The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City [Paperback]

The images and situations are both fascinating and horrifying. Toth bravely descends into the depths of the underground, seeking out people and their stories. Her journey is an amazing one; fraught with danger at every turn from enemies both real and imagined, into the very depths of society. We are given glimpses into the dark netherworld of addiction and mental illness, and in investigating and telling these stories, she manages to never be exploitative; rather, the author lets the reader decide for themselves. We are shown that even in the darkest depths, the human spirit perseveres. Entire communities exist beneath the streets, sometimes quite elaborately, with designated leaders, teachers, and in one case, even a registered nurse. These people are society's rejects and by their own testament, many of them choose to exist in this dark world. They all have their own reasons for living this way; some bear witness to terrifying tales of lifetimes of abuse, others the horrors of addiction. And yet, within these battered souls, there remains a degree of dignity, at least for some. These people are survivors in the truest sense of the word. How many of us aboveground in the so-called civilized world would be able or willing to forage in dumpsters or catch rats the size of small dogs for food? This isn't to say that there aren't some very dangerous people living the subterranean life - along the way, we are introduced to petty tyrants who rule their little communities with violence and fear, as well as a darkly disturbed young man who believes himself to be Satan; a young man that even the police fear. We meet several women, and their stories are often the most horrifying. Many of the women interviewed have come from abusive lives, and they seem to know little else; hooking up with profoundly violent, abusive men in order to be 'safe,' often at the expense of their hearts, souls, and sometimes their lives. Jungle law seems to prevail in this world - while rape and other sexual violence does exist in the tunnels, it is not restricted to women by any measure. In this underground world, most people are either predators or prey. I did learn, to my dismay, that many social and outreach programs are wastes of both time and money, that scared cops often beat and brutalize the underground homeless for little reason, and that youth gangs often descend into the tunnels to beat, rob, and even set fire to people whose only wish is to live quietly in the dark without disturbing anyone.

I'm not sure what I was looking for in this book...verification of C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) legends, tales of desperation that would make my life seem great in comparison, or just a better understanding of the human condition. I found that in many cases, these people are little different than the rest of us, and perhaps that's where it got really scary. Many of the people interviewed were once like many of us; one or two paychecks from disaster. It is clear that Ms. Toth bears some scars from her experiences in the tunnels - I admire the efforts she took to investigate the subterranean world and share her findings with us. I have heard that some people's only complaint with this book is that it didn't end on a hopeful note. I think Ms. Toth should be applauded for not candy-coating the stories and ending on a false note with this endeavor because in the real world, there are no easy solutions. Many of the people existing in the tunnels have traveled some very twisted roads to arrive where they have, and no amount of feel-good social programs or religious outreaches are going to find the answers to all the questions raised in this book. Instead, we are forced to take a hard look inside ourselves and realize that we're all in this together, and that simple kindness and compassion are the greatest gifts we can offer.

The real fact is - there are no freaks of nature running around underground (no more so than above) and there are no lost/hidden/unused/subterranean stations which now serve as luxury accommodations for societies of Mole People.

BUT (here is the kicker) NO ONE WOULD READ A BOOK THAT SPOKE ABOUT THE REALITY- it is far more interesting to create a world that taps on our imagination (i.e.: conspiracy theory)

So much of the book is inaccurate or false, it makes me question what is real and what isn't. For an analysis of the book and conversations with the author which uncover her lack of credibility- see the following links<...