Confessions in Birdsong uses the East Baltimore neighborhood of Canton, Highlandtown and Fells Point. The renewal efforts of the 1980s rejuvenated these working class neighborhoods that are historically ethnic. After the first flush of building after the dollar house program turned decrepit shells into trendy rowhomes for young professionals, the fervor died and a mix of social classes was left behind. The streets that Eleanor Birdsong Bramble wanders in her quest for identity show the evidence of poor and middle income classes coexisting, thriving family-run businesses, and the steady decay of some of the older institutions.
In East Baltimore, a walk like Eleanor takes can bring you into contact with college professors, artists, business owners, factory workers, the perennially unemployed and the homeless. Ethnic groups include a rich Hispanic neighborhood surrounding the Broadway Market on the way to Fells Point, the old Greek neighborhood east of Highlandtown, and an inter-sprinkling of Polish families who used to dominate Highlandtown and Canton. Today, the Brambles' neighborhood is so culturally diverse, it defies definition.
In East Baltimore, a walk like Eleanor takes can bring you into contact with college professors, artists, business owners, factory workers, the perennially unemployed and the homeless. Ethnic groups include a rich Hispanic neighborhood surrounding the Broadway Market on the way to Fells Point, the old Greek neighborhood east of Highlandtown, and an inter-sprinkling of Polish families who used to dominate Highlandtown and Canton. Today, the Brambles' neighborhood is so culturally diverse, it defies definition.