What readers think of The Race Underground, plus links to write your own review.

An interesting account of what was involved in determining the best means of implementing an effective rapid transit system and its locomotion in two late Nineteenth Century major East Coast cities.

Most does a commendable job in outlining the individual differences between the Whitney brothers, their approaches in building a subway system in Boston and New York, and the trials and tribulations each faced in achieving his respective goals. It was truly a rivalry and a race to be first.

Overall, a good look into the creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance of the American imagination and spirit.

This book is one for the history buffs.

The Race to the Underground is about more than becoming the first U.S. city to create a subway system. It is part history, part biography and part travel book. 2 brothers, plus a cast load of famous and not so famous fill up the pages in this book about New York and Boston. It was interesting history about a mode of transportation that I have never thought that much about. I don't live in a city with a subway, so the next time I actually ride in one, I will be thinking about how much work and thought goes into something people take for granted. I think if you like some history with travel writing, you will enjoy this book.

Being a Bostonian by birth, this book was most interesting. I might have called it the complete history of transportation of NY and Boston through the invention of the subway in the US. But I am not the author. It was enjoyable and educational.

I never really thought about why or how mass transit came into being. It is hard to believe that cities were that congested in the late nineteenth century. Little did I know, the Race Underground awakened a rich part of both Boston and New York's history that lead to the building of the underground subways. It was fascinating to learn about the thought process of how they determined what would be the best way to build the subway. I also found it interesting that both Boston and New York did not want to privatize their mass transit systems.
It is hard to believe that tunnels built over a hundred years ago still function today. It is a testament to the workmanship that I don't believe we see any more.
Doug Most did an extraordinary job of researching and detailing out in a thoroughly readable book.

With The Race Underground, the author has taken a subject that most people would simply take for granted and set it within the cultural, economic, scientific and social framework surrounding various historical periods in America's history. I really enjoy "accessible" history, and I liked this book. Not only is it informative, but it also weaves in the story of regular people aside from those whose financial backing and engineering talents made the subways possible. It's also easy enough to understand that it should be accessible to high school students, people who may be interested in the topic but are not really history buffs, and people who have an interest in urban history. Recommended.

Should be especially interesting to people who have lived in New York or Boston. Excellent detail of the times and processes that led to the building of the underground. Good historical fiction

Rode the NYC subway every weekday for many years. Never thought about what went into the construction. This book is a very readable and entertaining history of that construction. I also think that pictures would have enhanced it. If you enjoyed The Devil in White City you will enjoy this. I will recommend it to my book group as a selection for next year.

It's the early 20th century. We are in New York City and the city lacks public transportation. Can you imagine what it was like to travel from one place to another? There were a few motor cars (very few), carts, horses and their droppings, bicycles, baby carriages, and the only form of public transportation was privately owned trolley cars which could only move at a snail's pace because of the congestion. Oh, I forgot to mention pedestrians from the numerous boroughs in the city. The Washington Bridge was just being built. Under these conditions a few brilliant engineers and architects conceived the idea of tunneling under the city streets to build a railway system. Ditto the same situation in Boston, Massachusetts and you have a race to end all races. People say "nessessity is the mother of all invention" and nowhere is this euphemism more appropriate. These inventors were relentless in their pursuit to provide their city with clean and safe public transportation for the burgeoning population, all the time battling the infamous Tweed politicians and bureaucratic city government. Boston had similar problems, just different people in a different place. The ideas that these men put into action and their foresight into bringing economic prosperity to their cities is unbelievable. What a history lesson on American ingenuity. This book is a must read!