Fred
Siegel writing on Rudolph Giuliani is a match made in heaven. Both men
exemplify the feisty, independent spirit of New Yorkers at their best…
Siegel is one of the most independent-minded urban commentators in
America. A man of broadly social democratic sympathies who has never
underestimated the power of conservative ideas, he writes from a
position of great moral as well as intellectual authority.
—Francis Morrone, The New York Sun
One of the great virtues of Fred Siegel's fantastic new book… is that it shows how Giuliani found a political program that matches his characterological dispositions.
—David Brooks, The New York Times
In this first post-9/11 account of the career of the man who established himself as “America’s Mayor” in the dark days after America was attacked, Fred Siegel shows how Rudy Giuliani’s successes in New York — restoring law and order, cutting taxes, and radically reducing the welfare rolls — demonstrated that Gotham was indeed “governable” and that our major cities might again become vibrant and dynamic places to live after thirty years of middle class flight.
Having worked with Giuliani as well as studied him, Siegel sees this colorful figure as an “immoderate centrist,” who, like the city he came to embody, evokes contradictory emotions. For some, he was a ruthless autocrat during his years at city hall; for others, he was a heroic figure who took on the vested interests that had dragged the city down. Siegel sees Guiliani as a shrewd tactician and artist of the possible who could have stepped out of the pages of Machiavelli’s The Prince. A self-promoting, self-absorbed man, he made his own enormous ego serve the city’s well being. He promoted the virtues of duty and sacrifice, but was sometimes unable to honor those values in his personal life. He was suspicious of those outside his immediate circle, yet placed this tribal ethos in the service of ideals that transcended New York’s ethnic politics and business as usual.
The Prince of the City is at once a fascinating character study, a history of New York over the last forty years, and a classic inquiry into the issue of on how cities thrive or die. Siegel’s story culminates with a dramatic account of September 11, 2001 which shows how Giuliani’s s eight years in office had prepared him and the city to rise to this tragic occasion. Siegel concludes with a look at how Guiliani’s successor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has handled his legacy, and what the future might hold for America’s Mayor.
New School webcast with Fred Siegel, New York Sun columnist and former Giuliani speechwriter John P. Avlon, Milano Graduate School Director for New York City Affairs Andrew White, and American Prospect editor Michael Tomasky.
National Review interview
—Francis Morrone, The New York Sun
One of the great virtues of Fred Siegel's fantastic new book… is that it shows how Giuliani found a political program that matches his characterological dispositions.
—David Brooks, The New York Times
In this first post-9/11 account of the career of the man who established himself as “America’s Mayor” in the dark days after America was attacked, Fred Siegel shows how Rudy Giuliani’s successes in New York — restoring law and order, cutting taxes, and radically reducing the welfare rolls — demonstrated that Gotham was indeed “governable” and that our major cities might again become vibrant and dynamic places to live after thirty years of middle class flight.
Having worked with Giuliani as well as studied him, Siegel sees this colorful figure as an “immoderate centrist,” who, like the city he came to embody, evokes contradictory emotions. For some, he was a ruthless autocrat during his years at city hall; for others, he was a heroic figure who took on the vested interests that had dragged the city down. Siegel sees Guiliani as a shrewd tactician and artist of the possible who could have stepped out of the pages of Machiavelli’s The Prince. A self-promoting, self-absorbed man, he made his own enormous ego serve the city’s well being. He promoted the virtues of duty and sacrifice, but was sometimes unable to honor those values in his personal life. He was suspicious of those outside his immediate circle, yet placed this tribal ethos in the service of ideals that transcended New York’s ethnic politics and business as usual.
The Prince of the City is at once a fascinating character study, a history of New York over the last forty years, and a classic inquiry into the issue of on how cities thrive or die. Siegel’s story culminates with a dramatic account of September 11, 2001 which shows how Giuliani’s s eight years in office had prepared him and the city to rise to this tragic occasion. Siegel concludes with a look at how Guiliani’s successor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has handled his legacy, and what the future might hold for America’s Mayor.
New School webcast with Fred Siegel, New York Sun columnist and former Giuliani speechwriter John P. Avlon, Milano Graduate School Director for New York City Affairs Andrew White, and American Prospect editor Michael Tomasky.
National Review interview