Reviews

The Ghosts of Johns Hopkins: The Life and Legacy That Shaped an American City by Antero Pietila

thoughtsfromtheafro's review

5.0

The layout wssnt exactly how I anticipated, but I got so much out of it. I got many recommendations for other books and authors, and policies to look into. I think people forget that racism plays a huge role in the economy, and that pretty much everyone and everything had more value than people of color; Hopkins and his peers being responsible for a lot of the development of the city, means they are also responsible for putting profit before people.

As locstions are discussed, their current names are also identified, which is helpful for those who don't have a multigenerational view of thr city.

victoriac's review

4.0

Thanks to Rowan and Littlefield and Netgalley for sharing this advanced copy of The Ghosts of Johns Hopkins. I found it fascinating and plan on recommending to some friends who live in Baltimore. Since I don’t live too far away, I’ve visited Baltimore enough, including multiple visits to Johns Hopkins hospital over the years, to be familiar with the bigger streets and neighborhoods. That made the book so much more engrossing to me. I also found that I had to keep Google maps near by because I was so curious about the locations. Overall, I think Mr. Pietila did a masterful job of research and synthesizing disparate histories that all eventually congealed into today’s Charm City (for better or worse, I’ll leave to your own reading). It’s not an uplifting tale, but educational and eye-opening. Recommended for those with an interest in Baltimore, Maryland, or urban histories.