The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
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- Create Date：2023-01-02 17:21:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert A. Caro
- ISBN：B0BRD9MM74
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Reviews
Will Graham Tyler
，
Got 90% of the way through this as an audio book and never circled back to finish it。 Amazing piece of biographical research and writing。 Really interesting insight into how to take and wield power。 Also just an excellent character portrayal。 Don't think I would slog through this in print， but deep admiration for the work that went into this and I generally enjoyed it。 Got 90% of the way through this as an audio book and never circled back to finish it。 Amazing piece of biographical research and writing。 Really interesting insight into how to take and wield power。 Also just an excellent character portrayal。 Don't think I would slog through this in print， but deep admiration for the work that went into this and I generally enjoyed it。 。。。more
Jenni
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This book was wild。 This person I’d never heard of who did so much to shape what NYC is like still today， for good and in many ways bad。 I wouldn’t say I like Robert Moses at all after reading this， but I did find it fascinating。
Jayme
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A must-read book on political power， the quest for power， and how power consumes。 A flawless tome。
Carly
，
Phenomenally well-written。 Quite an education。 Will be reading again。
Grace Casey
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4。5
Liam Woods
，
An epic， loved this shite。 Will change the way you think about civic life。
Jeremy Booty
，
Earlier this year， the New York Times reported that Robert Caro had donated his notes to the Museum of the City of New York。 Prominent in the article was mention of this book。 This is the story of Robert Moses， a man who shaped the physical structure of New York City more than any other。 That， in and of itself would make him a worthy topic。 But there are other， more important parts of this book that， after having been in print nearly 50 years， make it essential reading for any voter， any consume Earlier this year， the New York Times reported that Robert Caro had donated his notes to the Museum of the City of New York。 Prominent in the article was mention of this book。 This is the story of Robert Moses， a man who shaped the physical structure of New York City more than any other。 That， in and of itself would make him a worthy topic。 But there are other， more important parts of this book that， after having been in print nearly 50 years， make it essential reading for any voter， any consumer of news and for that matter anyone who pays even a dime in taxes。The Power Broker reveals how Robert Moses was reared by a powerful， domineering woman to be her psychic doppelgänger， how early traits and patterns of behavior carried on through his life and how he managed to put his hands on the levers of power and kept them there for decades without ever having successfully attained elective office。 He was more powerful than all of the mayors and most of the governors under which he ostensibly served。 He spent billions of the public's money on building projects which led to an actual decline in the quality of life for the people who used them for decades to come。 More than just history， this is the story of how our democracy works behind the scenes， even now。 While Moses had control over the New York papers， most especially the New York Times， today's leaders shape how the new is presented on CNN， Fox News and MSNBC and yes， also the New York Times。 The idea that bias in the media is a product of the late 20th and early 21st century is a false one。The failure of the media to really obtain information to coroborate the information they are being fed by their favorite sources was as bad then too。。 Money and who gets it controlled public policy then and controls it today。 One need only look closely at the Pandemic Relief bills and Infrastructure bill to see that this is so。 What makes this book unique is Caro's thoroughness and fairness in writing this story。 It is clear he does not much like what Moses did。 However， he gives as much play to his achievements as his failures。 He interviewed anyone who might possibly have knowledge of important facts including Moses' brother， his Yale classmates， and his underlings。 He is other words let the facts tell the story rather than molding the facts to what he thought the story should be。 At over a thousand pages reading this took a while but well worth the effort。 This book stands up and is more valuable to read now than when it was published。 。。。more
Anshuman
，
