America's Mayor

John V. Lindsay (1921-2000) became mayor of New York City in 1966, promising to do away with political corruption and reinvigorate city life. Over the next eight years, he would govern a city upturned by the women's and civil rights movements, challenging economic conditions, restive labor politics, and unprecedented cultural change. He would implement revolutionary innovations in urban planning, hoping to make the city not just inhabitable but enjoyable& -a celebration of itself. For decades Lindsay's leadership has been undervalued and misinterpreted by historians who dismiss him as a failed dreamer, overlooking his contributions to the city and generations of civic thinkers.This book, edited by New York Timesreporter Sam Roberts, reclaims Lindsay's efforts to rescue a city on the edge. Published in collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York and in conjunction with its spring exhibition on Lindsay's life and work, America's Mayoris lavishly illustrated and features original essays by Pete Hamill, Nick Pileggi, Richard Reeves, Kenneth T. Jackson, Hilary Ballon, Joshua Freeman, Jeff Greenfield, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, John Mollenkopf, Charles Morris, James Sanders, and Steven Weisman, among others. Reminiscences by key contemporaries include Jimmy Breslin, Mario Cuomo, and Robert Redford, and are enhanced by vivid documents and articles. Publication also coincides with the debut of a public television documentary on Lindsay and his complex legacy.

Sam Roberts is the urban affairs correspondent of The New York Times and has written for the newspaper for more than two decades. Before joining The Times, Roberts was a reporter and city editor at the Daily News. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the New Republic, and New York Magazine, and he is the author and coauthor of several books. He lives in New York City.