The Power Broker

Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

By: Robert A. Caro

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 66 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • A modern American classic, this huge and galvanizing biography of Robert Moses reveals not only the saga of one man’s incredible accumulation of power but the story of his shaping (and mis-shaping of twentieth-century New York. One of the Modern Library’s hundred greatest books of the twentieth century.

Robert Caro's monumental book makes public what few outsiders knew: that Robert Moses was the single most powerful man of his time in the City and in the State of New York. And in telling the Moses story, Caro both opens up to an unprecedented degree the way in which politics really happens—the way things really get done in America's City Halls and Statehouses—and brings to light a bonanza of vital information about such national figures as Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt (and the genesis of their blood feud), about Fiorello La Guardia, John V. Lindsay and Nelson Rockefeller.

But The Power Broker is first and foremost a brilliant multidimensional portrait of a man—an extraordinary man who, denied power within the normal framework of the democratic process, stepped outside that framework to grasp power sufficient to shape a great city and to hold sway over the very texture of millions of lives. We see how Moses began: the handsome, intellectual young heir to the world of Our Crowd, an idealist. How, rebuffed by the entrenched political establishment, he fought for the power to accomplish his ideals. How he first created a miraculous flowering of parks and parkways, playlands and beaches—and then ultimately brought down on the city the smog-choked aridity of our urban landscape, the endless miles of (never sufficient) highway, the hopeless sprawl of Long Island, the massive failures of public housing, and countless other barriers to humane living. How, inevitably, the accumulation of power became an end in itself.

Moses built an empire and lived like an emperor. He was held in fear—his dossiers could disgorge the dark secret of anyone who opposed him. He was, he claimed, above politics, above deals; and through decade after decade, the newspapers and the public believed. Meanwhile, he was developing his public authorities into a fourth branch of government known as "Triborough"—a government whose records were closed to the public, whose policies and plans were decided not by voters or elected officials but solely by Moses—an immense economic force directing pressure on labor unions, on banks, on all the city's political and economic institutions, and on the press, and on the Church. He doled out millions of dollars' worth of legal fees, insurance commissions, lucrative contracts on the basis of who could best pay him back in the only coin he coveted: power. He dominated the politics and politicians of his time—without ever having been elected to any office. He was, in essence, above our democratic system.

Robert Moses held power in the state for 44 years, through the governorships of Smith, Roosevelt, Lehman, Dewey, Harriman and Rockefeller, and in the city for 34 years, through the mayoralties of La Guardia, O'Dwyer, Impellitteri, Wagner and Lindsay, He personally conceived and carried through public works costing 27 billion dollars—he was undoubtedly America's greatest builder.

This is how he built and dominated New York—before, finally, he was stripped of his reputation (by the press) and his power (by Nelson Rockefeller). But his work, and his will, had been done.

©1975 Robert A. Caro (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

1975, Francis Parkman Prize, Winner

1975, Pulitzer Prize — Biography, Winner

"Caro has written one of the finest, best-researched and most analytically informative descriptions of our political and governmental processes to appear in a generation." (Nicholas Von Hoffman, The Washington Post)

"This is irresistibly readable, an outright masterpiece and unparalleled insight into how power works and perhaps the greatest portrait ever of a world city." (David Sexton, The Evening Standard)

MAGNIFICENT!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Power Broker the most enjoyable?

Anyone with a passing interest in politics, power, the development of modern day New York City, or just a great biography needs to listen to this book. Yes, it is long (66 hours), but that only means you get more bang for your buck.

A truly wonderful book to

Master Storytelling. Valuable History to know.

I read the hard copy of this book several years ago. It was fascinating then, and this narration was superb. This is a great story well told, of Power and the trusts involved. Of a man who wielded it well until he became enchanted with power in itself, not of the duty, responsibility, and trust involved with the power. When power becomes a game of winners and losers. True responsibility of power demands you set more people up for wins than losses. I still think Robert Moses came out ahead.

must read for history / New York buffs alike!

Eye opening book about politics, and great work by Robertson Dean! New York (state and city) is what it is today largely because of the will and wit of one man - Robert Moses. This book tells the story of deeds great and often terrible - but always awe-inspiring. Fascinating read and a must read for anybody interested in New York politics or politics in general.

Fascinating

One of the best bios I’ve ever read. For better or worse, America’s greatest builder.

A fascinating, gripping & often infuriating tale.

An exhaustive, incredibly researched & fascinating biography about one of the most influential and powerful people in NYC history. Beautifully narrated (often hysterically funny) by Robertson Dean . This was a true journey , took me a good six months to listen to all of it , but it is soooo with it. A story of greed, political ambition and more importantly, the dangers of unchallenged power. Perfect for today's day and age.

You can tell why it won the Pulitzer

Engaging and riveting. Level of detail you don't often get, and all relevant. Listened every chance I could to conclusion.

Brilliant

Easily one of the best books ever written on cities, urban development and politics. Indispensable!

what a story!

what a story, what an inspiration! I want to become the robert moses of san diego!

Changed what I think of history books

This author captures reality in a way that reads like the way other authors capture fiction. Fiction authors have an absolute command of the facts and you feel that here.

Also 60 hours for one credit? Hell of a deal if you ask me.

Greatest Book

This book may very well be the greatest book written about New York City, about political power and about how easy it is for a good man to fall.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY