Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Time in New York: Jimmy Walker, Franklin Roosevelt, and the Last Great Battle of the Jazz Age

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This thin book is a quick, breezy read. It shines a spotlight on an interesting time in American life -- the tail end of the Roaring 20s and the onset of the Great Depression -- and the long-cherished "spoils" system of municipal government.

Many larger-than-life characters are here: FDR, Jimmy Walker, Fiorello LaGuardia, Al Smith. Smith's metamorphosis from trail-blazing liberal to the anti-Roosevelt in four short years was particularly eye-opening for me. (In school, they only taught us about the "Happy Warrior"of 1928, conveniently foregoing the not-so-happy iteration of 1932 and beyond.) I was also struck by the enmity toward the pre-presidential FDR which was evident in many quarters.

Mitgang's presentation of the scandals involving NY Mayor Jimmy Walker, leading up to the Seabury Commission investigations and Walker's removal from office by then NY Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, offers a story that should be captivating. The personalities involved were among the major American political figures of their time. Walker's precipitous fall from power was one of the major political events of the era. But I laid down the book feeling that I had somehow been presented the story, but only at the most superficial level. Perhaps I should have known better given the book's brief length. But Mitgang has a good reputation as a journalist, and I expected more. For example, none of the major actors is presented with much depth at all. Their motivations are not explored in sufficient degree. The implications of FDR's action in this case for his Presidency are not explored. Walker's failure to run again for the mayoralty--if for no other reason than self-vindication--is not analyzed. Some major political figures--including former Governor Al Smith and succeeding Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia--are given what might be walk-on parts or cameo roles, if this were a movie, despite the fact that they were clearly major power brokers at the time. All in all, this book is a reasonable BASIC introduction to the story, but left me wanting more. It is hardly history; it is more a narration.

I am intensely interested in Franklin D. Roosevelt and his times, so I figured this book on a little-explored aspect of his career couldn't miss. Colorful characters straight out of "Guys and Dolls" rub elbows with the patrician Roosevelt in this account of the transition between the free-wheeling era of Tammany Hall to the do-gooder era of the New Deal. Too bad that author Mitgang lacks any sense of story-telling ability. The organization of the book is sloppy and confusing and robs the story of any drama. The humorous aspects fall flat. Great idea for a book, but the execution is a misfire.