Which books to read to learn about New York City, according to its press corps

July 19, 2019 Noah Goldberg

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‘Fear City: New York’s Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics’

By Kim Phillips-Fein

“As a newcomer to New York City politics, Fear City helped me better understand the inner workings of city government and how certain dynamics play out (like the long-honored tradition of the mayor and comptroller butting heads). Even though the book doesn’t delve into redlining and other elements that contributed to city problems in the 1970s, it was an easy read and gives me better historical context for when I need to report on politics.”

— Amanda Eisenberg, health care reporter at POLITICO New York

‘Rudy! An Investigative Biography Of Rudy Giuliani’

By Wayne Barrett

“This is a great book for anyone who needs a lesson on the recent history of power, politics, prejudice and policing in New York City and State. So many of the key figures and secondary characters are still prominent in New York City and beyond: Giuliani is defending Trump; stop-and-frisk Commissioner Bill Bratton is still weighing in on NYC politics; former Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew is a CUNY president. Even Andrew Cuomo makes a few cameos as liaison for his dad.”

— David Brand, managing editor at the Queens Daily Eagle

‘When Brooklyn Was Queer’

By Hugh Ryan

Image courtesy of St. Martin's Press — Image courtesy of St. Martin’s Press

“When Brooklyn Was Queer was a total crash course for me in Brooklyn’s queer history pre-Stonewall. It’s full of incredibly brave people who expressed their sexuality before there was widely accepted language to describe it. (And, like today, up against the full force of governments and law enforcement.) You can tell, in every sentence, how excited Ryan was to uncover these stories.”

— Emma Whitford, freelance reporter

‘City for Sale: Ed Koch and the Betrayal of New York’

By Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett

“‘City for Sale’ is a richly detailed and smartly written accounting of how one of the most charismatic men to ever be New York City mayor turned a blind eye as his friends and close political allies auctioned off whole swaths of municipal government.”

– Nolan Hicks, city hall reporter at New York Post

‘The Encyclopedia of New York City’

By Kenneth Jackson

“I really love Kenneth Jackson’s Encyclopedias of New York City. They are so detailed, and surprisingly absorbing, though I guess not light beach reading.”

— Liz Benjamin, former host of Capital Tonight, Spectrum News