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Harry Jaffe

Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C. Hardcover – May 1, 1994

by Harry S. Jaffe (Author), Tom Sherwood (Author)

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Arguing that citizens of Washington, D.C., live without basic American rights, two respected Washington journalists show how the country's capital contains huge and often vicious contradictions and devastating race, class, and power problems.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

May 1, 1994
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0671768468
ISBN-13

978-0671768461
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elected mayor of Washington, D.C., in 1978, sharecropper's son Marion Barry Jr., a leading civil rights activist, began a descent into cocaine and alcohol addiction and demagoguery that mirrored the racially polarized city's decline. Jaffe, an editor of Washingtonian magazine, and WRC-TV political reporter Sherwood suggest that nearly two centuries of congressional domination of the capital, disenfranchisement and white racism have stunted local political traditions in Washington, creating a vacuum filled by power broker Barry. They blame the former mayor (sentenced in 1990 to six months in jail after a drug bust) for whipping up racial animosity, setting whites against blacks and scuttling a prime opportunity for advancing racial harmony. Their chronicle of the dream city turned urban nightmare sweeps from the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., in 1968, and the real estate boom and crack epidemic of the 1980s to the beleaguered administration of Barry's successor, Sharon Pratt Kelly.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Journalists Jaffe and Sherwood, long-time Washington, D.C., residents, have covered that city's politics for many years. Their book is based on interviews with over 200 people (but not former mayor Marion Barry) and a variety of other sources, including congressional hearings and reports, police and court records, and journalistic accounts. While the book traces the history of the city from the Civil War to the present, its central reference point is the 1992 murder of Tom Barnes, a young intern for Alabama senator Richard Shelby, a few blocks from the Capitol and the racial turmoil that arose when the senator questioned the ability of the largely African American government to run the city. Tracing former mayor Barry's career from his civil rights activism to his drug conviction, the authors provide a highly unflattering portrait of his weaknesses for sex, drugs, and political corruption. For them, Barry symbolizes both the tension between civil rights activists and Washington's African American middle class and the promise and subsequent failure of the social programs of the 1960s. Of interest to scholars of civil rights history, urban history, and political science; recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
William Waugh Jr., Georgia State Univ., Atlanta
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Dream City has the strengths and weaknesses of its journalist-authors' approach to this enormously complex story. As a tale of the rise and fall (and restoration?) of Marion S. Barry Jr.--from civil rights organizer to capital-city mayor and national political figure to drug sting and jail and then back to Washington's City Council--Jaffe and Sherwood's reporting is solidly involving. An initial chapter on colonial control of the District by congressional committees until the first limited steps toward home rule in the late 1960s, a final chapter on the flaws of the mayoral administration that succeeded Barry's, and discussion throughout of the role of the city's white business leaders (particularly real-estate developers), of the impact of color and class distinctions within the city's African American community, and of the effects of drugs and drug-related crime provide essential context. Still, Dream City is journalism, not history: fascinating as Jaffe and Sherwood's lively narrative is, readers will need to wait for other authors to probe Washington, D.C.'s recent history with more precise instruments. Mary Carroll

From Kirkus Reviews

Two veteran Washington journalists offer a vigorous and resonant portrait of the 30-year decline and polarization of our capital. Jaffe (of Washingtonian magazine) and Sherwood (of WRC-TV, formerly of the Washington Post) tell their story in episodic sketches, covering the city's historic caste system among blacks, the rise of community organizer (and, later, mayor) Marion Barry during the War on Poverty, and the shift of power to blacks after the traumatic 1968 riots. The authors criticize the long-standing federal stranglehold on the district, as well as the Post's ignorance of black Washington, but their major culprit is ``Boss Barry,'' who emerged in his second mayoral term (1982-6) as a betrayer of the biracial coalition that first elected him. Barry's failures were legion: political spoils for a narrow group of adventurers such as profiteer-from-the-homeless Cornelius Pitts; a top aide turned embezzler; a police department in disarray; a downtown that boomed as other neighborhoods crumbled. His defiance of the black bourgeoisie and the white power structure preserved his popularity among blacks, and when he was arrested on drug charges in 1990--an episode recounted in telling detail--his lawyer successfully argued that the government was out to get him. After serving a six-month jail term for one misdemeanor, Barry began a comeback as council member from the city's poorest ward. The authors criticize the current mayor, reformer Sharon Pratt Kelly, as out of touch, and warn that federal receivership for Washington is as likely as full home rule and statehood. Reliance on dialogue-rich scenes sometimes sacrifices depth for drama, but this is a memorable and disturbing reminder of much unfinished urban business. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; First Edition (May 1, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671768468
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671768461
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,892 in African History (Books)
- #33,309 in U.S. State & Local History
- #54,614 in World History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
68 ratings

