City of Ambition: FDR, La Guardia, and the Making of Modern New York
The New Deal undeniably was characterized by a massive growth in the scope and power of the federal government. Yet many of the most ambitious and successful New Deal programs were jointly administered with local governments, especially in large urban areas. As this striking account shows, the shining light for federal and local cooperation was New York City. Williams is a historian specializing in urban politics. At the center of his narrative is the partnership between the two most powerful leaders of the country in the 1930s: President Roosevelt and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, of New York. The ebullient and earthy LaGuardia and the patrician Roosevelt seemed an odd pair, but their partnership helped forge much of the modern infrastructure of New York, including such iconic landmarks as the Lincoln Tunnel and Henry Hudson Drive. Despite many detractors, both then and now, Williams convincingly asserts that these programs were vital and successful in stimulating a moribund economy and provided confirmation of the positive role that can be played by government at the local and national level. --Jay Freeman