Jacquelin Cangro

A collection of essays about experiences on the NYC subways or stations by a variety of writers such as Lawrence Block, Calvin Trillin and Francine Prose . In "Transfer" Leigh Stolle tells of taking her elderly, visiting parents on the subway, where her gallant father allowed everyone into the car ahead of him until it was too full and he was left behind as his family was whisked away. "Encounter" by Jessie Koester, is about the time the author's subway came to a sudden stop on a July morning. Left in a hot sealed car, the passengers became angry, and then aware that among them was someone very different, and things would become even worse once they were escorted from their car. In "Straphanger Doppelganger", Robert Lanham recalls a time when his friends kept telling him that he had an exact twin in the neighborhood, someone who rode their local subway and looked so much like him that the author felt compelled to seek that man out.

But the thought of some imposter who looked just like me showing up on the New York public transit system shook me to the core. I decided I'd have to kill him. Or at least do a little detective work to ensure he wasn't making me look bad. After all, if he had the audacity to walk around looking like my twin, he at least better not be doing anything stupid."… (meer)