First published 2014
Richard J. Riordan takes office as Los Angeles mayor in 1993 facing a city on the verge of collapse. The aftermath of the Rodney King beating and subsequent riots has left the nation's second largest city with soaring crime rates, racial tensions, and economic devastation. Property damage from the riots approaches $1 billion and over 50 people have died. Just months into his tenure, the 1994 Northridge earthquake strikes, threatening to finish what the riots started. Unlike combative mayors in other cities, Riordan chooses healing over division. This maverick Republican millionaire champions pragmatic solutions over partisan politics. He pushes through construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Staples Center, reforms the police department and school system, and modernizes the city charter. Personal tragedy shadows his public service. The deaths of two young children and his mother's passing on the eve of his first election test his resolve. Through eight years in office, Riordan transforms Los Angeles into a cultural destination and thriving metropolis. His memoir reveals the spiritual beliefs and value system that drove his work, showing how personal heartbreak shaped both the man and the mayor.
Genres: 20th-century, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, personal-journey
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 1993, 1994
290 pages · Hardcover · Post Hill Press
Content warnings: death