Starred review from May 30, 2016
Kanigel (The Man Who Knew Infinity) captures the life and character of Jane Jacobs (1916–2006), a stubborn, principled activist and the doyenne of urban planning. Jacobs—best known for her highly influential and heralded book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which attacked efficiency-focused midcentury urban planning policies and called for livable, diverse, and pedestrian-friendly cities—led an intellectually and socially rich life from start to finish. She enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Scranton, Pa., and got her first big break in 1935 at age 19, writing about Manhattan’s fur district for Vogue. She fell in love with the lively West Village upon exiting the Christopher Street subway station for the first time. Kanigel turns Jacobs’s life into a fascinating narrative with an endearing, obstinate, brilliant protagonist. Readers familiar with Jacobs’s work will enjoy reading the behind-the-scenes anecdotes from her career—at her first lecture at Harvard, which was a smashing success, she was only filling in at the last minute for her boss and was so nervous she memorized her speech beforehand—and those who are learning about her for the first time will want to immediately pick up one (or all seven) of the books she wrote. Agent: Michael V. Carlisle, InkWell Management.