The Power Broker - Softcover

Caro, Robert A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847923658 ISBN 13: 9781847923653

Publisher: Random House Uk

Synopsis

The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro is a riveting and timeless account of power, politics and the city of New York by `the greatest political biographer of our times' (Sunday Times) - chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time and by the Modern Library as one of the 100 Greatest Books of the Twentieth Century. Now also a Sunday Times Bestseller. The Power Broker tells the story of Robert Moses, the single most powerful man in New York for almost half a century and the greatest builder America (and probably the world) has ever known. Without ever once being elected to office, he created for himself a position of supreme and untouchable authority, allowing him to utterly reshape the city of New York, turning it into the city we know today, while at the same time blighting the lives of millions and remaining accountable to no one. First published in 1974, this monumental classic is now widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest books of its kind.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert A. Caro has been described as `the greatest political biographer of our times' (Sunday Times) and `a world authority on the nature of power and how to use it' (Guardian). Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Princeton University, later became a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and was an investigative reporter for Newsday for six years. His first book, The Power Broker, won the Pulitzer Prize in biography and the Frances Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians. His subsequent books comprise a multi-volume work, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, 'regarded by many as the greatest political biography of the modern era' (The Times). Over the course of four volumes, he has become one of the most lauded writers of his generation, winning three National Book Critics Circle Awards, the National Book Award and a further Pulitzer Prize. He is currently at work on the fifth and final volume. In addition, Robert Caro has also been awarded virtually every other major literary honour, including the Gold Medal in Biography from the National Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama, the highest award in the humanities given in the United States. He lives in New York City with his wife, Ina, an historian and writer.

Review:

"Simply one of the best non-fiction books in English of the past 40 years ... There has probably never been a better dissection of political power ... From the first page ... you know that you are in the hands of a master ... riveting ... superb ... not just a stunning portrait of perhaps the most influential builder in world history ... but an object lesson in the dangers of power" -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times * "One of the great biographies of all time ... [by] one of the great reporters of our time ... and probably the greatest biographer. He is also an extraordinary writer. After reading page 136 of his book The Power Broker, I gasped and read it again, then again. This, I thought, is how it should be done ... said to be one of the greatest nonfiction works ever written ... Every MP, wonk and would-be wonk in Westminster has read [Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson], because they think it is the greatest insight into power ever written. They're nearly right: it's the second greatest after The Power Broker" -- Bryan Appleyard * Sunday Times * "I think about Robert Caro and reading The Power Broker back when I was 22 years old and just being mesmerized, and I'm sure it helped to shape how I think about politics" -- Barack Obama "This is irresistibly readable, an outright masterpiece and unparalleled insight into how power works and perhaps the greatest portrait ever of a world city" -- David Sexton * Evening Standard * "A stupendous achievement ... Caro's style is gripping, indeed hypnotic, and he squeezes every ounce of drama from his remarkable story ... Can a democracy combine visionary leadership with effective checks and balances to contain the misuse of power? No book illustrates this fundamental dilemma of democracy better than The Power Broker ... Indeed, no student of government can regard his education as complete until he has read it" -- Vernon Bogdanor * Independent *

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Uk
• ISBN 10: 1847923658
• ISBN 13: 9781847923653
• Binding: Paperback