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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

Robert A. Caro

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  • Michael BloombergReported reading
    The original 2012 report includes Caro’s book in Bloomberg’s reading. This is the reporter’s account, not a quoted recommendation; his copy and reading extent are unknown.
    Source

Summary

Robert Caro’s biography studies how Robert Moses acquired and used power while reshaping New York. It examines the public works and political arrangements through which an unelected official could exercise lasting influence over the city and state.

The book also considers the people and places affected by that power. It connects an individual career with institutions and public decisions, offering a reported account to test against claims made in the name of progress.

  • SourceThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York — checked content · Publisher description and selected 1975 paperback details, ISBN 9780394720241.

Why read it Our view

Read it to ask how authority is obtained, preserved and checked. Follow who gains from a public project and whose costs become less visible. Compare the stated purpose of a system with its actual distribution of power.