A suburb of Paris where a working‑class family lives frames many of the quotes. They contrast the city’s cultural pride with the idea that geography matters little, and they mention artistic struggles, from music to architecture. The voices also recall meeting famous people and feeling the weight of expectation.
![“[H]e could see the island of Manhattan off to the left. The towers were jammed together so tightly, he could feel the mass and stupendous weight.Just think of the millions, from all over the globe, who yearned to be on that island, in those towers, in those narrow streets! There it was, the Rome…” quote by Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/da9/tom-wolfe-2191_1980s_h-e-could-see-the-island-of-manhattan-of_2818713.jpg)