I’m doing something quite unusual with this review。 I’m writing it out even before I’ve finished the book。 That’s because this is quite possibly the greatest book I’ve ever read。 Monumental in scope， it’s ostensibly about one man and how his vision shaped and corrupted one of the great cities of the modern world。 Caro describes his subject， Robert Moses as an elemental force which reshaped a Continent。 More God than man。 But that’s just about scratching the surface of the scope of this book。 The I’m doing something quite unusual with this review。 I’m writing it out even before I’ve finished the book。 That’s because this is quite possibly the greatest book I’ve ever read。 Monumental in scope， it’s ostensibly about one man and how his vision shaped and corrupted one of the great cities of the modern world。 Caro describes his subject， Robert Moses as an elemental force which reshaped a Continent。 More God than man。 But that’s just about scratching the surface of the scope of this book。 The reader will certainly grow to hate and admire Robert Moses in equal measure。 There’s a chapter in the book which is quite literally about the construction of 1 mile of an expressway。 It is astonishingly and unexpectedly emotional。 Caro writes with the precision of a journalist and the pathos of a poet。 I never thought it’s possible for a book about city planning to move one to tears。 This is the only book in history which can manage that feat 。。。more
Alex Go
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This may be one of the greatest books I have ever read。 I had heard of Robert Moses before， but had never realized the extent of his influence， power， and wrongdoings。 Caro doesn't shy away from any of it。 He reveals to us all the struggles and triumphs of myth， but doesn't glorify it。 He is always sure to portray Moses with anecdotes from those closes to him--a hard working builder， who stops at nothing to achieve his vision; an idealist， full of dreams， corrupted by power; and of course， an ar This may be one of the greatest books I have ever read。 I had heard of Robert Moses before， but had never realized the extent of his influence， power， and wrongdoings。 Caro doesn't shy away from any of it。 He reveals to us all the struggles and triumphs of myth， but doesn't glorify it。 He is always sure to portray Moses with anecdotes from those closes to him--a hard working builder， who stops at nothing to achieve his vision; an idealist， full of dreams， corrupted by power; and of course， an arrogant racist， deadset on his ways。It is almost hard to believe that all of the events that happened in this book actually happened， because of how well Caro wrote and researched this。 It reads like a novel--each character as fleshed out and each background story as well-explored as any fantasy novel I had read previously。 Yet every other line is backed by research--quotes and annecdotes by people who knew and worked with him。I think this may have hit even closer to home， because I had recently moved to the city where this was all taking place。 Caro talked about back handed deals to construct each parkway， park， and building development。 Many of which were places that I would pass by on a daily basis; many more are places that I now want to visit。 This has forever changed my understanding of politics and bureaucracy。 And I feel a decade older from all the insights that I have gleaned from these pages。 This should be required reading for anyone and everyone。 It is a bit long （probably the longest book I have read thus far）， but I promise once it ends， you will be left wanting more。I leave you one of the most badass quotes describing Moses's abuse of power: "Using the vast wealth of his public authorities， he made himself the ward boss of the highest precincts， the bank roller of the inner circle， the dancing master of the Four Hundred of politics。 And he held his district for 30 years。" 。。。more
J。 Fakename
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A bit long！ Hell of an audiobook to return to after dropping off over a year ago。 Wish Caro had written an Al Smith bio instead of focusing on Long John Johnson。
Britty Kitty
，
When you start the book， you think Robert is the protagonist of the story。。。。but over time you realize， no。。。。he's not。 Every manipulative trick RM used is so reminiscent of things DJT has done and is currently still doing that it makes me wonder if someone like Roy Cohn learned his tricks from Moses。 Roy Cohn then passed on those tactics to Roger Stone and DJT。。。。OK， I was not crazy。。。 see this 1985 NYT article， who - don't forget， was absolutely complicit in making sure that Robert Moses was p When you start the book， you think Robert is the protagonist of the story。。。。but over time you realize， no。。。。he's not。 Every manipulative trick RM used is so reminiscent of things DJT has done and is currently still doing that it makes me wonder if someone like Roy Cohn learned his tricks from Moses。 Roy Cohn then passed on those tactics to Roger Stone and DJT。。。。OK， I was not crazy。。。 see this 1985 NYT article， who - don't forget， was absolutely complicit in making sure that Robert Moses was praised and never criticized。 I feel like they do the same today， with having Maggie Haberman on staff， building up and trying to hide dirt for DJT。 https://www。nytimes。com/1985/04/28/ma。。。EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE:Real estate is to New York what oil is to Dallas。 And， as a 38-year-old wildcatter， Donald Trump is one of this city's most successful deal makers。''Defining power in this age is certainly different than it was 25 years ago，'' says Mr。 Trump。 ''Things were done less delicately。 You used to be able to bull something through， but power today is much tougher to achieve。''Certainly nobody now possesses the power of a Robert Moses。 