The Power Broker
Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Robert A. Caro
This Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Power Broker, uncovers the untold story behind the shaping (and mis-shaping) of 20th-century New York City and State. Robert Moses, the single most powerful man of his time in New York, led urban renewal efforts with a political machine that was virtually the fourth branch of government. By mobilizing banks, contractors, labor unions, insurance firms, and even the press and the Church, Moses created an empire, living like an emperor and completing public works costing $27 billion. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the inner workings of power in American cities.
Publish Date
1975-07-12T00:00:00.000Z
1975-07-12T00:00:00.000Z
first published in 1974
Goodreads Rating
4.46
ISBN
9780394720241
Categories
Recommendations
5
Recommendations
2022-05-09T07:27:07.000Z
If you’re interested in politics & cities, beg, borrow, steal to see this play. The Robert Caro book on which it’s based (“The Power Broker”) was a big influence on me as Transport Secretary on how to get things done. Except he wanted roads, I did railways – source2021-02-20T23:32:36.000Z
@FeargalORourke I read the first 2 LBJs yonks ago-but tbh I love The Power Broker the most as a book. It's such a study in power. – source2021-06-23T23:21:29.000Z
If you want to understand how New York got to be New York - especially the Built Environment and Politics - these two books are a great pairing; a significant investment in time but they’re worth it. – source2022-12-31T18:40:43.000Z
📚 My favorite books
These are not the most-influential or most-important books of all time [at least not all of them] — just the ones I like the most; or the most-important to me.
I have almost certainly forgotten a whole bunch. – source