Review: 5 out of 5
I was very tempted to consider Robert Moses one of the biggest bastards out there in the course of this work: heartless about the effect of his work, careless about whose lives it would change, the creation of infrastructure is not something that should be done on merely one man’s whim—especially if it can be shown that that man does not care a whit for anything except more cars on the roads.
Mr Caro’s biography of Moses brings to light a huge number of facts that are very illustrative about Moses the man and his times. The failed efforts in which he participated in the 1910s stand out in the education of the person in how things can be achieved. From here, we jump to a much more effective person in Al Smith’s administration, of which I heard for the first time, but which turned out to be a very interesting period in the history of New York and one which I’d like to investigate in more depth in the future.
But what Robert Moses became in this administration was someone essentially corrupt, but with the full support of the press. From this point on in the 1920s, the years until 1964 pass in more or less one light: glories heaped upon the notionally brave and independent civil servant Moses, who in reality does everything to obtain more power and to carry out only his own wishes and only in the field of motorway construction.
The years from 1958, when Moses’ activities start to be criticized slightly more, quickly open up to a generally more interesting series of chapters where we see the once mighty slowly brought down low. This was the part I enjoyed most!
Overall, a strong book which sheds light on important topics in NY history! And also which illustrates how power can corrupt men of any idealism.
