Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City, 1986–1990

The New York of 1986 was awash in contradictions. While homelessness, drugs, and AIDS were rampant and nearly a third of the city’s Black and Hispanic residents lived below the federal poverty line, record profits on Wall Street offered to bring the city back to life. Through the events of the next four years, spurred by characters including Ed Koch, Donald Trump, Al Sharpton, Spike Lee, and others, the city was transformed and legends were made. Author Jonathan Mahler and moderator Kevin Baker explore the events that would forever change New York over the next four years.

Jonathan Mahler is a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and the author of several books, including The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990. Kevin Baker (moderator) is a novelist, historian, and journalist whose most recent book is The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City.