Book Club: Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants

Title: Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
Author: Robert Sullivan
Year of publication: 2004
Genre: Nonfiction
Setting: 

Premise:
Robert Sullivan went to a disused, garbage-filled alley in lower Manhattan to contemplate the city and its lesser-known inhabitants -- by observing the rat.  

Context:
During the year-long enterprise of Robert Sullivan, the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack take place (9/11/2001). The aftermath of the attacks logically disrupted activities in New York City, Sullivan's not being the exception. 

Characters: 
  • Robert Sullivan: author
  • John James Audubon: author of Birds of America.
  • David E. Davis: America's rodent control guru.
  • George Ladd: Lower East Side exterminator.
  • Derrick: homeless man in Theater Alley who claims he has trained the rats.
  • Randy Dupree: long-time director of New York's rat control program.
  • Jesse Gray: founder of the first Harlem Tenant Council.
  • Kit Burns: owner Sportsman's Hall and its rat pit (rat fights).
  • Henry Bergh: founder of ASPCA, closed down rat pits.
  • John DeLury: activist, president of a sanitation's workers union.
  • Walter "Sure Pop" Isaacsen: first known professional rat catcher in America.
  • Larry Adams: "the people's rat catcher".
  • Barry Beck: private pest control operator.
  • Bobby Corrigan: pest control pro.
  • Joseph Kinyoun: physician, central figure in the San Francisco plague.
  • Rupert Blue: public health official during San Francisco bubonic plague outbreak.
Character Map:


Plot Diagram:
Themes/Symbolism:


Based on the blurbs and title of the book, readers might expect most of the pages of the book to be dedicated to rat behavior. If that is the case, readers might be a bit disappointed to find out that, although certain information regarding animal behavior is present, most of the book spend time revisiting the history of rats in America, and more specifically, New York City. There also some anecdotal passages from Sullivan quest to study rats interspersed in the narrative.

First Words:
When I wrote the following account of my experiences with rats, I lived in an apartment building on a block filled with other apartment buildings, amidst the approximately eight million people in New York City, and I paid rent to a landlord that I never actually met-though I did meet the superintendent, who was a very nice guy.
Last Words:
But I know that if you look deep down into the darkness, even in a rat hole, there is some life down there, some fecund spark, like it or not.

Popularity: 

Data from LibraryThing

Awards/Honors:

Memorable Quotes:

Author's Biography:





Literary Links:




In the narrative, Sullivan cites Rats, Lice and History by Hans Zinsser. The other three books (The Rat: A Perverse Miscellany by Barbara Hodgson, More Cunning than Man: A Complete History of the Rat and its Role in Human Civilization by Robert Hendrickson, and Tales of a Rat-Hunting Man by D. Brian Plummer.) are three I have picked from several that are cited on the Notes section of the book. These three in particular seem to offer a lot more insight into rats than into history; although, be aware that Robert Sullivan mentions he stayed away from certain sections in The Rat: A Perverse Miscellany.

Beyond the lines
Adaptations:

The 2016 documentary horror film Rats directed by Morgan Spurlock was inspired by Sullivan's Book and it document rats' infestations in different cities in the world and human's attempt at exterminating them. Beware, this documentary is not recommended for those who do not like the sights of rats.

Book vs. Book: 
I have at least once heard someone call pigeons "the rats of the sky", so it seems fitting to have a Book vs Book between the rats of Robert Sullivan living in the ground and underground of New York City and the pigeons of Andrew Blechman flying around America and Europe.

Tasty Titles: 

Sullivan mentions in the book that mac and cheese is among rats' favorite foods. On this, rats are not very different from my own kids. One of the best mac and cheese I have ever tasted, I cooked following a recipe from MomOnTimeOut.com (recipe below). Make sure to keep any leftovers in the fridge, because...rats!

Six Word Review: 
Chronicle of New York City's rats
Rambling Words:




Locations 
  • Edens and Ryders Alley: An L-shaped alley appears in maps of New York City as far back as 1776. Ryders Alley most likely owe its name to a prominent barrister John Rider who lived in this lane around the 1600s and commissioned its pavement. In the late 1700s, another prominent figure, Medcef Eden, lived in this lane and owed most of the properties in it. The alley was known as Ryders Alley until 1833 when the section facing Gold Street was renamed Edens Alley. In the early 1900s, the name for the complete L-shaped alley reverted to Ryders alley. In 2001, the Downtown Alliance re-renamed the shorter section facing Gold Street Edens Alley.
  • Theater Alley: Used to be the center of Theater District in the early 19th century. Today, the street is an almost forgotten back alley, and the place where Sullivan met Derrick, a homeless man who claimed to have trained the rats in Theater Alley. Right outside Theater Alley, at 15 Anne Street, used to be located the oldest bookstore in New York City dating from 1894: Mendoza Book Company (closed in 1990).

Bookstore on Location:
Just 4 walking minutes away from Ryders/Eden's Alley is McNally Jackson Books. With their wide selection of titles, it might be possible to purchase Rats and read a few pages in the alley where Sullivan spent his nights observing rats. We warn you it might not exactly be what you envision as reading ambiance. Also, watch out for these pesky rodents!

Bibliotherapy: 


The Cover Story:

The clever design for the book shows us a map of the Manhattan peninsula in the shape of a big rat.


Book Candy:


Our Review:

Discussion Questions:
(Questions by OprahDaily.com)

General Book Club Questions

1. What was your favorite part of the book?

2. What was your least favorite?

3. Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn?

4. Which scene has stuck with you the most?

5. What did you think of the writing? Are there any standout sentences?

6. Did you reread any passages? If so, which ones?

7. Would you want to read another book by this author?

8. Did reading the book impact your mood? If yes, how so?

9. What surprised you most about the book?

10. How did your opinion of the book change as you read it?

11. If you could ask the author anything, what would it be?

12. How does the book's title work in relation to the book's contents? If you could give the book a new title, what would it be?

13. Is this book overrated or underrated?

14. Did this book remind you of any other books?

15. How did it impact you? Do you think you'll remember it in a few months or years?
16. Would you ever consider re-reading it? Why or why not?

17. Who do you most want to read this book?

18. Are there lingering questions from the book you're still thinking about?

19. Did the book strike you as original?

Nonfiction Questions

1. Did this book make you want to explore the subject matter more?

2. What were your impressions on the author's style? Did you find the book easy to read, or a slog?

3. Of all the information presented in the book, what has stayed you the most?

4. What did you Google while reading the book?

5. Did you agree with the author's conclusions? Where did you deviate?