Synopses & Reviews
"Masterful . . . In Mahler's expert hands, the city's outsized
citizens are flawed, fierce, bickersome, and as indomitable as the metropolis
itself." Mike Sokolove, author of The Ticket Out
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.
Review
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning is a terrifically entertaining,
knowledgeable book about one of the most tumultuous years in the history of New
York--both on and off the ballfield. Read it and weep, read it and laugh, for
the incomparable circus that was our greatest city." Kevin Baker, author
of Paradise Alley
Review
"Damon Runyon where are you now? Mahler's rollicking evocation of New York in 1977--the year of Son of Sam, the year of the blackout, the year it refuses to Drop Dead, the year, dammit, the Yankees take the World Series--is full of Runyonesque characterizations, energy, and biting wit." Harold Evans, author of They Made America
Review
"[Mahler] pulls off an expert historical double play by blending front-page political news and sports-page action. The result recalls the ambient atmosphere of the ethnic neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens...An informed picture of a bright city in a dark hour." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Perhaps because New York figures so prominently in the public imagination, the real New York (whatever that means) always seems to be somewhere in the past; in the '20s, somewhere in Greenwich Village, or, more likely, in the '70s, in some very downtown loft. For anyone who has ever felt this way, here comes Jonathan Mahler's Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning, a book as lively and wry as its Howard Cossell-inspired title." Anna Godbersen, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review)
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Scheduled for release in July 2007 as an ESPN original miniseries, starring John Turturro as Billy Martin, Oliver Platt as George Steinbrenner, and Daniel Sunjata as Reggie Jackson.
A kaleidoscopic portrait of New York City in 1977, The Bronx Is Burning is the story of two epic battles: the fight between Yankee Reggie Jackson and team manager Billy Martin, and the battle between Mario Cuomo and Ed Koch for the city's mayorship. Buried beneath these parallel conflicts--one for the soul of baseball, the other for the soul of the city--was the subtext of race.
Deftly intertwined by journalist Jonathan Mahler, these braided Big Apple narratives reverberate to reveal a year that also saw the opening of Studio 54, the acquisition of the New York Post by Rupert Murdoch, a murderer dubbed the "Son of Sam," the infamous blackout, and the evolution of punk rock. As Koch defeated Cuomo, and as Reggie Jackson rescued a team racked with dissension, 1977 became a year of survival--and also of hope.
About the Author
Jonathan Mahler is a contributing writer for
The New York Times Magazine and has published journalism in
The Washington Post, New York, The New Republic, Talk Lingua Franca, and
The Wall Street Journal. He lives in Brooklyn.