Rating: 
Summary: From The Boston Globe 7/23/00
Review: "Notable...eye-opening."
Rating: 
Summary: america's mayor? hero-mayor? hardly
Review: Consider that even before Sept 11, this "hero" was publically questioning whether there should be mayoral elections at all, (term limits meant he had to go) and after the tragic events he wanted them cancelled so that he could stay on, since in his words he was already "experienced and doing a good job". His contempt for democracy is matched by his endless conceit.
His public order record is bound to be reviewed considering the positions he took over repeated police shootings/savagery of civilians/bystanders (Dialo and Louima being only two of the most publicized).
As for the "hero" part, a hero is one who risks his life to save or help others. It is not clear what risk Mr Juliani undertook either as mayor or as soon-to-be-ex-mayor during the aftermath of Sept 11, other than attempt to monopolize the publicity of a profound tragedy for personal aggrandizement. There is clearly an effort by the Royalist (former Republican) party to place him in the front running for high national office. Don't go for it.
Rating:
Summary: From the inside flap:
Review: For three surreal weeks in the spring of 2000, Rudy Giuliani held the nation in suspense as he agonized over whether to continue in the race for the U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton. He'd been diagnosed with cancer; his marriage was crumbling amid reports of an extra-marital affair; his wife tearfully lashed out at him in public. It was an excruciating private crisis played out before a national audience, and by the time Giuliani finally announced his decision in an extraordinary public performance, the world was again captivated by a drama centering around this unusual man. This is the story of Rudy Giuliani's rise to power, from the moment he and a small squad of ex-prosecutors set out to capture New York City's mayoralty in 1989 to the dramatic turning point in his race against the First Lady of the United States. When Giuliani took over as mayor in 1994, New York was slowly sinking into an abyss of deteriorating living conditions: It was the crime capital of the country, described by Time Magazine as "The Rotting Apple"; it was filthy and dangerous, its streets and terminals overtaken by armies of homeless people. The city was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy again. Polls showed most New Yorkers wanted out. The public would soon get a taste of Giuliani's style. Each week brought a new brawl, with the new mayor egging his adversaries on. He threw Yasir Arafat out of Lincoln Center and sparked an international incident; he tried to evict the Brooklyn Museum after its directors staged an exhibition he deemed sacrilegious; he battled the Mafia, liberals and leaders of his own party. The mayor snarled at the very mention of his critics - and their numbers seemed to grow by the hour. Some viewed him as a savior; others called him a tyrant. But by the force of his will and little more, this man with no experience in municipal government ended up changing the face of his city. In this riveting portrait of his mayoralty, Andrew Kirtzman tells the story of Giuliani's zealous crusade to clean up, control and shape New York City. Based on interviews with over 200 of the mayor's closest aides and fiercest adversaries - and the author's own experience covering him for eight years - Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City tells the behind-the-scenes story of his reign. Is Rudy Giuliani a hero, a danger, or both? What's it worth to be led by a strong man? How much power are we willing to give one person? Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City offers some answers as it tells the tale of one man's historic rise - in all its dramatic, outrageous and ultimately poignant detail. Andrew Kirtzman is a senior political reporter for New York 1 News and a host of "Inside City Hall," the station's nightly political show. He has also served as a contributing editor at New York Magazine and authored its bi-weekly "Field Memo" column during the 1997 Mayor's race and 1998 U.S. Senate race. Before making the switch to television, he was a City Hall reporter for the New York Daily News, an investigative reporter for the Houston Post and the city editor of the Hudson Dispatch in New Jersey.
Rating: 
Summary: Great subject - poorly handled
Review: Giuliani is an interesting subject on any account, whether you personally like him or not. Kirtzman's account is very detailed and shows extensive research - but, and this is a big "BUT", he struggles in producing a book that you do not want to put down. He bombards the reader from the outset with names that may not be familiar to non-New York journalists or the ordinary reader, and he finds it difficult to set the scene for the next "act" in Giuliani's attempts to gain and/or maintain power over NY City. Kirtzman may be a good writer of 500 - 1,000 word articles, but a whole book has clearly been a fight that he did not win. Still, because of the subject matter, a book that should be read, even though it is hard work.
