Rating: 
Summary: emperor of the city.
Review: I was overwhelmed by the author's fairness about a mayor who either was loved or hated but never ignored. Mr. Kirtzman's book provided what has to be considered a fair and objective review of the mayor's positives and negatives. I never felt that the author was taking sides, I never knew where his bias was. Whenever it seemed that he was challenging the accepted wisdom about the mayor he would balance it with another point of view.It revealed that the mayor missed an opportunity to truly be the best when his need for total control limited his ability to be open with the entire city.
Read this book, not just once but a second time.
Rating: 
Summary: A successful politician introduced by a successful author
Review: If you're from New York City and you track city politics, then you're certainly familiar with Andrew Kirtzman. Kirtzman, who is a political reporter for New York 1 News, demonstrates an impressive grasp of both urban politics and personal drama with his first book, "Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City." The book commences with Giuliani's unsuccessful race for mayor in 1989 and concludes with his stunning decision to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race just months ago. In that ten-year span, Kirtzman takes us through a roller-coaster ride of New York history. On November 7, 1989 New Yorkers elected David Dinkins as its 106th mayor over Rudy Giuliani. Two days later the Berlin Wall fell. Half a world a way, East Germans were awakening to the failure and misery of socialism. New Yorkers, it seemed, still didn't get it. The Dinkins era confirmed what most New Yorkers already feared: the City was an unmanageable wasteland. Tax-and-spend budgets. Racial demagoguery. Criminals ruling the streets. Mass incivility. In 1993, however, after four years of misrule, the City had a chance to reverse its mistake. The mayoral election pitted Dinkins and Giuliani against each other once again. This time, the former federal prosecutor triumphed. On that same day, New Jersey voters sent tax-and-spend Governor Jim Florio packing as well. Quietly, Northeast voters were heralding the Republican Revolution of 1994. The late 1990s would see the whole nation turn its back on liberalism. Rudy Giuliani was the first and most able practitioner of this New Politics. His first city budget combined spending cuts with tax cuts. For the first time in recent memory, New York would spend less money the next year than it did the previous year. The message to the business community was equally clear: Stay! We want you here and we'll create an environment where you can thrive. Giuliani challenged the bureaucracies and their union chiefs and rolled past them. He broke up the Mob and tightened the requirements for welfare. Most importantly, he teamed with Police Chief Bill Bratton in a new, tougher approach to crime-fighting. The results after just four years were staggering: crime in the city had been cut in half, hundreds of thousands of people had moved from the welfare rolls to the private sector, school test scores went up, annual budget surpluses became surpluses. In 1997, New York voters overwhelming re-elected "Hizzonor." Since then, however, Rudy hasn't led such a charmed life. The city's "quality of life" statistics are still incredibly impressive. But his reputation has been tarnished by both his broken marriage and some police misconduct cases. The 1999 police shooting of Amadou Diallo and the later killing of Patrick Dorismond were highly unfortunate but they were also accidents. Giuliani's critics conveniently forget that under Rudy, police murder has fallen in half from the "compassionate" days of the Dinkins administration. When the ball dropped in Times Square on New Years Day 2000, New York was once again the capital of the world. The man who deserves most of the credit is Rudy Giuliani. No question about it. He may not win a personality contest. But he doesn't have to. He is simply the most successful mayor in New York City history and one of the most impressive politicians in the nation today. What must disturb New York residents is: Who will replace Rudy? He is required by law to step down as mayor in 2001. Will New Yorkers elect a man, who in his rush to show "compassion," dismantle Rudy Giuliani's legacy? Will the crime laws be relaxed? Will the welfare requirements be eased? Will the unions return to their glory? The answer, sadly, is "Most likely." Rudy Giuliani is an awesome mayor but every great leader must groom a successor who will ensure his legacy. In this one crucial category, Giuliani has proved to be mortal. But make no mistake: The Big Apple is Back -- thanks to Rudy Giuliani.
Rating:
Summary: Emperor Rudy
Review: In the eighties there was Bonfire of the Vanities. In the year 2000, Rudy Guliani:Emperor of the City, Andrew Kirtzman's equally riveting tale of New York City and its real-life, larger-than-life mayor. A must read for anyone fascinated by the machinations of big-city politics and the impact of powerful personality on a populace.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book about a unique individual
Review: Interesting book about a unique individual. You have to admire his character as he shapes New York from the "Rotting Apple" as Time magazine portrayed it under Dinkins, to the "Capital of the World", as some call it today. While this book seems intent or attacking Giuliani at every turn, it can't hide the remarkable job that he did as Mayor. The book ends with him bowing out of the 2000 Senate race ,so it doesn't cover his apt handling of the Sept. 11th Attack recovery.
