From 1825 to 1857 a thriving, vibrant and diverse community existed in Manhattan in what would later become Central Park. Through a series of poems and her own imaginings of the area's residents, poet Marilyn Nelson describes events in the lives of those individuals. Her musings and poems bring to life some of the first African Americans to own property in the area as well as abolitionists, ministers, couples in love, brothers heading west for gold and glory, and a biracial couple dealing with loss amid the disapproval of their own family members. One of my favorite poems ("The Shakespeare Riot" deals with an 1834 riot over the staging of Richard III with an all-black cast. These marvelous lines provide insight into a time, place, and men and women long gone. The book provices a fascinating glimpse into ordinary individuals searching for a way to make their own dreams come true.