Miami: City of the Future [Hardcover]

T. D. Allman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Allman (Unmanifest Destiny brings a glowing ambience to his multifaceted treatment of Miamiclearly because he is enamored of the city's growth in our own time to become a metropolis teeming with complexities and contradictions, a "melting pot" thrown open by the Cuban tidal wave of recent years. A journalist with outstanding narrative skill, Allman traces Miami's growth from the time of Julia Tuttle and Henry Flagler through its real-estate boom (and bust) of the 1920s to the "new Casablanca" image its rampant drug-trade and political turmoil have given it in the 1980s. Colorful anecdotes abound, and readers will enjoy Allman's many revealing sidelights and personal profiles as he proposes, with delicious irony, a monument to JFK and Fidel Castro as "co-founders" of this new Miracle City.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Even though Allman was born in Tampa, he's spent the major part of his adult life elsewhere and thus brings a distanced, critical perspective to this treatment of "Miami, the magic city." Drawn to Miami for an interesting story, Allman fleshes out his first-hand account of contemporary Miami with historical research. Rather than clutter the text with footnotes Allman has appended chapter notes documenting his sources. Quirkily, he persistently ignores Miami Beach's independent city status. Allman paints a vivid portrait of a city in flux and turmoil, rising above its racial problems, both frightening and exciting, and Americanizing its multiethnic mix of Anglos, blacks, Cubans, Haitians, and others. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Susan Hamburger, Florida State Univ. Lib., Tallahassee
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 414 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Pr; 1st edition (April 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871131021
• ISBN-13: 978-0871131027
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,482,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful & well-written -- where's the sequel!, May 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Miami: City of the Future (Hardcover)

T.D. Allman's 1987 book "Miami -- City of the Future" is a thoughtful and original perspective on modern Miami (post-riots, post-Mariel). Allman is not a resident, so he's able to look at the city's complex social and political fabric with an objective eye.

The book is not organized chronologically nor by subject matter, which may test the patience of some readers. But I found Allman's style and substance unique and insightful. For example, he points out the irony of refugees so desperate for a chance at a new life that they will actually *swim* to Miami, contrasted with the "utter weariness of life" that you find in so many Miami residents. Allman writes poetically of Miami as a place that draws people with dreams, people who long to reinvent themselves. He includes stories of people from all walks of life -- one is struck by how similar the winners & losers are; their disillusionment and loneliness is haunting. I could relate to Allman's evocative descriptions of Miami's allure -- the beauty, diversity, and danger of the Magic City.

The unfortunate thing is that the book is now so dated. Part of that is, of course, not the author's fault -- Miami has changed and continues to change very rapidly. Many of the things that Allman writes about, such as the white good ol' boy political power structure, no longer exist. Allman's blithe assurance that the massive influx of immigrants would become thoroughly Americanized is not evident in present-day Miami. It's also unfortunate that Allman writes so extensively of the "Miami Vice" tv series, which further dooms the book to period-piece status. I would welcome an update or even a sequel to this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN ENDURING CLASSIC, February 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Miami: City of the Future (Hardcover)

This is the best book written on Miami so far. An excellent read, and reread.

A revised edition is needed, but until one comes along this book provides the best insights in Miami printed so far.

The book is physically beautiful too.

Try to get a copy with a cover in good condition. It's worth the little extra.