Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan

Crossing the BLVD

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 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. Lehrerıs 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 authorsı personal and historical observations. The voices, images and sounds collected here form a portrait of a paradoxical and ever-shifting America. 500 color illustrations.

The hardcover version includes an audio CD. The nineteen tracks feature original music compositions by Scott Johnson, original text-based audio pieces by Judith Sloan and Warren Lehrer, and recordings of Crossing the BLVD musicians including Gogol Bordello. 500 color illustrations.

"Crossing the BLVD boldly carries the tradition of oral history into the 21st Century. It is an electrifying collage of voices, faces, and spirits, capturing the true elasticity-and inclusiveness--of contemporary American culture."—Eve Ensler, author, The Vagina Monologues

"A book of stunning originality, tremendous visual flair and cinematic depth, Crossing the BLVD will forever change the way we think about our cities, our communities, our neighborhoods, our neighbors, and ultimately, our own backyards. It's as if we've all been invited to an enormous block party, where Lehrer and Sloan have personally introduced us to some of their most fascinating neighbors. By the end of the book, strangers somehow feel like friends, and the boulevard feels a lot like home."—Alan Berliner, filmmaker and media artist, The Family Album, Intimate Stranger, Nobody's Business

"Crossing the BLVD brims over with the energy, heart and spirit that went into creating this important work. A fitting tribute to the world it so lovingly documents..."—Dave Isay, documentary radio artist, Ghetto Life 101, The Sunshine Hotel, Witness to an Execution

"Lehrer/Sloan's fascinating book offers unique insights into the rich and combustible cauldron of cultures and ethnicities in the most diverse corner of America—Queens, New York. "Crossing reveals the impact of changes in immigration law through the oral histories of asylum seekers caught in the maze of mandatory detention, refugees fleeing war and persecution, and those who are pushed out of their countries struggling to recreate their lives. The significance of this extraordinary volume is that, ready or not, it provides a glimpse of the new America which is emerging."—Ron Daniels Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights

"BLVD brings alive the most polyglot place on the planet. One moment I am in the tiny one-bedroom of Bhutanese exiles, the next in the taxi of a philosopher-poet from Bombay, then with Renata the table tennis champ from the Czech National Team. An outstanding book on the new New York!"—John Kuo Wei Tchen, Historian, New York University and co-founder of the Museum of Chinese in the Americas