After twenty years as a foreign correspondent in tumultuous locales including Rwanda, Chechnya, and Sudan, Judith Matloff is ready to put down roots and start a family. She leaves Moscow and returns to her native New York City to house-hunt for the perfect spot while her Dutch husband, John, stays behind in Russia with their dog to pack up their belongings. Intoxicated by West Harlems cultural diversity and, more important, its affordability, Judith impulsively buys a stately fixer-upper brownstone in the neighborhood.Little does she know whats in store. Judith and John discover that their dream house was once a crack den and that fixer upper is an understatement. The building is a total wreck: The beams have been chewed to dust by termites, the staircase is separating from the wall, and the windows are smashed thanks to a recent break-in. Plus, the housecrowded with throngs of brazen drug dealersforms the bustling epicenter of the cocaine trade in the Northeast, and heavily armed police regularly appear outside their door in pursuit of the thugs and crackheads who loiter there. Thus begins Judith and Johns odyssey to win over the neighbors, including Salami, the menacing addict who threatens to take over their house; MacKenzie, the literary homeless man who quotes Latin over morning coffee; Mrs.

LaDuke, the salty octogenarian and neighborhood watchdog; and Miguel, the smooth lieutenant of the local drug crew, with whom the couple must negotiate safe passage. Its a far cry from utopia, but its a start, and they do all they can to carve out a comfortable life. And by the time they experience the birth of a son, Judith and John have even come to appreciate the neighborhoods rough charms.Blending her finely honed reporters instincts with superb storytelling, Judith Matloff has crafted a wry, reflective, and hugely entertaining memoir about community, home, and real estate. Home Girl is for anyone who has ever longed to go home, however complicated the journey.Advance Praise for Home GirlAlthough I always suspected that renovating a house in New York City would be a slightly more harrowing undertaking than dodging bullets as a foreign correspondent, it took this charming story to convince me it could also be more entertaining. Except for the plumbing. Thats one adventure I couldn't survive.

Michelle Slatalla, author of The Town on Beaver CreekAfter years of covering wars overseas, Judith Matloff takes her boundless courage and inimitable style to the front lines of Americas biggest city. From her vantage point in a former crack house in West Harlem, she brings life to a proud community held hostage by drug dealers and forgotten by policy makers. Matloffs sense of humor, clear reportage, and zest for adventure never fail. Home Girl is part gritty confessional, part love story, and totally delightful.Bob Drogin, author of CurveballHere the American dream of home ownership takes on the epic dimensions of the modern pioneer in a drug-riddled land. Matloffs story, which had me crying and laughing, is a portrait of a household and a community, extending far beyond the specifics of West Harlem to the universalas all well-told stories do.Martha McPhee, author of LAmericaFrom the Hardcover edition.