the accident threaten to destroy people and friendships especially
that of white Bettina and black Viola, Cyrus' mother.
