New York and Los Angeles

"Before we talk about this book, I should add that there are a couple of other books that are real landmarks. First, my great predecessor as President of the New-York Historical Society, Ken Jackson, wrote Encyclopedia of New York , which tells you everything that there is to know about the city. Robert Caro’s Power Broker is a work of genius that explains the huge imprint one man had on the landscape of New York. These are both also essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the history of New York. It’s hard for me to resist putting my own husband, David Halle’s, book on the list because it looks at virtually every aspect of New York City—immigration, education, culture, government—in comparison with another city, Los Angeles . Through comparing those two cities we really come to understand that New York is unique and the book identifies many of the factors that make the city unique. For instance, we have a mayor who has a truly significant amount of power and authority, especially now that we have mayoral control of the schools. We have the largest number of children in our public education system. If we want to understand the essence of New York and what is essential about the city, our openness to immigrants is central. This comparative study points out that it was Rudy Giuliani, as mayor, who made New York a sanctuary city in 1994. Giuliani said some of the most productive people he knew were undocumented immigrants so he instructed the police force never to ask for documents and suggested that employers turn a blind eye. This book shows the historical context for politicians’ openness to immigrants. That tradition of welcoming everyone and inviting everyone to give it their best shot as Americans is part of what makes this city so great."