We read it in 15-page portions, except when we just had to read more. I can’t say that any book I have read, in recent memory, has taught me more about the way the world we live in works. And for anyone who has ever lived in New York (I did for four years) it throws everything on its ear, and makes you look at the city in a totally different way.
Perplexed about 2025 and its projected major players (power brokers, so many of them)? This book is both a “how to” manual and a cautionary tale about someone totally obsessed with systematically chasing and holding, for the longest time, ultimate power. And the long tail of his power has wagged its way into the second decade of the 21st century, where a good deal of cleanup is still happening.
It is beautifully written. So clever. So honest. So earnest. So satisfying. All 1166 pages of it.
You can look at a preview here.
And make sure to read Michael's excellent post about the book.
6 comments:
I am feeling inspired, especially because this giant doorstop is now available as an ebook.
It is heavy. If you opt for a physical copy, I recommend sitting it on a sturdy pillow. While we were away from home Michael and I did read an online digitized copy, and the experience was just fine. There is also an audio book, which I haven't listened to. I have heard that the actors who read it are quite good, but I would only want to listen if it were recorded in Caro's voice, which resonates roundly in my head while reading. Nothing else would do for me.
I'll definitely be reading the ebook version, probably with a library visit to see the photos in a printed book.
You can find the pictures (and the full text) here: https://archive.org/details/oceanof-pdf.com-the-power-broker-robert-a-caro
That's a bootleg scan, hence my preference for buying the recently-released ebook ($16) and a library visit for the illustrations and photos.
There’s nothing wrong with a library visit (or two or more). Understood. It was good in a pinch when we didn’t have our copies on hand.
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