A quarter-century ago， Mr。 Moses held， all at once， the positions of chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and the State Power Authority， parks commissioner and city construction coordinator。 If he was not above the law， it was because he would have new laws drafted to justify his ends and his means。 Without popular consent， he managed to uproot tens of thousands of people to build some of New York's greatest public projects。However noble his goals， by his arrogant exercise of power Mr。 Moses virtually guaranteed that nobody would command such power again。 It was the same with other powerful officials of his era。 Voters rebelled; the processes of government were amended to make them less susceptible to secret manipulation。 Public officials， more accountable and less independent， could no longer steamroll their pet projects。-------So yeah， does it surprise you that DJT basically tried to use RM's playbook？ Funny that everytime RM ran for office， he was so fking unlikeable。。。。 but when Trump did it， assholes slurped up that hate and celebrated it。 UGH。 。。。more
Anthony Colozza
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This was a really long book。 It does however， hold your interest throughout but seems as though it could have been shortened a bit to make it less of a commitment to read。 Anyway， I made it through and found it really interesting。 I knew little about Robert Moses before reading this book。 Just the basic common knowledge that he was a planner for NYC and was integral to parks such as central park。 But as the book documents in significant detail he was much more than that。 The book is well written This was a really long book。 It does however， hold your interest throughout but seems as though it could have been shortened a bit to make it less of a commitment to read。 Anyway， I made it through and found it really interesting。 I knew little about Robert Moses before reading this book。 Just the basic common knowledge that he was a planner for NYC and was integral to parks such as central park。 But as the book documents in significant detail he was much more than that。 The book is well written and lies somewhere between a biography and a textbook。 At times it seems to go into too much detail about what seem like minor items， but never seems boring and will keep you engaged。 The book does not generally paint a positive picture of Robert Moses。 This is more of a tell it like it is or was summary of Moses's life and at times definitely doesn't paint him in a positive light。 Moses did and produced a lot of good things that New Yorkers still enjoy today。 However， his means of producing them were ruthless at best。 He was egotistical and power driven as well as vengeful。 But got things accomplished in a way that few can match。 All in all the book is a story or lesson in the ramifications of the philosophy that the ends justify the means。 Which was pretty much Moses approach to solving any problem and accomplishing any goal。 。。。more
Matt Bennett
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There are library shelves full of reviews of this book， and the world doesn't need mine。 But as someone who inhales new Caro Johnson books the minute they arrive， it was bizarre that I waited this long to tackle his first masterpiece。 The impact， for good and ill， that Moses had on the city of New York and the lives of its citizens is absolutely impossible to overstate。 And so is the power of Robert Caro's thorough and devastating portrait of this genius， visionary， and monster。 There are library shelves full of reviews of this book， and the world doesn't need mine。 But as someone who inhales new Caro Johnson books the minute they arrive， it was bizarre that I waited this long to tackle his first masterpiece。 The impact， for good and ill， that Moses had on the city of New York and the lives of its citizens is absolutely impossible to overstate。 And so is the power of Robert Caro's thorough and devastating portrait of this genius， visionary， and monster。 。。。more
Sterling Hardaway
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this took a year and a half。 could certainly be shorter but the thoroughness is warranted for the impact（ some good and a lot very very bad） that Robert Moses had on New York City and state， parks， highways， environmental racism and the ripple effect of municipalities across the country copying and pasting his playbook of decimating rich cultural neighborhoods for the sake of big and vast highways。
Shalaj Lawania
