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This paper explores the topographical and socio-cultural developments during the Golden Age in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, three Beat Generation epicenters, which determined the deconstruction of traditional norms. Modifications at both city and society levels were represented by the emergence of countercultures, such as the Beat. The visibility received by urban problems, due to the increase in social demonstrations and activism, fostered the formation of a unified front that demanded equality and encouraged social and political movements, such as the Civil Rights and the Second Wave Feminism. The socio-political challenges which the American society was confronted with from the 1950s to the 1970s in these three cities, also reveal a few problems regarding the status of the Beats as well as of minorities in metropolises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma fiction was one of the most written types of literature in America in the wake of 9/11. Not a very popular genre due to the sensitive subject matter it can contain, the trauma of 9/11 contributed significantly to its resurgence, especially in New York. Jonathan Safran Foer is one of the youngest and also most talented writers in New York. Known for his daring and innovative style, his novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is unique among other works of its genre. It deals with multiple plotlines and different historical traumas presented against the backdrop of 9/11, concerning itself primarily with the victims of the tragedy and their attempts to reconstruct their lives. Moreover, it explores the ways in which different generations can come together and help each other overcome their respective traumas, emphasizing the importance of unity and solidarity between people of all ages and mindsets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]