Best Books of the Year, NPR
Top Ten Art Books of the Year, Booklist
Top Ten Architecture Books of the Year, World Architecture
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction
"A powerful and all too rare biography of the making of a female public intellectual. . . . Thrilling."–
Fresh Air (NPR) "Kanigel has written the definitive Jacobs biography . . . in prose that is as lively as her own." –
The Washington Post "Sparkling. . . . Magisterial. . . . An exhaustively researched, beautifully rendered tale, revealing the human contours of a vigorous, original mind." –
Minneapolis Star Tribune "A portrait emerges of an independent heroine who stepped into an arena dominated by men. She was Betty Friedan, Rachel Carson, and Erin Brockovich all rolled into one." –
Boston Globe "[Kanigel delivers] fast-paced and nuanced storytelling in a crisp prose style that engages the reader. . . . This most complete biography of Jane Jacobs to date is a treat to read." –
The New York Journal of Books "Zestfully illuminating and entertaining . . . Kanigel's delight in his subject . . . shimmers on every page." –
Booklist (starred review)
"[Jane Jacobs] was great, and Kanigel gives her the great biography she deserves." –Edward Glaeser,
The American Scholar