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This has be my most ambitious reading attempt yet。 It also has to be one of the greatest non-fiction books I’ve ever read。What a monster of a book。 I took a year to finish this。 I decided to pick this up after I moved to New York City， in a foolish attempt to dive into this story's story。 My reading was frequently interrupted by the intricacies of creating a life here。 While I wasn’t happy about the delays to my reading goals， it allowed me to soak and link the material with the city I was explo This has be my most ambitious reading attempt yet。 It also has to be one of the greatest non-fiction books I’ve ever read。What a monster of a book。 I took a year to finish this。 I decided to pick this up after I moved to New York City， in a foolish attempt to dive into this story's story。 My reading was frequently interrupted by the intricacies of creating a life here。 While I wasn’t happy about the delays to my reading goals， it allowed me to soak and link the material with the city I was exploring daily。 For that， I would have it no other way。This book is daunting。 If 1，200+ pages don’t get you， then the density of information will。 If that doesn’t， then the author’s pedantry will。 Right at the beginning， I found it excessive - I wanted to dive into the meat as quickly as possible。 But it was crucial， and a lesson in endurance。This is not just a book about one of the most influential urban planners in the most influential city in the world。 It’s about the history of America in the 20th century。 It’s about the history of New York， its culture， its zeitgeist in every decade， its personality。 It’s about character of every Mayor and Governor of New York， and some US Presidents， including Fiorello LaGuardia， Franklin D。 Roosevelt， Al Smith and Nelson Rockefeller。 It’s about New York’s political machines， Tammany Hall and Public Authorities。 It’s about the development of all the parks， neighbourhoods， highways， bridges that make up New York City today。 It’s about power， raw power and the psychology of it， how it is acquired， how it fuels， how it feeds， how it consumes and how it always destroys。Robert Moses is just the catalyst for all those stories。I must drop a note for Robert Caro’s writing - it is not the easiest to read。 The vocabulary is a bit archaic and the sentences are often long and unwieldy。 But it was gripping - this had all the makings of a dull history book but Caro’s structure and prose that make it a powerful， engaging narrative。I had the pleasure of reading Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig last year and considered it one of the best biographies I had ever read。 I now have a new king。 。。。more
Jeff
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When I bought this book， the cashier said to me， "Good thing we don't sell books by the pound！" This massive book tells the story both of Robert Moses， probably the most powerful non-elected bureaucrat America has ever seen， and of the city of New York from it's heyday in the 1920s to it's decline in the 1960s and 70s。 Caro makes the case that Moses in many ways is responsible for both。 An urban planner who began as New York City Parks Commissioner， he eventually held so many chairmanships and c When I bought this book， the cashier said to me， "Good thing we don't sell books by the pound！" This massive book tells the story both of Robert Moses， probably the most powerful non-elected bureaucrat America has ever seen， and of the city of New York from it's heyday in the 1920s to it's decline in the 1960s and 70s。 Caro makes the case that Moses in many ways is responsible for both。 An urban planner who began as New York City Parks Commissioner， he eventually held so many chairmanships and commissioner posts that there was a time that almost nothing could get built in New York City without Moses' approval。 He started out as a visionary who had the support of reformers in the 20s and 30s， responsible for such landmarks as Jones Beach。 As he gained more power he was responsible for building an extensive series of highways and bridges around the five boroughs， many of which were needed and successful， but which also had side effects which destroyed neighborhoods and deepened urban blight throughout the city。 As Moses' plans became more controversial and drew more opposition， he worked tirelessly to amass more power and to bully anyone who stood in the way of his plans whether they were citizens， journalists or elected officials。 Finally， when in his 70s he attempted to push forward a plan to build an expressway through the heart of Manhattan， opposition galvanized to the point where he was pushed into retirement and the expressway was never built。 There are places in this very long book where the various plans and controversies are explained in extreme detail， to the point where your eyes start to glaze over。 But Caro quickly pulls you back into the narrative of an extremely complex man。 One who is responsible for both building New York City as we know it today， and for destroying once vibrant parts of the city。 A complex man who build monumental projects for the benefit of automobile transportation， yet who never learned to drive。 A complex man who valued family， yet worked 80 hours a week and rarely saw his family。 The book leaves the reader at times admiring Moses for his vision and ability to get things done， and at times becoming angry at the damage he caused to thousands， even millions of lives of New Yorkers。 This is a fascinating book， but it's not for everyone。 And it takes a fair commitment to see it through to the end。 But it is an engrossing narrative that will keep your interest until the end。 。。。more
Marsha Valance
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How a ruthless urban designer changed the landscape of New York City。 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography （1975）， Francis Parkman Prize （1975）， National Book Award Finalist for Contemporary Affairs （1975）。
Patrick
