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"Gotham at War unveils the history of New York and the Second World War, from isolationism and factionalism to crucible of the American effort and the Allied Cause in a total and global war. Kaleidoscopic and immersive, Gotham at War captures the full spectrum of New York and the war from every possible aspect-social, political, economic, and military. Even before the war had started street battles between New York's homegrown fascists and the workers' movement-allied with immigrants from show more all over the world and their children in the barrios of Gotham-played prelude. Set in the generation after race "scientists" based in the elite warrens of the Upper East Side championed and then imposed national immigration restriction, Gotham at War sees New Yorkers struggle to shake off the city's eugenic past. Between 1933 and 1945, the city wrestled with itself, starting from the rise of Hitler through isolationism and growing interventionism; through Pearl Harbor and a full-throated war effort, when millions of American soldiers and sailors and billions of tons of materiel passed through New York's waterfronts to the warfronts. Along the way Mike Wallace's saga traces the transformation of New York, embracing garment workers and skyscrapers; the subway and Wall Street; gangsters and idealists; pols and reformers; nightclubs and boardrooms; Nazi infiltrators and FBI gumshoes; magazines and movies; shuls and cathedrals; every neighborhood, every industry, and all the peoples of the city swept up in a world that had caught fire." (from the publisher) show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Magnificent. History at its finest. A true reflection of what was happening in NYC and in the US at a very trying time. Everyone and everything are well represented. At 900+ pages it can be daunting but the author has divided it into many bite sized chapters, so don't let that even slow you down. Highly recommended.
"Cómo Nueva York resistió al avance del fascismo en los años 30... y cómo se levanta hoy ante Trump", Eduardo Lago, El País 04.11.2025: https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-11-04/como-nueva-york-resistio-al-avance-del-fas...
Nov 4, 2025Spanish
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Author Information
5+ Works 2,053 Members
Mike Wallace is Distinguished Professor of History at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY). He is also Director of the Gotham Center for New York City History and a recent Fellow at the Center of Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.
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- Members
- 47
- Popularity
- 638,475
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.67)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
