Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block
by Judith Matloff
Published by Random House
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Reviewed by Michele E. Davis
Matloff spent twenty years as a foreign correspondent, dodging bullets, living in war zones, and then falling in love and deciding to start a family and put down roots somewhere besides Moscow. Being from New York, she envisions the city as an option, but her husband John, isn’t too thrilled. Matloff prevails and soon realizes that most neighborhoods have been gentrified to the point where anyone with a half a million or less to invest in a home can’t have one.
This spurs her to look at West Harlem, following a suggestion from her sister’s fiancé, Rafael. She falls in love with a gorgeous Victorian fixer-upper, and with the money her mother invested for her in the stock market, she can buy it outright. Giddy with her discovery of this gem, she calls Moscow to inform John. He is with their dog and packing for the imminent move. But Matloff’s happiness turns sour when she visits her house at 11AM on a week-day. Suddenly the quiet street is filled with men on mobile phones making drug deals. The next door neighbor doesn’t live in her house anymore and an annoying crack addict named Salami sleeps on the ground next door, occasionally throwing vicious threats at Matloff.
But really, how bad can West Harlem be when she’s been to Rwanda? She makes a deal with the drug kingpin and when he’s around things are better, the men don’t harass her or dirty her front sidewalk. John, with dog in tow, turns up and they experience consistent renovations that deplete their financial reserves, but Matloff becomes pregnant and suddenly the diverse community of her small cocaine-dealing neighborhood is paying her reverence.
Armchair Interviews says: A fascinating tale of Matloff’s journalistic correspondence days and her fight to make West Harlem a livable place for her family and other people.
Author’s Web site: http://www.JudithMatloff.com