Extra, extra, read all about it! I promised some non-fiction this year, and Mahler has helped me deliver in tremendous fashion. As someone who hopes to one day call this wild city “home”, I thought it only fitting to do a little research on it.
It seems as though New York often falls into sweeping generalizations (either the greatest city on earth or one that’s gone to the dogs), which feels ironic for a city comprised of countless neighborhoods and neighbors of countless nationalities, but Mahler does not fall prey to this trap. What you’ll find in this book are the stories and policies that brought New York out of an economic crisis, its move into a capitalist’s dream, and the fallout from that transition. You’ll learn about the AIDS crisis, how it wreaked havoc in the NY public long before it became known as an epidemic, and the racial tension that brought the city to a boiling point on numerous occasions.
While Mahler does occasionally hint at current events (the book was published in 2025), he stays focused on the late 80s. In walking the reader through the history of this time period, he uses the stories of Ed Koch, Spike Lee, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, and Al Sharpton to help tell the story of New York. I found it interesting and eye-opening to learn about some of these people from a time which predates the roles they play now.
Mahler neither sugar-coats nor villifies New York’s history. He tells the story of how one of the most iconic cities became the way it is today, and he tells it through the stories of the people who lived it and shaped it. I found every chapter fascinating, and if I could request he do it for the entire history of the city rather than a handful of years, I would.
2% Rating: 8.5/10
Recommend? Yes (even if you’re not moving to NY)
Re-Read? I’d love to have my own copy to go back to specific sections
Time: 1:35