Kenneth Gold, Associate Professor of Educational Studies at CSI, will present his new book, The Forgotten Borough: Staten Island and the Subway at the Barnes & Noble store in the Staten Island Mall on Thursday, May 11 at 7:00pm.
What sets Staten Island apart from the rest of New York City? The Island’s identity has in part been defined in opposition to the City, its physical and cultural differences, and the perception of neglect by city government. It has long been whiter, wealthier, less populated, and more politically conservative. And despite many attempts over the years, Staten Island is not connected by the subway to any of the other four boroughs.
Dr. Gold argues that the lack of a subway connection has deeply shaped Staten Island’s history and identity. He chronicles decades of recurrent efforts to build a rail link, using this history to explore the borough’s fraught relationship with New York City as a whole. The Forgotten Borough ranges from when Staten Island first contemplated joining the City in the 1890s to the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in 1964, highlighting pivotal moments when the construction of a subway appeared possible.
Pat Salmon, retired curator of history of the Staten Island Museum and author of The Staten Island Ferry: A History noted, “Gold’s book is a definitive reference for anyone who studies Staten Island history or who is involved with urban planning in the five boroughs and beyond. It is a masterpiece of exhaustive research that will constantly be consulted now and by future generations.”
Dr. Gold was also the Founding Dean of the CSI School of Education. He is the author of School’s In: The History of Summer Education in American Schools (2002) and co-editor of Discovering Staten Island: A 350th Anniversary Commemorative History (2011).
By Editor
