Book · 1974 · Urban renewal
The power broker: Robert Moses and the fall of New York
Why people recommend it
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro is a monumental biography detailing the immense, unelected power wielded by master builder Robert Moses and how his colossal infrastructure projects drastically reshaped the urban landscape and social fabric of New York. Pamela Paul discussed reading Caro's epic biography on The Book Review when returning to New York after living abroad, noting how the book becomes an intrinsic part of understanding the city. Gilbert Cruz mentioned The Power Broker on the same podcast while praising Caro's meticulous non-fiction research and his ability to vivid describe settings. Panelist Greg Cowles spoke extensively across multiple episodes about reading and returning to the massive biography after taking brief pauses to read other literary works. Parul Sehgal also joined the discussion on The Book Review, noting that she was reading the text with a heightened awareness focused closely on Robert Caro's distinctive and powerful writing style.
Who recommended it
- Greg Coles Discussed
- Gilbert Cruz Discussed
- Greg Cowles Discussed
- Parul Sehgal Discussed
- Pamela Paul Recommended
Greg Coles — 6 mentions
“well I mentioned last week uh that I was on the verge of starting Robert caros the power broker which is his massive biography of Robert Moses”
“well unsurprisingly I am still reading uh the power broker Robert Moses and the fall of New York that giant second installment of 46”
“well unsurprisingly I am still reading uh the power broker Robert Moses and the fall of New York that giant second installment of 46”
“well um I'm still of course reading the power broker but it's raining today and that's a book that's really literally too big to fit in my work Satchel”
“I don't see the power broker in front of you well um you know I was away last week um and I had a lot of time stuck in airports and on runways and I finally put Robert Moses behind me”
“I'm still reading the Robert Caro uh book The Power broker about Robert Moses”
Gilbert Cruz — 2 mentions
“we had Robert Kon a few months ago for the 50th anniversary with the power broker and I always think about him being able to describe the dirt in the Texas Hill Country”
“we had Robert Kon a few months ago for the 50th anniversary with the power broker and I always think about him being able to describe the dirt in the Texas Hill Country”
Greg Cowles — 2 mentions
“well of course you know my personal reading is still Robert caros uh the power broker about Robert Moses and I will talk about that in a second”
“yes I am back to Robert Moses uh you may remember last time I had taken a break from the power broker to start Hillary mantel's novel”
Parul Sehgal — 1 mention
“and since I said that I've been reading with one eye especially alert to Robert Caro's language”
Pamela Paul — 1 mention
“with Bob I think everyone who either is from New York or becomes a New Yorker Bob Carol is part of New York even just through the power broker alone”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- 1984
- American War
- It Can't Happen Here
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- The Handmaid's Tale
- A Kids' Guide to America's First Ladies
Other mentions (5: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I that that is exactly what I did with power broker and you know it's about 50 page chunks at a time there here I've got about a 20 Page chunk since the last time that I checked in with you on Ulisses”
“well actually I I feel like I'm making pretty good progress in this compared with the power broker which I feel like I was reading for 30 years”
“and Greg will be back next week with the power broker”
“it's not 1300 Pages like the power broker but it's another thick thorny very involved book”
“something like you know the power broker I don't know”