A Mayor's Life: Governing New York's Gorgeous Mosaic
AuthorDavid N. Dinkins
GenreMemoir
PublisherPublicAffairs Books
Publication date
September 17, 2013
ISBN978-1-61-039301-0

A Mayor's Life: Governing New York's Gorgeous Mosaic is the autobiography of New York City's 106th mayor, David N. Dinkins, co-authored with Peter Knobler. Published in 2013 by PublicAffairs Books, the autobiography recounts the life and career of David Norman Dinkins, who defeated Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani to become mayor of New York.[1][2] The New York Times called it a "moving... inspiring account of New York's first black mayor."[3] Set against the backdrop of the rise of Harlem's influence on city politics, which produced several state and national black leaders and energized the base that ultimately led to the election of President Barack Obama, A Mayor's Life deals with Dinkins' childhood in Trenton, NJ, his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, his education at Howard University and Brooklyn Law School,[4] his political career beginning at the Carver Democratic Club and moving through jobs as City Clerk and Manhattan borough president to his election as mayor.[5] Dinkins discusses his administration's successes, including an historic decrease in the city's crime rate;[6] the cleanup of Times Square; the restoration of dilapidated housing in Northern Harlem, the South Bronx and Brooklyn;[7] the deal to keep the US Tennis Open in New York City, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called "the only good athletic sports stadium deal, not just in New York but in the country";[8] and the hosting of Nelson Mandela on the South African diplomat's first international visit after being freed from prison.[9] He also discusses its difficulties.

Crown Heights

Dinkins presents a detailed analysis of the Crown Heights riot in Brooklyn. He writes, “There was no order given, there was no unstated code, there was no tacit understanding, there was nothing anytime or anywhere that authorized the police not to do their jobs, to stand down, to allow the black community to attack Jews and create mayhem.”

Racism

The New York Times said, "Mr. Dinkins offers insights into his views on race, a subject that he typically skirted as the city’s first African-American mayor, and into how being black shaped his personality."[10] Dinkins accuses his Republican opponent, Rudy Giuliani, of running a racist campaign but says that was not the only reason for his 1993 re-election loss.[11]

"Gorgeous Mosaic"

“New York is not a melting pot,” Dinkins writes, “but a gorgeous mosaic… of race and religious faith, of national origin and sexual orientation – of individuals whose families arrived yesterday and generations ago, coming through Ellis Island, or Kennedy Airport, or on Greyhound buses bound for the Port Authority.”

References

  1. ↑ "Mayor Dinkins' life recalled in wit and humor'", Amsterdam News, October 3, 2013
  2. ↑ KCTV5 Archived 2016-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, KCTV5, Kansas City, MO October 4, 2013
  3. ↑ "Their Honors" The New York Times Sunday Book Review, November 24, 2013
  4. ↑ Book Review: A Mayor's Life, Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2013
  5. ↑ David Dinkins on Tavis Smiley radio program, PBS. September 2013
  6. ↑ "A Mayor's Life debuts with political edge at Friar's Club" Newsday, September 23, 2013
  7. ↑ "Trentonian David Dinkins Tells All in A Mayor's Life" Trenton (NJ) Trentonian, September 21, 2013
  8. ↑ "After Eight Years, Tennis Has a Fan Again in City Hall", The New York Times, March 21, 2002
  9. ↑ "Fall's Essential Books" Archived 2013-09-29 at the Wayback Machine The Atlantic, August 27, 2013
  10. ↑ "Dinkins, in Book, Blames Racism for Re-Election Loss", The New York Times, July 16, 2013
  11. ↑ "Ex-Mayor David Dinkins says racism to blame for losing 1993 election against Rudy Giuliani", New York Daily News, July 17, 2013

Further reading

  • Rangel, Charles B.; Wynter, Leon (2007) And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-38213-1
  • Walker, John C. The Harlem Fox: J. Raymond Jones at Tammany 1920–1970, New York: State University New York Press, 1989.
  • Paterson, David (2020). Black, Blind, & in Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.
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