Paradise Bronx

The Life and Times of New York's Greatest Borough

By: Ian Frazier

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Winner of the 2025 Gotham Book Prize

Ian Frazier’s magnum opus: a love song to New York City’s most heterogeneous and alive borough.

For the past fifteen years, Ian Frazier has been walking the Bronx. Paradise Bronx reveals the amazingly rich and tumultuous history of this amazingly various piece of our greatest city. From Jonas Bronck, who bought land from the local Native Americans, to the formerly gang-wracked South Bronx that gave birth to hip-hop, Frazier’s loving exploration is a moving tour de force about the polyglot culture that is America today.

During the Revolution, when the Bronx was unclaimed territory known as the Neutral Ground, some of the war’s decisive battles were fought here by George Washington’s troops. Gouverneur Morris, one of the most colorful Founding Fathers, owned a huge swath of the Bronx, where he lived when he was not in Paris during the French Revolution or helping write the US Constitution.

Frazier shows us how the coming of the railroads and the subways drove the settling of the Bronx by various waves of immigration― Irish, Italian, Jewish (think the Grand Concourse), African American, Caribbean, Puerto Rican (J.Lo is one of the borough’s most famous citizens). The romance of the Yankees, the disaster of the Cross Bronx Expressway, the invention of rap and hip-hop, the resurgence of community as the borough’s communities learn mutual aid―all are investigated, recounted, and celebrated in Frazier’s inimitable voice.

This is a book like no other about a quintessential American city and the resilience and beauty of its citizens.

©2024 Ian Frazier (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Robert Fass performs this homage to New York City's northernmost borough, the Bronx, thoughtfully and skillfully. His pace reflects the author's peregrinations and considerations of the only part of the city connected to the continent. His tone is that of an engaged reporter committed to noting things large—the highways that penetrate the Bronx—and small. Through it all, listeners gain an understanding of the truth and irony of the title.… Here is a living portrait with the borough's harsh reputation etched in place and its lasting significance revealed.” —AudioFile Magazine, Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

“A profound portrait of this storied place . . . Vivid profiles of historical figures . . . The culmination of many years of passionate inquiry, Frazier's deep history—grandly detailed, vibrant, and caring—does right by the resilient, ever-morphing Bronx.” —Booklist (starred review)

“[An] appreciation of a unique area that will appeal to those who have had enough tales of Manhattan.” —Kirkus Reviews

Universally Personal

As our author through the narrator take us on walks through The Bronx; he makes time telescope backward and forward and let’s us see how much and how little people and things change. It is a wonderful, enlightening, educational, inspiring, and too frequently heart breaking stroll. A great read.

Great Info on the History of the Bronx

Very well researched, and informative. Sometimes the history went so in depth I found myself zoning out, but overall a worthwhile listen.

A cheer for Da Bronx!

Detailed well-researched historical narrative sprinkled with relevant anecdotes. After reading the book, I find myself considerably more knowledgeable about the Bronx, and motivated to do further exploration.
The presentation was descriptive but did not tie together with a cohesive theme. I would’ve preferred more editing with more connections between the stories and chapters.

Recognition

I loved this book. I like learning about an area. The ties to where I live in NJ were a bonus. I learned so much about the Bronx and HipHop.

Great book.

Great Book, stories and narration. The author’s love and appreciation for the people of the Bronx shines through.