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I can't give this book 5 stars。 It can arguably lay claim to being the most deeply researched biography of all time--hence the 4 stars， but overall I found this book to be dreadfully uninteresting and wearisome， bloated with repetitive and superfluous anecdotes and side-stories。 I'm a huge fan of Caro's LBJ biographies， but less than a quarter of the way through this tome I realized that I couldn't have cared less about Transit Authorities， the Board of Estimates， and Park Commissions--or Robert I can't give this book 5 stars。 It can arguably lay claim to being the most deeply researched biography of all time--hence the 4 stars， but overall I found this book to be dreadfully uninteresting and wearisome， bloated with repetitive and superfluous anecdotes and side-stories。 I'm a huge fan of Caro's LBJ biographies， but less than a quarter of the way through this tome I realized that I couldn't have cared less about Transit Authorities， the Board of Estimates， and Park Commissions--or Robert Moses himself。 I doggedly trudged on， though， with tremendous anticipation for the day when I could at least brag that I finished the damn thing。 。。。more
Andrew Birkett
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Robert A。 Caro sets the bar for biographers and investigative reporting。 Although it is meticulously researched， it is so well written that it almost never feels cumbersome or overwhelming。 Robert Moses is certainly no saint， but he is a fascinating and， at times terrifying， example of a man's ability to exert his will on the world。 The perfect case study to learn how money， media， influence， power， politics， public policy and the individual intersect。 Robert A。 Caro sets the bar for biographers and investigative reporting。 Although it is meticulously researched， it is so well written that it almost never feels cumbersome or overwhelming。 Robert Moses is certainly no saint， but he is a fascinating and， at times terrifying， example of a man's ability to exert his will on the world。 The perfect case study to learn how money， media， influence， power， politics， public policy and the individual intersect。 。。。more
Aidan Owen
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A brilliant book， as everyone says。 But， honestly， could have been 300 pages shorter and even better。
Alex
，
Non Fiction November is done but I kept on plugging away and finished the audiobook of Robert Caro's The Power Broker。 The book that brought Caro to the forefront of attention， won the Pulitzer and allowed him to write the four （waiting on the fifth） volume The Years of Lyndon Johnson， which I finished earlier this year。 I'm officially a Robert Caro completist！ The failings of Robert Moses' approach to urban development are well documented so no need to repeat the exhaustive research and analysi Non Fiction November is done but I kept on plugging away and finished the audiobook of Robert Caro's The Power Broker。 The book that brought Caro to the forefront of attention， won the Pulitzer and allowed him to write the four （waiting on the fifth） volume The Years of Lyndon Johnson， which I finished earlier this year。 I'm officially a Robert Caro completist！ The failings of Robert Moses' approach to urban development are well documented so no need to repeat the exhaustive research and analysis the Caro brings to Moses' biography。 But what is most interesting and very disheartening lesson is that the glaring mistakes that Moses made regarding freeway construction at the expense of mass transit， promoting low density rather than high density development are being repeated here in Ontario， with our conservative government throwing everything into more freeways and suburban growth， strategies we know will be disasterous。 Nothing learned when the developers coming calling。Anyways， this feels like an accomplishment and I'm quite proud to have finished。 。。。more
Hugh
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This is a legit masterpiece。 A 1200 page biography of a brilliant， sociopath bureaucrat， sure， but also:- a deep dive into how modern NYC was made， and why a lot of it functions （or fails） as it does，- An epic character study on par with any classic gangster story （or Shakespeare for that matter）- A users manual for how democracy works and is subverted- A crash course in urban planning…and a lot more。 I couldn’t stop with this book。 Caro put seven years of work into this book， and it shows。 This This is a legit masterpiece。 A 1200 page biography of a brilliant， sociopath bureaucrat， sure， but also:- a deep dive into how modern NYC was made， and why a lot of it functions （or fails） as it does，- An epic character study on par with any classic gangster story （or Shakespeare for that matter）- A users manual for how democracy works and is subverted- A crash course in urban planning…and a lot more。 I couldn’t stop with this book。 Caro put seven years of work into this book， and it shows。 This is as well-researched and as anything you'll read。 Also as well-written。 Every significant player （literally dozens， over more than half a century） is so clearly drawn that even when they disappear for hundreds of pages， you don’t need a refresher when they show up again。 His writing style morphs throughout the book， adopting different narrative styles depending on the content， which keeps the book feeling fresh and prevents it from turning into a slog。 Just as you're getting overwhelmed with geography and dollars and political machinations， he shifts into the story of Moses and his siblings， which reads like a Victorian-era family drama。 Absolutely flawless。 After a full month with this book， I still wish there was more。 I don’t think there’s anyone I wouldn’t recommend this to。 。。。more
