Download PDF The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert A. Caro
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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert A. Caro
Download PDF The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert A. Caro
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Review
"Surely the greatest book ever written about a city." —David Halberstam"I think about Robert Caro and reading The Power Broker back when I was twenty-two years old and just being mesmerized, and I'm sure it helped to shape how I think about politics." —President Barack Obama "The most absorbing, detailed, instructive, provocative book ever published about the making and raping of modern New York City and environs and the man who did it, about the hidden plumbing of New York City and State politics over the last half-century, about the force of personality and the nature of political power in a democracy. A monumental work, a political biography and political history of the first magnitude." —Eliot Fremont-Smith, New York "One of the most exciting, un-put-downable books I have ever read. This is definitive biography, urban history, and investigative journalism. This is a study of the corruption which power exerts on those who wield it to set beside Tacitus and his emperors, Shakespeare and his kings." —Daniel Berger, Baltimore Evening Sun"Simply one of the best nonfiction books in English of the past 40 years . . . There has probably never been a better dissection of political power . . . From the first page . . . you know that you are in the hands of a master . . . Riveting . . . Superb . . . Not just a stunning portrait of perhaps the most influential builder in world history . . . but an object lesson in the dangers of power. Every politician should read it." —Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times "A study of municipal power that will change the way any reader of the book hereafter peruses his newspaper." —Philip Herrera, Time "A triumph, brilliant and totally fascinating. A majestic, even Shakespearean, drama about the interplay of power and personality." —Justin Kaplan "In the future, the scholar who writes the history of American cities in the twentieth century will doubtless begin with this extraordinary effort." —Richard C. Wade, The New York Times Book Review "The feverish hype that dominates the merchandising of arts and letters in America has so debased the language that, when a truly exceptional achievement comes along, there are no words left to praise it. Important, awesome, compelling--these no longer summon the full flourish of trumpets this book deserves. It is extraordinary on many levels and certain to endure." —William Greider, The Washington Post Book World"A modern Machiavelli's Prince." —The Guardian"One of the great biographies of all time . . . [by] one of the great reporters of our time . . . and probably the greatest biographer. He is also an extraordinary writer. After reading page 136 of his book The Power Broker, I gasped and read it again, then again. This, I thought, is how it should be done . . . One of the greatest nonfiction works ever written . . . Every MP, wonk and would-be wonk in Westminster has read [Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson], because they think it is the greatest insight into power ever written. They're nearly right: it's the second greatest after The Power Broker." —Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times "Apart from the book's being so good as biography, as city history, as sheer good reading, The Power Broker is an immense public service." —Jane Jacobs "Required reading for all those who hope to make their way in urban politics; for the reformer, the planner, the politician and even the ward heeler." —Jules L. Wagman, Cleveland Press"An extraordinary study of the workings of power, individually, institutionally, politically, and economically in our republic." —Edmund Fuller, The Wall Street Journal"Caro has written one of the finest, best-researched and most analytically informative descriptions of our political and governmental processes to appear in a generation." —Nicholas Von Hoffman, The Washington Post "This is irresistibly readable, an outright masterpiece and unparalleled insight into how power works and perhaps the greatest portrait ever of a world city." —David Sexton, The Evening Standard"Caro's achievement is staggering. The most unlikely subjects--banking, ward politics, construction, traffic management, state financing, insurance companies, labor unions, bridge building--become alive and contemporary. It is cheap at the price and too short by half. A milestone in literary and publishing history." —Donald R. Morris, The Houston Post"A masterpiece of American reporting. It's more than the story of a tragic figure or the exploration of the unknown politics of our time. It's an elegantly written and enthralling work of art." —Theodore H. White"A stupendous achievement . . . Caro's style is gripping, indeed hypnotic, and he squeezes every ounce of drama from his remarkable story . . . Can a democracy combine visionary leadership with effective checks and balances to contain the misuse of power? No book illustrates this fundamental dilemma of democracy better than The Power Broker . . . Indeed, no student of government can regard his education as complete until he has read it." —Vernon Bogdanor, The Independent"Irresistible reading. It is like one of the great Russian novels, overflowing with characters and incidents that all fit into a vast mosaic of plot and counterplot. Only this is no novel. This is a college education in power corruption." —George McCue, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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From the Inside Flap