Rating:
Summary: A taut, engrossing story
Review: Rudy Giuliani must be a difficult man to write about just for the sheer abundance of anecodotes and controversies he has generated during his years in public office. Kirtzman edits these stories beautifully, however, producing a compelling narrative and, more importantly, a fascinating character study. The success of this book for me was in part a result of that editing; Kirtzman didn't make the mistake of so many modern biographies, giving us minutiae instead of insight. Instead, like a consummate reporter, he distilled a gripping story and a convincing portrait from the jumble of contradictions that is Rudy Giuliani.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding political drama
Review: There is no question that Rudy Giuliani is a fascinating figure that has reshaped the political landscape of New York City. Kirtzman provides a fast-paced and entertaining account of Rudy's career from its beginning to the present, capturing both the highs and lows that many of us are familiar with, while not being aware of all the finer details. Thankfully he does not concern himself with sensationalizing his subject like another recent Giuliani biographer, painting a much more balanced portrait instead. An excellent book, I highly reccommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Solid and Condensed Biography
Review: This biography was excellently written in a mostly unbiased way. Kirtzman has an excellent understanding of NYC politics and this served to his advantage in chronicling Giulianis life. For a more comprehensive biography pick up "Rudy" by Wayne Barrett.
Rating:
Summary: A taut, engrossing story
Review: This book could have been either a refreshingly new analysis of Guiliani's politics or an uproariously entertaining tale of his reign. It's neither.Kirtzman the New York 1 man likes to talk about the chain-smoking, styrofoam coffee cup world of political camapigns. He goes on and on about Ray Harding, Peter Powers, Bruce Teitelbaum, and of course Christyne Lategano. He's gossipy, BUT not gossipy enough to tell us whether Rudy and Christyne ever hooked up, or how Hizzoner met his "very special friend" from the East Side. There's no new dirt in this book. Kirtzman has the good sense to describe the opera buffa elements of this mayorality, but so many funny bits are left out! Where is Guiliani's aria against double-parking U.N. diplomats? His tantrum against Grammy organziers from LA? Only one sentence each about hot dog vendors, the downtown bunker, and New York magazine bus ads! Please! The author seems to think only in campaign terms. He never settles down to tell us about the work of governing or the debates about the actual impact of Guiliani's policies on New Yorkers. No mention of the controversy about methadone treatment or West Side stadiums, for example. Kirtman could also have told us something about the pre-1989 Guiliani, but he fails there too. Next to nothing about Rudy the student and Mob-busting lawyer. In conclusion, the book is a disapointment because it lacks detail and it doesn't say much that's new. The other new Guiliani book is probably better.
Rating: 
Summary: Very much the work of a TV reporter
Review: This book could have been either a refreshingly new analysis of Guiliani's politics or an uproariously entertaining tale of his reign. It's neither. Kirtzman the New York 1 man likes to talk about the chain-smoking, styrofoam coffee cup world of political camapigns. He goes on and on about Ray Harding, Peter Powers, Bruce Teitelbaum, and of course Christyne Lategano. He's gossipy, BUT not gossipy enough to tell us whether Rudy and Christyne ever hooked up, or how Hizzoner met his "very special friend" from the East Side. There's no new dirt in this book. Kirtzman has the good sense to describe the opera buffa elements of this mayorality, but so many funny bits are left out! Where is Guiliani's aria against double-parking U.N. diplomats? His tantrum against Grammy organziers from LA? Only one sentence each about hot dog vendors, the downtown bunker, and New York magazine bus ads! Please! The author seems to think only in campaign terms. He never settles down to tell us about the work of governing or the debates about the actual impact of Guiliani's policies on New Yorkers. No mention of the controversy about methadone treatment or West Side stadiums, for example. Kirtman could also have told us something about the pre-1989 Guiliani, but he fails there too. Next to nothing about Rudy the student and Mob-busting lawyer. In conclusion, the book is a disapointment because it lacks detail and it doesn't say much that's new. The other new Guiliani book is probably better.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry, but this book is a Loser of the Week.
Review: This book was a major disappointment. Am I supposed to be impressed with the story that a black deputy mayor was twice stopped by cops and harassed? That's way old news, Mr. Kirtzman. If you're going to buy one of the Giuliani bios, don't waste your $$ on this one. Frankly, I would have been far more interested in Dominic Carter's appraisal of Giuliani. Not to mention Budd Mishkin's.
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