Charm City

October 1, 2007
This is renowned novelist Bell's (English & creative writing, Goucher Coll. "All Soul's Rising") contribution to the "Crown Journeys" series. A longtime Baltimore resident, he provides a detailed tour of what became known as "Charm City" in 1974, thanks to a tourism campaign spearheaded by Baltimore's mayor, in which visitors were presented with a charm bracelet whenever they toured a historic site. The decaying downtown then began to attract more tourists, as well as businesses and residents. Baltimore is best known for baseball, crabs, and the grotesque yet good-natured films of John Waters. Bell takes the reader on a tour of the diverse city neighborhoods, one per chapter, pointing out his favorite small businesses and bars and restaurants that remain from earlier days, still giving the city so much character. In the chapter on the Dickeyville area, mystery writers Laura and David Simon lead Bell on a tour, pointing out landmarks from its 18th-century origins as a milling village and describing their childhood memories of its millstream and integrated school. Written with humor and affection, this book is more tribute than travel guide. Nonetheless, it will inspire many readers to wear out a pair of shoes following Bell's pathways, with stops for crabs and Orioles baseball. Recommended for public libraries and academic libraries with travel collections.Lisa N. Johnston, Sweet Briar Coll., VA

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2007
How did Baltimore, home of H. L. Mencken, Edgar Allen Poe, and John Waters, acquire the nickname Charm City? Strictly by design. In a rather desperate 1970s marketing ploy, the city decided to hand out charm bracelets to tourists. The fact that the charm offensive launched during a garbage strike is just one of many Baltimore oddities that please Bell. The author of many intense novels, including his extraordinary triptych about the Haitian Revolution and various nihilistic literary thrillers, some set in Baltimore, Bell is in a laid-back mood here, moseying through diverse neighborhoods in the city he has called home since the mid-1980s. As he walks, often with friends native to the city whose memories deepen his perceptions, he points out historic buildings, tells tales of Baltimores shipbuilding heyday and rowdy politics, traces the changes that have swept through ethnic enclaves, and profiles present-day denizens, particularly writers, musicians, cooks, and barkeeps. Conversational, bemused, and self-deprecating, Bell conveys Baltimores ambience with affection, if not passion, capturing the essence of its charm and expressing his gratitude for it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)