Customer Reviews

The Bronx is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City

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Jonathan Mahler's book, "The Bronx is Burning", recalls that time in The City when the city was collapsing in crime and decay, visible for all the world to see on the evening news. Mahler, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, weaves together the story of the 1977 mayoral race, serial killer Son of Sam, the blackout and subsequent riots, and the fractious Yankees who had just signed Reggie Jackson and would go on to win their first World Series since 1962.

Born and raised in the Bronx, I remember that time and those events quite well. As a baseball fan, I was disillusioned by a Yankees team that hadn't won a championship in 15 years and seemed to expend most of its energy fighting with itself and with owner George Steinbrenner.

"The Bronx is Burning" - the title is taken from a Howard Cosell remark during the 1977 World Series broadcast as the aerial shot of Yankee Stadium revealed a nearby five-alarm fire - is a well-documented narrative of the New York City of the mid-1970s. Although the baseball story seems, at times, grafted on, and the subplot of Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the New York Post became more relevant in later years, the 67-chapter, 3-part, 339-page book accurately reflects the experience of most New Yorkers at the time. Those were our day-to-day concerns: crime, the mayor's race, and Steinbrenner's Yankees.

But New York's story doesn't end with Ed Koch as mayor and the Yankees as World Series champions. Mahler leaves the impression that these two outcomes would lead to the turnaround of the city's fortunes and that 1977 was the bottom of the inverted bell curve. Neither is true.

Crime would continue to rise. The murder rate peaked at 2,262 in 1992, a full 15 years later. The Yankees wouldn't win another World Series for 19 years, against the Atlanta Braves in 1996. Drug use continued to rise all through the 1980s. A 1989 U.S. News & World Report story listed New York as one of a dozen major U.S. cities ravaged by crime.

The nadir of New York City's recent history was not 1977, and the resurgence was not due to Ed Koch or Reggie Jackson. When I left New York in 1986, the city was still a dismal and depressing place. When I visit today, it is vibrant, clean, safe and more exciting than ever. A new Yankee Stadium is under construction. As long as readers of "The Bronx is Burning" understand what came after chapter 67, they can appreciate this very readable book.

For baseball fans, the ESPN adaptation of Mahler's book is well done and worth watching. As befits the network that aired it, the mini-series (now available on DVD The Bronx is Burning) leads with the Yankees story while moving the crime and decay to the background. And, as befits the medium, it tells the story through big personalities: Billy and Reggie and George, plus Son of Sam. Grab a beer and a hot dog and sit down to enjoy.

What can I say the book was a great read with a tremendous introspective in on some yankee legends. A great read not only for any baseball fan but also anyone who enjoys a great read. The product was in superb condition as well when I recieved it.

A must read for anyone who grew up in the City. This was a low-point for NYC with race driven politics, a pair of losing ball teams, blackouts, riots and a brush with bankruptcy. Throw in the Son of Sam and disco, and anyone who could afford to was fleeing for the 'burbs. Mahler captures the mood along with the gallows humor and manages a happy ending.

Pretty good book about the state of NYC in 1977....politics, crime, blackouts and the Son of Sam case. Throw in the trials and tribulations of the New York Yankees and this is a fine history lesson for those interested in these topics. I was a teenager at the time, read the New York papers every day and loved the Yankees. This was a nice trip down memory lane.

The Bronx Is Burning

Summer 1976. A mischievous killer is on the loose and the Yankees are trying to go from worst to first. The trial for the Son of Same has gone cold. The Yankees are trying to win whatever in takes. Explosive and unpredictable Billy Martin is fried up but more importantly he is threatening to leave the Yankees again but who knows if he is really going to leave. George Steinbrenner is on the verge of cutting every coach on the team until Reggie Jackson comes to town and answers all his critics with his bat. Until Reggie gets into a slump and is on the verge of getting cut when he says the world famous quote "I'm the straw that stirs the drink." Reggie denies this quote to this day. This book taught me about the history but I really wasn't thinking about that because I was so into the book.

I liked this book because I like the Yankees and I think that it is cool to learn about your favorite team's history. I also liked it because my dad remembered when this happened. My dad says that this time was very scary. I think that it is very cool that this amazing book is a true story. I really like how this book ended. The Yankees are the best sport team in the history of sports and this was to me one of the best years of Yankee history.

M.S.

I enjoyed the book very much!