New Books Network Terry Williams, "Life Underground: Encounters with People Below the Streets of New York" (Columbia UP, 2024)
Jan 26, 2026
Terry Williams, sociologist and ethnographer at The New School, spent decades living alongside people sheltering in Manhattan’s tunnels. He recounts discovering hidden subterranean communities and the physical spaces they inhabited. Short, vivid stories explore daily survival, informal work like can-collecting, shifting public attitudes, and the pathways between underground life and topside housing.
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Two-Decade Ethnography Of Tunnel Life
- Terry Williams followed a man nicknamed the Lord of the Tunnel, Bernard Monte Isaac, over two decades to document underground life.
- He collected journals, tape recordings, photographs, and counted residents to build a deep ethnography.
Dark, Constrained Physical Environment
- Riverside Park's tunnels were dark, maze-like spaces with alcoves and unseen hazards that shaped daily life underground.
- The physical setting forced residents to improvise shelter, navigate surveillance, and prioritize basic needs like water and food.
Makeshift Neighborhood And Named Dwellings
- Former track workers' bunkers, tents, lean-tos, and makeshift shelters composed the tunnel neighborhood.
- Williams describes specific residents like Blue Tent and a Cuban-made lean-to called Cubano Arms as vivid examples.