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4 star		25%
3 star		6%
2 star		3%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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ZetteZelle

you have to read this to know DC

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book has a copyright date of 1994, and as someone who moved to the District just after it was published, there were many moments of disconnect when the authors described a version of the city that I moved to that is nothing like the place where I live today. That said, if you love DC or are serious about wanting to understand its political backstory, you have to read this book. When this was published, 14th St was littered with buildings destroyed during or after the 68 riots; they're all razed now, but those 45-year-old ghosts haunt the City Council and and ANCs, and probably will for decades more to come.

This is an Important Book, but it's also a very engaging, readable book. You know how the story of young Marion Barry ends, but it's still fascinating to watch each step of his journey of reinvention and rise to power.

4 people found this helpful

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Erica

A Classic, Must-read for DIstrict Residents

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2018

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Fascinating, well-researched, and well-written deep dive into DC’s evolution, political upheavals, and leaders, especially the controversial Marion Barry. The epilogue spanning the 20 years since the book was first written is poignant and enlightening. I can’t recommend this book enough to anyone who lives or has lived or is moving to the District, or anyone interested in the District’s politics.

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Alexander Hogan

One of the best intros to DC politics and Marion Barry

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2005

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Jaffe does an excellent job of recounting the hope and promise that many Washingtonians held when Marion Barry was first elected Mayor as part of an grassroots coalition of low-income blacks, liberal whites and a growing gay and lesbian community and how badly that promise was betrayed.

There is no doubt the 80's were an awful time for DC. Crack, violence and economic abandonment by the middle class, nearly killed DC. Most major urban centers faced similar problems thanks to Reaganism and white flight but Jaffe clearly documents Barry's compounding of the problems faced by DC through financial irresponsibility(largely due to patronage) incompetent and criminal staff and his growing personal addictions to drug and sex. He documents Barry's failings without demonizing him or resorting to the disguised racism of many of Barry's detractors.

It should be added that Barry was recently elected back onto City Council, representing the nearly all black and poverty stricken Ward 8. Many outside DC couldn't believe that DC residents would want this guy back on the City Council, but those folks don't know Ward 8 or Barry's appeal. While DC is booming economically, Ward 8 continued to be ignored by the rest of the city and the Mayor. By voting for Barry against a Mayoral ally, Ward 8 was warning the rest of the city that they will not be ignored.

8 people found this helpful

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Disgruntled Customer

A Native 'Tonian Must Read

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2016

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As a native Washingtonian ( baby boom generation) I found this book historically interesting. It was on my 'to read' list for a long time. I don't know how interesting this will be if one is not a native of Washington DC. however if you've an interest in the politics of DC and how it got to where it is now, the book is worth the read.

Helpful

Beth Silverstein

An easy-to-read, detailed look at D.C.'s dark past

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is a great read for anyone who's ever lived or worked in the nation's capital -- whether for a summer internship or 15-year career. As a millenial living in the Virginia suburbs, I had no idea a city I loved so much had such a dark past. I also enjoyed how the authors used Marion Barry as a backbone, a guiding light through the tumultuous story. I learned a lot about a D.C. celebrity, as well how my favorite neighborhoods came to be. The in-depth reporting makes this the perfect history book. I hope the authors continue to update it with D.C.'s many transformations, because we all know this city is not done reviving itself.

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

thank you, I cant wait to read this book
thanks seller

Helpful

Kenneth A. Johnson

DC political history 101.

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great read! As a new transplant to DC, this book gave me an understanding of my new city and its political history that explains so much about the current state of things. My favorite bookclub selection of the year!

One person found this helpful

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Brian Feldmayer

DC (Barry) history

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

As a DC resident I found it more interesting than most probably would. Marion Barry for understandable reasons dominates the book and at times you forget it's about DC.

One person found this helpful

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Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C. Hardcover – May 1, 1994

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