This book is the biography of Robert Moses, the influential yet controversial public official who built almost every highway, bridge, park and dam in New York (state and city). It's a story about how power is obtained, wielded and lost. It's a tale of hubris, ambition, and what it takes to make big ideas into reality.
It's also a treasure trove of information about why the infrastructure of New York City is the way it is. Why is there no direct train connection to JFK airport? Why is the island of Manhattan completely cut off from its waterfront by highways? Answers to these questions and more lay within the pages of this book (see chapter 25 and chapter 39).
I hope everyone reads "The Power Broker" once, but I recognize it's not realistic for most people to invest six months in doing so. I created this repository of chapter summaries as an easier on-ramp to the book, and provide a concise overview of the key themes and events in each chapter. I hope it will inspire you to read the full thing!
All the summaries were generated by an AI model and personally fact-checked by me. Check out this piece of code if you are curious about how the sausage is made.