Book cover of Hollow City: The Siege of San Francisco and the Crisis of American Urbanism

Book description

California's Bay Area is home to nearly a third of the venture capital and internet businesses in the United States, generating a boom economy and a massive influx of well-paid workers that has transformed the face of San Francisco. Once the great anomaly among American cities, San Francisco is today…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Hollow City as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love this book because it was so ahead of its time. Written during San Francisco’s first bout of hyper-gentrification—the 1990s dot-com boom—it is a chronicle of and tribute to the economically marginal but culturally central communities that got squeezed out: SRO denizens, Black activists, and queer refugees from Middle America.

In this 2001 book, a yet-to-be-discovered Solnit, in league with photographers Susan Schwartzenberg and Kate Joyce, records it all through the bulldozed and whitewashed spaces where these urbanites once lived. Most indelible is Joyce’s photo essay on San Francisco Starbucks outlets, each with a line below marking the storefront’s…

From Daniel's list on read cities unconventionally.

If you love Hollow City...

Book cover of Born to be Brave: My 56 Hour Battle for my Life in the Olympic National Forest

Born to be Brave by Stephanie Lincoln,

On August 8, 2020, 40-year-old Stephanie Lincoln seemingly had the perfect life. She just had the wedding of her dreams, owned a successful business, and was traveling the country in an RV with her husband and 3 dogs. An innocent choice to go on a short hike in the Olympic…

Want books like Hollow City?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Hollow City.

Browse books like Hollow City

Book cover of The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power
Book cover of Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York
Book cover of Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Hollow City, you might also like...

Book cover of Sea Sagas of the North: Travels and Tales at Warming Waters

Sea Sagas of the North by Jules Pretty,

Sea Sagas of the North is about story and transformation.

Story is a simple device common to every human culture. Put simply, the patterns of good story match the shapes of our lives. Story was once tales told at every flickering fireside, the children’s faces upturned and wide-eyed. Now it…

Book cover of Idol Pursuits: Complete Edition

Idol Pursuits by Robert Rioux,

Think how tough it is to reach adulthood in today's complicated world. Now imagine doing so in front of a global audience. That's what growing up in show business is like. Every youthful mistake laid bare for all to see. Malefactors looking to ensnare the naive at any turn. Each…

5 book lists we think you will like!