The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New YorkThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Score Classic
What it's about
Robert Moses never won an election, yet for forty years he was the most powerful man in New York. He built the bridges, parkways, beaches, parks and housing projects that made the modern city and its suburbs. Robert Caro shows how he did it: through brilliance, ruthlessness and a mastery of public authorities that answered to no one. He also counts the cost, including whole neighborhoods destroyed by his highways and the public transit New York never got.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction ever written. Caro spent seven years on it, and it's the definitive book on how power actually works in a city.
You'll love it if you liked
The Path to Power
The Best and the Brightest
The Rise of Theodore RooseveltGood to know
It's nearly 1,300 pages, and every page is earned. It's best read slowly over weeks. Many readers say it changed the way they look at cities.
By the numbers
- Readers100 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics94 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller27 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #4 of the 198 history books we rank
- #5 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #4 of the 762 classics we rank
- #25 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Robert Caro
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Quick answers
Is The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction ever written. It ranks #25 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 91.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York about?
Robert Moses never won an election, yet for forty years he was the most powerful man in New York. He built the bridges, parkways, beaches, parks and housing projects that made the modern city and its suburbs. Robert Caro shows how he did it: through brilliance, ruthlessness and a mastery of public authorities that answered to no one. He also counts the cost, including whole neighborhoods destroyed by his highways and the public transit New York never got.
How long does it take to read The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York?
About 31 hours (1246 pages), or about 9 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York won?
Pulitzer Prize (Biography) winner (1975).
What should I read after The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York?
If you liked it, try The Path to Power by Robert Caro, The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam or The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris.