October Virtual Book Club

The October Book Club will feature Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill: Alexander Hamilton’s Old Harlem Neighborhood Through the Centuries by Davida Siwisa James.

Discover the neighborhood where Alexander Hamilton built his country home, George Gershwin wrote his first hit, a young Norman Rockwell discovered he liked to draw, and Ralph Ellison wrote Invisible Man. By telling the history of its vibrant people and the beautiful architecture of this lovely, well-maintained historic landmark district, Davida Siwisa James dispels the misconception that Harlem was primarily a ghetto wasteland. The book touches upon The Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance artists and luminaries who called it home, such as Thurgood Marshall, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, Paul Robeson, and W.E.B. Du Bois.

Through words and pictures, Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill traces the transition of this picturesque section of Harlem from lush farmland in the early 1600s to its urban growth highlighted by stunning architecture, Harlem Renaissance gatherings, the development of its arts institutions, and the gothic spires and renown of City College.

The author brings to compelling literary life the unique residents and dwelling places of this West Harlem neighborhood, bordering Washington Heights, that stands at the heart of the country’s founding. We learn of the long-lost history of the Hamilton family home, the Grange, in the aftermath of Alexander Hamilton’s death to its current federal landmark status. Follow the building boom from 1885 to 1930 that made it a historic and architecturally unique neighborhood. The book also shares the story of the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest surviving residence and famously known as George Washington’s headquarters at the start of the American Revolution after the Battle of Harlem Heights. Then there is the fascinating history of the 8,200 square foot Romanesque mansion that James A. Bailey of Barnum & Bailey built in 1888.

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Davida Siwisa James is a Philly native and has lived in New York City, L.A., and St. Thomas, USVI. She has a BA in English from UCLA and attended Penn State Dickinson Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She has been a university public relations director, performing arts marketing director and a freelance journalist for the twice Pulitzer Prize-winning Virgin Islands Daily News. Her other published works include her memoir The South Africa of His Heart, Life in Brief, a book of short stories, essays and poems and Senior Services for the Financially Challenged.

Saturday, October 19th | 4:00 pm Eastern
FREE via Zoom. Registration required >>

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Order the book HERE.

You may also purchase the book directly through Fordham University Press using the discount code AHAS25-FI (expires 12/31/2024), which provides 25% discount and free shipping on the hardcover ($26.21 after discount) or an e-book for only $9.99.