Customer Reviews

Politics of Arlington, Texas: An Era of Continuity and Growth

5 star:		(3)
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3 star:		(1)
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While the information presented is informative and interesting, Saxe mentions nothing about the destruction of Arlinton's great old downtown area. "Forces" in the city, at some point, determined to demolish most of the classic old downtown, and ruin it with a boxy library building, completely erasing a great deal of the town's history. The results proved to be so unpopular that the perpetrators went into hiding, and there's no clear record as to who was responsible. Saxe should have investigated and reported upon this, because it is a significant travesty in the history of Arlington.

A Brilliant Book from a Brilliant Teacher...Saxe delivers a very adequate description of the politics of Arlington, Texas. Saxe is knowledgable in the field of Politics, and his book is a definate must-read if you are interested in the local politics of an average American city.

I grew up in Arlington, Texas in the 1970s and lived there in most of the 1980s. I no longer live in Arlington, but I have fond memories of growing up there. One of Arlington's treasures is UTA Prof. Alan Saxe. When I heard that he had written a history of Arlington politics, I had to get the book.

I read the book, and was not disappointed. It was fun to read the book and recall all of the old names that I became familiar with growing up in Arlington. The 1970s and 1980s were an exciting time in Arlington, because it was growing so much. Saxe's book covers Arlington from the 1950's through the late 1990's.

Now, this is not the book to read if you want a serious, analytical book of Arlington Post-WWII politics. I think Prof. Saxe probably did not want to offend anyone with the book, and most of those profiled are treated with kid gloves, when they probably deserved a little more critical treatment. Since Prof. Saxe has been well-known in Arlington for over 30 years, he knows most of the people profiled in the book. So the book is not as objective as it could be.

If you grew up in Arlington, or live there now, you will really enjoy this book!

The book also includes a lot of photos.

I love this book and am glad Prof. Saxe wrote it. It was a fun read and I would encourage current residents of Arlington to read the book so they understand how Arlington evolved in its years of growth.

Allan Saxe does an excellant job illustrating the history and character of Politics in Arlington. Mr. Saxe has an amazing and enciteful understanding of the framework and power structure in this town. Hopefully, he will write a book on how to fix our problems.