Lisa Goff is a member of the Department of English and of the American Studies Program at the University of Virginia.
Lisa Goff's Shantytown, USA is not your ordinary American
Studies cuppa joe. But it's one of those books you might pick up in
a loose-change moment of curiosity and find yourself utterly unable
to put down because it's so unexpected, so smart, so good.
-- Dana D. Nelson * American Literary History *
In her broadly researched debut book, Goff traces the history of
shanties in America, beginning with Thoreau's famous cabin on
Walden Pond. * Kirkus Reviews *
Goff's book excavates the long, untold history of American
shantytowns from their emergence in the 1820s to the present day,
providing a vivid look at an easily overlooked yet omnipresent and
consequential American urban phenomenon. Her engaging work reveals
much about the working poor, urban growth, and changing ideas about
public space. -- William A. Gleason, author of Sites Unseen:
Architecture, Race, and American Literature
Lisa Goff guides us energetically and engagingly through the
shanties and shantytowns of the United States. These ubiquitous,
ever-present settlements have rarely attracted more than a passing
glance and quick condemnation from outsiders. Goff's prodigious
detective work and empathy restore a significant corner of the
American landscape to our view and our understanding. -- Dell
Upton, Professor of Art History, University of California, Los
Angeles
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