Mike
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It was interesting to hear about a man that was so influential in shaping the city of New York。 I greatly enjoyed hearing about how some of the major landmarks came to be as I visit there often， and it is frustrating to hear how politics have always been the same。 Overall though， this was a biography and I generally do not like biographies because it is all second hand or third hand information。 There is very little to say what Robert Moses was actually thinking。 Plus this was just very long。 I It was interesting to hear about a man that was so influential in shaping the city of New York。 I greatly enjoyed hearing about how some of the major landmarks came to be as I visit there often， and it is frustrating to hear how politics have always been the same。 Overall though， this was a biography and I generally do not like biographies because it is all second hand or third hand information。 There is very little to say what Robert Moses was actually thinking。 Plus this was just very long。 I feel like I could have gotten the gist with a couple hours of storytelling， but this one on for an impressive 30 hours at double speed。 There would be times when he was talking about family lineages， or characters with other marriages that seem only tangentially related to what was going on。 All of that could have been cut。 At the end I was ready for it to be over， but I am glad that I listened。 。。。more
Christopher J Finlayson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Like all of Caro’s books， The Power Broker is a masterpiece。 It treats every detail of the life of Robert Moses with reverence and paints a picture of the man is exquisite detail。 The book asks complicated questions about power， the use of power and the people who wield it。 The Power Broker is also a fascinating history of the construction of modern New York City。Here is a short summary of what I took away from reading The Power Broker:- Robert Moses leveraged his friendship with Al Smith， a sin Like all of Caro’s books， The Power Broker is a masterpiece。 It treats every detail of the life of Robert Moses with reverence and paints a picture of the man is exquisite detail。 The book asks complicated questions about power， the use of power and the people who wield it。 The Power Broker is also a fascinating history of the construction of modern New York City。Here is a short summary of what I took away from reading The Power Broker:- Robert Moses leveraged his friendship with Al Smith， a single and very powerful sponsor， to overcome organized opposition to his plans- Moses delivered parks， which were popular with the public， within a political term， which was its own source of power that made Moses untouchable， even by people who otherwise disliked him- Speed of accomplishment was as much a factor in Moses’s power as the accomplishments themselves， by getting early work done fast， he made sure projects would continue to get funded， each accomplishment built his reputation， giving him more power to pursue more projects， in a virtuous cycle- Moses used the press to popularize his accomplishments， creating a base of support- Moses was the best bill drafter in Albany because he took the time to learn all the rules and precedents， Al Smith also used detailed technical knowledge of legislation as a source of power， LBJ did the same with his knowledge of congressional procedures and the dynamics of every senator’s state- Moses built subtle language into his bills that insulated him from enemies m， and became a source of power， these were most useful when they were not discovered until long after a bill became law， where Moses was the only one to understand their implications until they were used - Politicians have long memories when punishing disloyalty， this is necessary as a credible threat to potential defectors to hold together loose coalitions of ambitious people- A subordinate who can bring full solutions to a busy boss， where no other solutions can be found， will make himself invaluable - The plan that gets implemented might not be the best plan， but rather the most complete available plan at the time when a decision has to be made， Moses made sure his projects always had shovel-ready plans- “Power is the ability to ruin people”- In downturns like the depression， organisations that are hiring can recruit more capable people and drive them harder - Control of an independent source of money， like with Moses’s authorities， can create its own source of power that can supersede formal technocratic efforts to check that power- “Once you get that first stake driven， no one could stop you。” Robert Moses would say anything ti get his projects started， even if it meant underselling the eventual cost， as a way to force allocation of the funds to finish it。 It’s hard to reverse a decision on housing relocation if Moses had already torn down people’s homes。