Gotham Rising presents a riveting, fast-paced, and entirely convincing case for the 1930s being the most significant—and the most fascinating!—decade in the history of New York City. Detailing how the great skyscrapers that still dominate the skyline rose triumphantly from the ashes of the Great Depression, Jules Stewart profiles the simultaneous cultural revival happening in the streets— from the Harlem Renaissance to Greenwich Village bohemia. The big movers and shakers of the era come alive on the pages, especially Mayor La Guardia and his war on the mafia. Essential reading for historians and urbanites, it's a wonderfully entertaining "story of the decade in which New York rose to become the cultural, artistic and financial powerhouse of the United States."