A passionate and dramatic account of a year in the life of a city; when baseball and crime reigned supreme; and when several remarkable figures emerged to steer New York clear of one of its most harrowing periods.By early 1977; the metropolis was in the grip of hysteria caused by a murderer dubbed "Son of Sam." And on a sweltering night in July; a citywide power outage touched off an orgy of looting and arson that led to the largest mass arrest in New York's history. As the turbulent year wore on; the city became absorbed in two epic battles: the fight between Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson and team manager Billy Martin; and the battle between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo for the city's mayoralty. Buried beneath these parallel conflicts―one for the soul of baseball; the other for the soul of the city―was the subtext of race. The brash and confident Jackson took every black myth and threw it back in white America's face. Meanwhile; Koch and Cuomo ran bitterly negative campaigns that played upon urbanites' fears of soaring crime and falling municipal budgets.These braided stories tell the history of a year that saw the opening of Studio 54; the evolution of punk rock; and the dawning of modern SoHo. As the pragmatist Koch defeated the visionary Cuomo and as Reggie Jackson finally rescued a team racked with dissension;1977 became a year of survival but also of hope.Ladies and Gentlemen; the Bronx Is Burning is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; and the basis of the 2007 ESPN miniseries; starring John Turturro as Billy Martin; Oliver Platt as George Steinbrenner; and Daniel Sunjata as Reggie Jackson.
#867652 in Books 2004-11-02 2004-10-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .3 x 5.50l; .84 #File Name: 0312330553304 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Beautifully Written; Amazing StoryBy Charlottekrn BookfairEloquently written; beautifully described; Vivian Kaplan penned the biography in honor of her family. The author describes the rise of anti-Semitism in Vienna; and the slow death knell for the Jews as one freedom after another was discarded. Ms. Kaplan relates the fear in the Jewish community and the desperation to escape. The author recounts her family’s eventual departure to Shanghai; an unknown place; but the only city willing to accept Jews without restrictions. Ms. Kaplan writes of her family’s struggles in Shanghai; of the Jewish community in which they lived and of the German pursuit of Jews in Japanese territory. Recommended.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A True Story of SurvivalBy R.A. GurBeing Jewish; but lucky enough to be born in the U.K. at the start of WWII; it is particularly horrifying to comprehend the stark reality of life for the upstanding Jewish community in Vienna in the thirties - especially when told in first person.Much less known about but no less shocking is the life that followed in Shanghai; even although it was literally lifesaving...Well written; easy reading of a nightmarish subject; but sometimes I personally found I could only "take" it in small "doses" at a time.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Ten Green Bottles: Purchased at .comBy depThis is the second book I have read written by some of the Jewish refugees of Shanghai. The author of this book is Vivian Kaplan; the daughter of Nini Karpel; her mother; who the story really focuses on. Nini's father died when she was very young; leaving behind her mother; baby brother; and two sisters. Life in Vienna was unremarkable for Nini and her family until the mid 1930's; when anti-Semitism became more and more of a problem. Also in the background was Germany threatening to take over Austria; which meant more persecution of the Jews. In 1938 the Anschluss was complete; with Germany taking over Austria. With all the persecution of the Jews becoming worse and worse; Nini's mother realized they could not stay in Vienna; eventually they would be sent to a concentration camp which they probably not survive. In a moment of desperation; Nini approaches a lawyer; Herr Berger; one of the few Austrian lawyers willing to help the Jews at that time. I don't want to give away the whole story; but I found this a very good book; although I had a bit of trouble getting into it. A good read about a time in history that was never fully explored until recently.