Rating:
Summary: Great subject - poorly handled
Review: Giuliani is an interesting subject on any account, whether you personally like him or not. Kirtzman's account is very detailed and shows extensive research - but, and this is a big "BUT", he struggles in producing a book that you do not want to put down. He bombards the reader from the outset with names that may not be familiar to non-New York journalists or the ordinary reader, and he finds it difficult to set the scene for the next "act" in Giuliani's attempts to gain and/or maintain power over NY City. Kirtzman may be a good writer of 500 - 1,000 word articles, but a whole book has clearly been a fight that he did not win. Still, because of the subject matter, a book that should be read, even though it is hard work.
Rating: 
Summary: if only rudy was as easy a read as this book is...It's great
Review: Having lived through those turbulent years and having to begrudginly give my approval to many of the things that he did,I find that the balance in this superbly written and easy to read study make me more comfortable with my feelings. Kirtzman doesn't take sides as much as he presents both sides allowing the reader to get a better feel for this complex and often forbidding and not forgiving mayor without sacrificing your basic reactions to the man. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Very engaging read!
Review: I first set foot in New York City in late 1993, right before Giuliani entered the City Hall. NYC was a mess. I was scared riding in a car in Queens when the first time a 'spongee' came along to offer windshield wiping service. Or when riding in the subway we would not dare taking out a map or a camera,anything that could hint that we're tourists. Between 1996 and 1997 I went back and lived there for 9 months, which I enjoyed very much. During this time NYC was so absorbed into the new found prosperity and success of the financial markets/industry that I rarely heard people talking about the state of the city a mere 4 years ago. To say it's as safe as Tokyo is an exaggeration of course, but for such a high density big city, it was a hugely successful clean-up from 4 years ago. Homeless and graffitti is substantially less seen in the subway system. My friends and I would now have the guts to walk on the street at 3am... Then as time went on I heard the major had a lot to do with this change. And then I started hearing how local NYers describe Giuliani as such a fighter, never backed down from oppositions such as strike threat and stuff like that... After 911 WTC incident, I was very concerned about anything NY, having lived there for a little bit before. From the high-profile media appearance of Giuliani, I saw him maintaining the composure well enough to offer a symbol of calmness and toughness representing NY in the wake of the disaster towards the rest of the country and the world. Based on this and my past experience with NYC, reading this book is a joy. It's not just a story-book about how Giuliani came to power, how he succeeded and where he faltered, and from which an evaluation of his characteristics, philosophy and other inner traits. It's also an honest reflection of the social transformation of NYC during his 2 terms of mayorship. It's not easy for an average American to appreciate the unique nature of this society, whether it be racial, economic, crime or just social problems, because NY is so different from the American heartland. However, the book was particularly great for someone like me, who mostly knows the places and the background environment in which these incidents develop, but does not actually know the events described in the book much, if at all, because I'm not a local NYer.
I thought the author has produced an honest account of both Giuliani's campaigns to the mayorship and also his major tasks and difficulties faced during the 2 terms. Being a journalist, the author has written the book in such a way that it reads very practical and fast. There's a lot of substance and facts in it, with quotes from many people around the major, which I think is a very direct and insightful way of peeping into the thinking/culture of the 'inner circle'. I think the author has done a great job connecting all these together to produce a seemless flow and smooth taste throughout the chapters of the book. For me who didn't know much about politics, this is also an eye-opener as it described the political power struggle and way of thinking so transparently by reflecting it on the daily events surrounding the major's agenda, and in general, the social happenings of a multi-racial, complex society. The only thing I would have liked to see more in this book is a little more words on how Giuliani reacted or what he has done, if any, that's related to the great boom of the American economy and hence the Wall Street during his 2nd term. But maybe that's not quite relevant to the grand schema of things for this book anyway. So even without that part which I'd be intersted to know more about, this is still a very engaging read!