- As a young man， Moses spent hours in Riverside Park， and all around New York， observing and thinking about improvements。 He was able to devise novel solutions he would later implement。 As he got more powerful， he had less time to think or to experience New York。 He lost touch with the city as it changed。- Public transit encourages residential building density， because those who commute by public transit will want to live near transit stops。 Cars invite sprawl because the inconvenience of driving a bit further in a car to get to a home is minimal。- When a single story on a subject is published in a newspaper， many new sources with knowledge of the subject will come forward to offer additional information， since they now know there is someone who cares about the topic and will listen to them。- With regards to money and power “New money buys things， old money calls notes”- Moses argued that if governments want to get public improvements built， they must minimise input from the public， one could argue that graft helped align desperate interests to push through project opposition 。。。more
Samira
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-detailed as hell！ lovely writing， although a bit long at times。 left me a lot of questions about what public works are meant to do and what is for the people， esp if there is a distance between what is being done literally and what the people are seeing。
Libby
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Oh boy， this was an absolute tome！！ It explains soo much about why New York is the way it is。 The in-depth explanations of all of Moses’ manipulations and trickery made me simultaneously more afraid of the idea of working in city government and more drawn to the possibility to make positive change。 Excited to follow this up with the play “Straight Line Crazy” as I continue to reflect more。-1 star because the book is pretty inaccessible at its size， plus it’s not necessary info if you’re not into Oh boy， this was an absolute tome！！ It explains soo much about why New York is the way it is。 The in-depth explanations of all of Moses’ manipulations and trickery made me simultaneously more afraid of the idea of working in city government and more drawn to the possibility to make positive change。 Excited to follow this up with the play “Straight Line Crazy” as I continue to reflect more。-1 star because the book is pretty inaccessible at its size， plus it’s not necessary info if you’re not into cities / government stuff。 。。。more
Patrick Fox
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This is， of course， a very well executed book。 I read it after reading the entirety of the Robert Caro canon on Lyndon Johnson and I think you can really see a greater emphasis toward storytelling in his later books。 This book nonetheless demonstrates his early talent， pouring through an incomprehensible amount of records and documents and building a world out of those records。 It's fascinating to see how the author had some degree of a personal engagement with Moses the way he never did with Jo This is， of course， a very well executed book。 I read it after reading the entirety of the Robert Caro canon on Lyndon Johnson and I think you can really see a greater emphasis toward storytelling in his later books。 This book nonetheless demonstrates his early talent， pouring through an incomprehensible amount of records and documents and building a world out of those records。 It's fascinating to see how the author had some degree of a personal engagement with Moses the way he never did with Johnson。 Overall， fully enjoyed this book and the dichotomy with his other work。 。。。more
Nathan
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This was one of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read， and gives real insight into how power is obtained in a democratic society and how the obtaining of absolute power corrupts absolutely。 Infuriating， inspiring， educational， deeply researched and excellently written， this book was well worth the over two years of my life （off and on） to read。
Matt
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Majestic。 A sprawling， comprehensive portrait of a city and the incredibly powerful man who shaped it。 The depth of the writing and research is stunning。 Despite being so large it that looks like something you could use as a murder weapon， the entire book is engaging and riveting。 I never take my time with books， but this was one that I would put down and come back too over months， and every single time I did I was sucked back in immediately。 It looks intimidating， but you can’t believe how fast Majestic。 A sprawling， comprehensive portrait of a city and the incredibly powerful man who shaped it。 The depth of the writing and research is stunning。 Despite being so large it that looks like something you could use as a murder weapon， the entire book is engaging and riveting。 I never take my time with books， but this was one that I would put down and come back too over months， and every single time I did I was sucked back in immediately。 It looks intimidating， but you can’t believe how fast the prose reads。 One of， if not the best， books I have ever read。 。。。more
Audun
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