The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. CaroMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
To be clear, this is much more than a biography of Robert Moses. I read that Obama read this book when he was 22 and was "mesmerized", and I can certainly see why. This book discusses the evolution of a city over the decades, as well as how politics and power all played a role.
RM is obviously a singular character, and Robert Caro seems to have written the definitive biography of the man, in detail that at times is staggering.
His influence over the papers sometimes seems incredible and heartbreaking. Such as how he completely destroyed the Sunset Park neighborhood, the spuyten duyvil neighborhood, so many minority neighborhoods, East Tremont Road, Manhattantown, but no paper published the residents' point of view. In fact, I'm inclined to think that many run down parts of New York were that way thanks to his actions.
It is sad to see how he loses his power later on, but remembering what he did to so many people, it is, in many ways, karma (even though the specific scandals and reversals weren't necessarily due to the most deserving issues).
This should be read by anyone interested in New York, or in Urban planning, or in Power, and pretty much everyone else.
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