Rating:
Summary: Very engaging read!
Review: I first set foot in New York City in late 1993, right before Giuliani entered the City Hall. NYC was a mess. I was scared riding in a car in Queens when the first time a 'spongee' came along to offer windshield wiping service. Or when riding in the subway we would not dare taking out a map or a camera,anything that could hint that we're tourists. Between 1996 and 1997 I went back and lived there for 9 months, which I enjoyed very much. During this time NYC was so absorbed into the new found prosperity and success of the financial markets/industry that I rarely heard people talking about the state of the city a mere 4 years ago. To say it's as safe as Tokyo is an exaggeration of course, but for such a high density big city, it was a hugely successful clean-up from 4 years ago. Homeless and graffitti is substantially less seen in the subway system. My friends and I would now have the guts to walk on the street at 3am... Then as time went on I heard the major had a lot to do with this change. And then I started hearing how local NYers describe Giuliani as such a fighter, never backed down from oppositions such as strike threat and stuff like that... After 911 WTC incident, I was very concerned about anything NY, having lived there for a little bit before. From the high-profile media appearance of Giuliani, I saw him maintaining the composure well enough to offer a symbol of calmness and toughness representing NY in the wake of the disaster towards the rest of the country and the world. Based on this and my past experience with NYC, reading this book is a joy. It's not just a story-book about how Giuliani came to power, how he succeeded and where he faltered, and from which an evaluation of his characteristics, philosophy and other inner traits. It's also an honest reflection of the social transformation of NYC during his 2 terms of mayorship. It's not easy for an average American to appreciate the unique nature of this society, whether it be racial, economic, crime or just social problems, because NY is so different from the American heartland. However, the book was particularly great for someone like me, who mostly knows the places and the background environment in which these incidents develop, but does not actually know the events described in the book much, if at all, because I'm not a local NYer.
I thought the author has produced an honest account of both Giuliani's campaigns to the mayorship and also his major tasks and difficulties faced during the 2 terms. Being a journalist, the author has written the book in such a way that it reads very practical and fast. There's a lot of substance and facts in it, with quotes from many people around the major, which I think is a very direct and insightful way of peeping into the thinking/culture of the 'inner circle'. I think the author has done a great job connecting all these together to produce a seemless flow and smooth taste throughout the chapters of the book. For me who didn't know much about politics, this is also an eye-opener as it described the political power struggle and way of thinking so transparently by reflecting it on the daily events surrounding the major's agenda, and in general, the social happenings of a multi-racial, complex society. The only thing I would have liked to see more in this book is a little more words on how Giuliani reacted or what he has done, if any, that's related to the great boom of the American economy and hence the Wall Street during his 2nd term. But maybe that's not quite relevant to the grand schema of things for this book anyway. So even without that part which I'd be intersted to know more about, this is still a very engaging read!
Rating:
Summary: read in one sitting
Review: I picked this book up to read on a flight from Providence to Phoenix. I never put it down and read the whole book by arrival. It is an incredibly readable book. As far as I understand it was oringinally published before sept 11th so most of the book is unbiased by the great acts the mayor performed on that day and afterword. This being siad the author is great at detailing the intricacies of New York politics. A worthwhile read for anyone who didnt experience the Guliani era first hand(in NY). As another reviewer siad it does lack detail and certainly is in no way a biography of the man. The book is a political biography the starts in 1988 and ends in 2001.
Rating:
Summary: read in one sitting
Review: I picked this book up to read on a flight from Providence to Phoenix. I never put it down and read the whole book by arrival. It is an incredibly readable book. As far as I understand it was oringinally published before sept 11th so most of the book is unbiased by the great acts the mayor performed on that day and afterword. This being siad the author is great at detailing the intricacies of New York politics. A worthwhile read for anyone who didnt experience the Guliani era first hand(in NY). As another reviewer siad it does lack detail and certainly is in no way a biography of the man. The book is a political biography the starts in 1988 and ends in 2001.
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