Ward’s Island in the East River sits just a short distance from Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, yet it has been largely cordoned off from the rest of New York City. For nearly two centuries, it has been treated as a dumping ground for society’s most marginalized—the mentally ill, asylum seekers, immigrants, and homeless people.

This is the story of a unique and complex location—Ward’s Island. The author explores 200 years of the island’s history, delving into both its past and present through the lens of a stigmatized community.

The island houses mental health hospitals, shelters for the homeless, asylum seekers, and refugees, but there are no residential homes or facilities like cafés or shops. However, it does feature a park, primarily used for daytime recreation and events like sports activities. It’s a place with a distinct identity, diaspora, and pressing social challenges.

The book leans toward the academic side, with glimpses of the author’s personal memories, as he himself lived on Ward’s Island as a child.

I feel this is a niche book, best suited for New Yorkers or those interested in history and social justice. It focuses on a unique place with complex social problems. Every New Yorker should read this—it’s their land, their people—and they should care about its story.

The author provides suggestions on how to reduce stigma, fight injustice, and implement more humane solutions. Although his ideas may seem utopian, requiring drastic changes, investments, and financial resources, they offer a vision that could one day become a reality.

I don’t live in New York, and I’m not even American. However, I am fascinated by New York City and interested in U.S. history, politics, economics, etc., so this book was very interesting to me, and I learned a lot from it. It also reminded me of my psychiatry and social work studies at university. Overall, it was a good read!

Many thanks to Columbia University Press for the review copy provided via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is about the history of Ward's Island in NYC. The tale of this place should be absolutely fascinating and I imagine it will be when it's completed. The problem is that it lacks all kinds of key information such as date and data - some of which are easy to look up. I realize that this was a preview copy provided to me, however, I think it should be a bit more complete before asking for opinions. I do plan on reading again when it's released. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.