For the sheer magnitude, depth and authority of its revelations, The Power Broker stands alone---a huge and galvanizing biography revealing not only the virtually unknown saga of one man's incredible accumulation of power, but the hidden story of the shaping (and mis-shaping) of New York through the past half-century. Robert Caro's monumental book makes public what few outsiders have known: that Robert Moses was the single most powerful man of our time in the City and in the State of New York. And in telling the Moses story, Caro both opens up to an unprecedented degree the way in which politics really happens--the way things really get done in America's City Halls and Statehouses--and brings to light a bonanza of vital new information about such national figures as Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt (and the genesis of their blood feud), about Fiorello La Guardia, John V. Lindsay and Nelson Rockefeller. But The Power Broker is first and foremost a brilliant multidimensional portrait of a man--an extraordinary man who, denied power within the normal framework of the democratic process, stepped outside that framework to grasp power sufficient to shape a great city and to hold sway over the very texture of millions of lives. We see how Moses began: the handsome, intellectual young heir to the world of Our Crowd, an idealist. How, rebuffed by the entrenched political establishment, he fought for the power to accomplish his ideals. How he first created a miraculous flowering of parks and parkways, playlands and beaches--and then ultimately brought down on the city the smog-choked aridity of our urban landscape, the endless miles of (never sufficient) highway, the hopelesssprawl of Long Island, the massive failures of public housing, and countless other barriers to humane living. How, inevitably, the accumulation of power became an end in itself. Moses built an empire and lived like an emperor. He was held in fear--his dossiers could disgorge the dark secret of anyone who opposed him. He was, he claimed, above politics, above deals; and through decade after decade, the newspapers and the public believed. Meanwhile, he was developing his public authorities into a fourth branch of government known as "Triborough"--a government whose records were closed to the public, whose policies and plans were decided not by voters or elected officials but solely by Moses--an immense economic force directing pressure on labor unions, on banks, on all the city's political and economic institutions, and on the press, and on the Church. He doled out millions of dollars' worth of legal fees, insurance commissions, lucrative contracts on the basis of who could best pay him back in the only coin he coveted: power. He dominated the politics and politicians of his time--without ever having been elected to any office. He was, in essence, above our democratic system. Robert Moses held power in the state for 44 years, through the governorships of Smith, Roosevelt, Lehman, Dewey, Harriman and Rockefeller, and in the city for 34 years, through the mayoralties of La Guardia, O'Dwyer, Impellitteri, Wagner and Lindsay, He personally conceived and carried through public works costing 27 billion dollars--he was undoubtedly America's greatest builder. This is how he built and dominated New York--before, finally, he was stripped of his reputation (by the press) and his power(by Nelson Rockefeller). But his work, and his will, had been done.
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Product details
Hardcover: 1336 pages
Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (July 12, 1974)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0394480767
ISBN-13: 978-0394480763
Product Dimensions:
6.5 x 2.5 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.7 out of 5 stars
348 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#9,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
This is one of those books that sticks with you. I sing its praises all the time. I just want to offer a practical suggestion for reading it because there is no kindle version (WHY???) and it is a backbreaking brick to lug around.This was a tip from New York Magazine on "How to read 'The Power Broker'": Buy a cheap paperback version, tear it into thirds, read one third at a time. When you finish you will love this book so much that you will probably want to buy a hardcover version to have on your shelf.
