Book One: Five Points The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum by Tyler Anbinder

Last year I read two books, Angel of Vengeance and The Alienist, that took place primarily in Five Points as well as The Cabinet of Dr. Leng in 2023. I wanted to learn more about the setting of these books. Then I saw this book at a library sale. 

The book details the background of the neighborhood, the people who lived there, how they lived and worked, their politics, play, crime, and religion. Anbinder also details the different ethnicities that called Five Points home focusing on the Irish, Italians, and Chinese.

I like the structure of the book. Each chapter has a prologue with an individual story that relates to the larger story in the chapter. 

It took me awhile to read this book because I tend to read history more slowly than fiction. My time was well worth it.