"New York Did What It Does To People"

"There's a great quote in the latest Philip Roth book (Exit Ghost)," Mayor Bloomberg announced during his State of the City Address. "'I came to New York,' the character says, 'and in only hours, New York did what it does to people — awakened the possibilities. Hope breaks out.'" But actually, as City Room points out, the book is pretty much not hopeful at all after that point, with the character leaving the city "more or less defeated." When asked if Mayor Bloomberg had actually read the book, his press secretary said he had not, but luckily, "he's read enough books to recognize a metaphor when he hears one... The Old Man and the Sea is not just about an old man and the sea." Looks like we've been schooled! [NYT City Room]