The power broker
by Robert A. Caro · first published 1974
67% recommend32% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Deep, richly reported biography of Robert Moses that shows how one unelected official shaped New York's highways, parks and housing; read for insight into power, urban planning and public works. Audiobook works well.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Discusses the illusion that is a democracy by pointing out what real power looks like and where it comes from.
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…and Robert Moses completely blew it (because of his personal hatred of minorities and poor people). If you want to find out more about that particular topic, I suggest you read Robert Caro's book "The Power Broker". One idea espoused in the book is that when you build mass transit before you build the community, you end up with a medium-to-high density community. When you build highways before you build the community,…
on “Why I Only Work Remotely” ↗I hear that "The Power Broker", a biography of Moses and winner of the Pulitzer in 1974, is a fantastic read :) http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Broker-Robert-Moses/dp/03947... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker
on “Joshua Norton, Emperor of the United States” ↗…engineering project that's gone off the rails. In fact, I'd argue that until fairly recently, many more public works projects shared the "surprise factor" of software projects. I'd recommend Caro's "The Power Broker"[2] for a fascinating history of NY-area public works (among other things - great book all around), including how much of that process was about adapting the plan to new things the builders were learning…
on “Why Software Engineering Isn’t Engineering” ↗…Although waning in power by the mid-1960s, Moses began (and ensured the completion) of a number of public construction projects with disproportionate impacts on poor (and usually non-white) communities. The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro is one of the best political histories of New York, which I recommend if you're interested in exactly why the city's infrastructure (and lack thereof) is the way it is. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moses…
on “Why the Bronx Really Burned” ↗"The Power Broker" by Robert Caro. Nobody has ever captured the nature of power on an individual level to the depth and breadth that Caro did on this book. (except perhaps his epic treatment of Lyndon Johnson) Over something…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗This is as good a thread as any to mention that if the automotive infrastructure of NYC gets you excited, it's but one of many good reasons to pick up Robert Caro's epic The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. I finished the Audible recording a few months ago, and it lived up to its reputation as perhaps the great modern biography.
on “New Bridges Rise in New York” ↗You can blame Robert Moses for that. Everyone that lives in NYC or NJ (or LI) should "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro and you will be blown away. He despised public transportation (because he never learned to drive, he always had a driver) .He actively designed bridges (over highways) to be purposely…
on “Waymo will start testing self-driving cars in New York City” ↗…the Environment https://joshuaspodek.com/elon-musk-and-the-environment. I'll repost it here in case people find it meaningful or relevant. Many New Yorkers know Robert Moses from Robert Caro’s book The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, which won every award it could. At over 1,000 oversized pages, I thought I’d browse it at first, but couldn’t put it down. Robert Moses may have shaped New York City more than any other person, holding…
on “Robert Caro and Kurt Vonnegut interview each other (1999)” ↗OO i love these threads. I am currently reading "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro and its awesome so far (~150 pgs in). Just finished Zinn's "A people's history". Next up is "Atlas Shrugged" or "The Power of Babel" by John McWhorter.
on “What are you reading?” ↗…way -- instead of burning his papers he just picked a lightweight. By the way if any of you want to read an amazing biographer look at the work of Robert Caro who is a real writer. His first book "the Power Broker" is an amazing study Robert Moses who is a very flawed hero who really made NYC what it was (for both better and worse). He's also written several books on LBJ who also starts out as a progressive and…
on “Think different about Jobs” ↗…and social networks. So the fact that a 3 bedroom ranch in Minneapolis costs 60% less than a 1 bedroom apartment in Queens doesn't really matter. I'd suggest you read the sections in Robert Caro's "The Power Broker" see how these kinds of shifts impacted millions of people in NYC during the 50s and 60s.
on “You Are Naturally Short Housing” ↗Are you afraid of the New York State Parks & Rec department? Your logic suggests you should be. Have you read Caro's _Power Broker_? If not, you should!
on “The NSA Admits It Analyzes More People's Data Than Previously Revealed” ↗"The Power Broker" is very good, but I've only ever gotten about 200 pages into it. I'll have to try again. You didn't happen to read Caro's work on LBJ, did you? It's surprising your class would use his work twice, but…
on “Why you probably don't need an MBA” ↗Robert Caro's The Power Broker about Robert Moses, the most powerful unelected government official in U.S. history. Caro, a Pulitzer winning journalist, is a wiz at writing, so you'll enjoy each page. But more importantly, even though…
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗…landscaping, sports facilities, playgrounds, etc. with all previous plant life getting killed with a bulldozer is another matter that hasn't really held up over time, but I'm digressing at this point. The Power Broker really is a fascinating read.
on “America's First Medal at the Nazi Olympics Was for Town Planning” ↗