Tell Me What You’re Reading No. 28: Andrew Rice: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BRONX IS BURNING 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City, by Jonathan Mahler
Andrew Rice discusses LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BRONX IS BURNING 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City, By Jonathan Mahler, a historical snapshot of 1977 New York City.
Andrew and I discuss several specific New York City moments during 1977 that are described in the book, including … The Democratic primary election - Mayor Koch, Mario Cuomo, Bella Abzug (“the AOC of her time”), Herman Badillio, Percy Sutton, etc. The Yankee season - Billy and Reggie, Thurman Munson and George Steinbrenner - Reggie’s first Yankee season, George’s first World Series victory and Reggie as Series MVP. The Son of Sam serial killings in 1977 that struck terror into the lives of young New Yorkers. The summer heat wave and blackout and the subsequent destruction and lootings throughout the city also put the City on edge. The aftermath of the near-bankruptcy of the City in 1975 following the mayoralty of John Lindsay and during Abe Beame’s term. Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of the New York Post, Jimmy Breslin (“a stumpy, rumpled caricature of a newspaperman”), Pete Hamill (“a true newspaper romantic“) and other great New York City newspapermen. Saturday Night Live, Rolling Stone moves to New York, World of our Fathers is published, Tavern on the Green is opened. Windows on the World restaurant opened for business in 1976.
Andrew also discusses his own forthcoming book, A Popular History of the Year 2000 in the State of Florida, which will describe the Bush v. Gore election controversy ("the most wild and improbable election outcome you can imagine - so far"); the pilots planning 9/11 who were training at flight centers on Florida for 18 months before the attacks; Donald Trump's presidential run as a Reform Party candidate; young Cuban child, Elian Gonzalez, washed up on the shore in Miami; enraged Cuban community in Florida, determinative in Presidential election; resulted in 24 hour coverage (the first reality television); and an arms dealing, money laundering case ("the most obscure but most fascinating tale").
Andrew Rice, is a Contributing Editor at New York Magazine
New York Magazine Articles | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter
What Andrew is Reading
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BRONX IS BURNING 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City, by Jonathan Mahle
Reviews The New York Times | Kirkus Reviews
C-SPAN Interview | Talks @ Google | The Observer
ESPN Miniseries “The Bronx is Burning” (2007) | Episode 1 | Videos | Wikipedia
The Abuse of Power: The Permanent Government and the Fall of New York, by Jack Newfield
Reviews The New York Times | Kirkus Reviews |
Jack Newfield Obits The Village Voice | The New York Times
What Howard is Reading
These Truths, A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore
Reviews The New York Times | The Guardian | The Times | WBUR | The Nation | Los Angeles Review of Books | The Economist | National Review | The Harvard Gazettstonee | The New York Review of Books | New York Magazine | Kirkus Reviews | Chicago Tribune | The Dallas Morning News | Rolling Stone | The New Republic | The Paris Review | American Academy in Berlin | American Indians in Children's Literature
The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis
Reviews The New York Times | The New York Times | NPR | London School of Economics | Kirkus Reviews | The Wall Street Journal | The New York Review of Books | The Tmes of London | The Baffler | The Los Angeles Review of Books | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
Reviews The New York Times | The Los Angeles Times | The Wall Street Journal | Kirkus Reviews | The Guardian
Caste - The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson
Reviews The New York Times | The New Yorker | The Wall Street Journal | Los Angeles Review of Books | The Washington Post | The Wire | Foreign Policy
Andrew’s Bookstores
Watchung Bookseller, Montclair, New Jersey
