Book 41 of 2017. Marcia M. Gallo. No One Helped: Kitty Genovese, New York City, and the Myth of Urban Apathy
This was a book club pick, and though the group didn't like it that much, it was my pick so I feel honour-bound to defend it. And honestly, I did like it -- the writing and structre aren't wonderful, but I think that the project that Gallo takes on is very smart. The idea is that the murder of Kitty Genovese stands as the archetype of urban apathy: more than 30 people saw her get killed and no one stepped in to help because they all thought someone else would. And while Gallo shows that this is completely untrue -- no one directly witnessed the murder, it was very late night/early morning, and a neighbour who heard screams did call the cops -- but still, the story has incredible reach and is called upon in many situations, up to the present day, to show how terrible city living is. Instead, Gallo tells the story of a good urban neighbourhood, Kitty's indipendent lesbian life (she manages a bar, which is why she gets home so late), and a different scope of urban infrastructure than we're used to. For instance, this happened before there was 911, and how to get in touch with the police when there was an emergency was not so clear!