Synopsis
The former mayor of New York City describes his rise from the depths of the Depression, his World War II experiences, and his tenure as mayor, and offers candid insights into politics, the problems facing New York, and personalities he has known. 100,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. Tour.
Reviews
Patriots will be heartened to learn that the former mayor of New York City, who reaffirms here that he "rarely forgives, and never forgets," hasn't lost his edge, even though he protests that "as mayor, I didn't think I could spare the time to be as nice as I really am." About New York governor Mario Cuomo, he opines: "Listening to him is a lot like listening to a Japanese haiku"; David Dinkins, Koch's successor, "is neither lucky nor able . . . only during his administration could New York City suffer a drought in the winter"; columnist Jimmy Breslin is "one of the most intellectually dishonest reporters in the country." Koch-bashers, for their part, will be dumbfounded to discover that His Honor was indeed of woman born, as he recalls with nostalgia and affection his Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, especially his mother--which perhaps explains why he didn't leave home until age 32. Writing with Paisner (coauthor, with Geraldo Rivera, of Exposing Myself ), the 67-year old Koch, who has been a private citizen since 1990 after a political career that began in 1963, talks pridefully about his life after the mayoralty as an attorney, radio and TV host, movie reviewer, lecturer, etc. So how's he doin'? "My belly is flat . . . I feel terrific." Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
After Mayor, Politics, and All the Best--three works that would surely have worn out the ``I'' key on an old-fashioned typewriter--what more has New York's cantankerous former mayor to say? Well, while earlier books have rehashed political battles, this one, Koch says, deals with personal moments. How's he doin'? Not bad at winning sympathy at first, with accounts of his pinched family and their exploitation by a richer uncle, of his gruesome war memories and his mother's death from cancer. But once out of law school and into the world, the story seems to confirm the suspicion that Koch never had a personal life. The author revisits familiar political territory--his early reform politics in Greenwich Village; his years on the City Council and in Congress and three terms as mayor; the numerous political campaigns--with emphasis on interpersonal frictions and attention to his ``feelings'': ``I was miserable in Washington''; ``I was incensed.'' The book's refrain might be ``For that I will never forgive him [or her]''; and, like Koch's other books, it's full of catty comments (``Liz [Taylor] looked like a huge horse''), word- for-word replays of petty confrontations, and rancorous complaints of what Koch claims are blacks' special privileges and demagogic leaders. And though Koch boasts repeatedly of his candor, there is no real soul-searching here. He confesses to being deeply depressed by the corruption scandals during his last term, even to entertaining ideas of suicide (``I was in absolute unrelenting agony'')--but not to any mistakes in judgment or to having tolerated patronage arrangements. Today, with ``nine jobs'' (mostly as a media personality), ``I've never been happier''--though Koch can't say the same for his cherished city: ``Mayor Dinkins is doing such a poor job.'' Testy as ever, with some juicy dish and a few good spite stories you can cheer. (Sixteen-page photo insert--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
In Citizen Koch , the ebullient former three-term mayor of New York City recycles material on his public career from four earlier books and fills in with the story of his private life to complete his self-portrait. The early chapters about his formative years--his family background, his coming of age in the 1930s Depression, his World War II army service, his struggles as a young lawyer, and his battles with the Democratic political bosses in Greenwich Village--are pungent and zestful. Koch's account of his service as a city councilman, U.S. congressman, and 12 years as mayor of New York City, however, falls flat, being mostly episodic, superficial, and weighted down with relentless name-dropping. The tone ranges from self-serving to self-congratulatory, and the writing style is vapid. Suitable for libraries with large New York City collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/92.
- Harry Frumerman, formerly with Hunter Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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