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Crossing the BLVD: Strangers, Neighbors, Aliens in a New America

A kaleidoscopic view of new immigrants and refugees living in Queens, New York—the most ethnically diverse locality in the United States.

For three years, Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan traveled the world by trekking the streets of their home borough. This book (and its companion audio CD) documents the people they encountered along the way. First person narratives are illuminated by strikingly direct photographic portraits of the subjects alongside the objects of their worlds. Lehrer's postmodern, Talmudic design juxtaposes the multiple perspectives of these new Americans, now thrown together as neighbors, classmates, coworkers, enemies, and friends. They reflect on the good, the ugly and the unexpected in their stories of crossing oceans, borders, wars, economic hardship, and cultural divides. These soulful narratives are put in context by the authors' personal and historical observations. The voices, images and sounds collected here form a portrait of a paradoxical and ever-shifting America. 500 color illustrations.

Clothbound book includes an audio CD where speech becomes music and music becomes speech. The nineteen tracks feature original music compositions by Scott Johnson, original text-based audio compositions by Judith Sloan and Warren Lehrer, and recordings of Crossing the BLVD musicians including Gogol Bordello.