I was curious about Robert Moses because a biography of Jane Jacobs was recently published. She was instrumental in stopping the Lower Manhattan Freeway that Robert Moses wanted. This was a monumental accomplishment as Moses controlled all municipal building in NYC for years and had a stranglehold on power even over numerous mayors. It took Governor Nelson Rockefeller to unseat him.What I found fascinating was Moses’ expert manipulation of the system of government in NY which gave him a stranglehold on power for years. His accomplishments cannot be denied. It is clear no one else had the capacity to build as many freeways, bridges and public works as he did in 44 years.Ok, now to the book. Clearly Caro deserved a Pulitzer for this. The research and detail is masterful. Others may disagree but I found the book riveting and felt it only bogged down once in over 1000 pages. I would have liked more information about Moses’s family but it may have been trimmed since the book was whittled down considerably before publishing.I now understand how our politicians can become so wealthy while in office. It’s all about the deals. A great look into power within the halls of government.
Several years ago, in a Barnes & Noble, I randomly picked up the first volume of Caro's books on Lyndon Johnson. It turned out to be one of those book that you have to buy because you can't stop reading it. I worked ("worked" is not really the right word - it's no work to read these books) through the first three books, then, while waiting for the fourth, looked around for other books by Caro, which is how I found The Power Broker. But the printed volume is a brick - one of those concrete ones they use to build walls with. And astonishingly, (publisher please note) THERE IS NO KINDLE VERSION (publisher please note). So for purposes of reading, the book is an anchor to your reading chair - you can't haul it around without a knapsack, so you can't read it mobilely.Happily, the book is available in audiobook form, and that's how I'm reading it. Despite some of the flaws identified in the 3 Star ratings below (which contain helpful reviews - worth reading despite the ratings) in my opinion this is a five star book. A five star book, to me, is one that I hesitate to put down and can't wait to take up again.The audio version takes up nearly 60 hours. The narrator does a terrific job. But most people's normal reading speed is much greater than his narration speed, and in my view, a book this size should be read, not heard. If only as a public service, the publisher should Kindle this book.
Overall, a great book. At nearly 1200 pages, it weighs about 3-1/2 pounds, and is a bear to lug around on an airplane on vacation. Take my word for it, I lugged this thing all around the world, through Europe and the USA, what a mistake that was. Then I wound up leaving it a flight from DC to Portland last June, had to purchase another. arrrghghaghWith all due respect to Mr. Caro, even after 1167 pages, there is zero mention of Jane Jacobs and only passing reference to the fight over the lower Manhattan expressway. Meanwhile, this topic is discussed at length in part 7 of the Ric Burns' PBS television series documentary on New York, which even features Caro frequently as a commentator.I have also read all four volumes of Caro's LBJ biography. I enjoyed those more than this book. His writing style improved with the LBJ books. Power Broker gets a bit tedious, whereas the LBJ books were enthralling.
I bought this book a few years ago, I think on Amazon. It's around 1,200 pages and took forever to read at the rate of an hour a night. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. This is incredibly detailed, informative and is compelling reading. Mr. Caro did a magnificent job. I have a home library and I've read a lot of biographies. This is at the apex. It stands alone, above all others. I was incredibly impressed by the time I got to the end. And to this day, I still am.
As someone who has lived in New York City for many years, in a neighborhood Moses wanted to tear down to build a freeway, The Power Broker is a fascinating insight into the city in its current form. The reader will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for New York City and State because Moses was instrumental in much of the urban and park planning.If that was not enough, Robert Caro is a gifted and skilled writer and biographer. Moses is an interesting and important figure in New York history, but Caro's writing elevates him to an almost Machiavellian character. The sentences, pages, and chapters are beautifully written and are immensely gripping. This is both an academic study of a manCaro has admitted that he wishes he made this book longer. His editors at the time thought no body would read such a long book so they cut several chapters, including Moses's battles with Jane Jacobs. Despite that, the book is great. For the battle with Jacobs, turn to the many other books and documentaries about her. She is worth your time.I cannot recommend this book enough.
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