South Bronx Rising

Jill Jonnes (Author) Jill Jonnes holds an M.S. from Columbia Journalism School and a Ph.D. in American History from Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World; Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels; and Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape. Nilka Martell (Foreword By) Nilka Martell is a parks advocate, writer, and the founder of Loving The Bronx.

Preface to the Third Edition | ix

Foreword by Nilka Martell | xv

Introduction: Do Not Give Way to Evil | 3

1. “It Is a Veritable Paradise,” 1639–1900 | 11

2. The First Boom, 1900–1922 | 27

3. Boss Flynn, 1922 | 41

4. “The Bronx Is a Great City,” 1923–1929 | 51

5. “Hard Hit by the Depression,” 1929–1932 | 65

6. The New Deal Years, 1933–1939 | 78

7. War Fever, 1939–1945 | 85

8. The Diaspora after the War, 1946–1953 | 91

9. “There Was No Standing Still,” 1952–1953 | 105

10. “Moses Thinks He’s God,” 1954–1959 | 117

11. The New Boss, 1959–1963 | 127

12. “Horse Was the New Thing,” 1960 | 137

13. The New “Other Half,” 1962–1966 | 144

14. The Pondiac’s Last Hurrah, 1961–1967 | 153

15. The Puerto Rican and the Priest, 1962–1967 | 164

16. Mau-mauing the City, 1967 | 175

17. Who Will Be Caudillo?, 1968–1969 | 182

18. “The Whole Place Was Caving In,” 1969–1970 | 199

19. Interlude: Sweet Days on Charlotte Street, 1925–1951 | 205

20. Charlotte Street: It Was Not a “Good” Neighborhood, 1951–1961 | 219

21. Charlotte Street: “What a Madhouse It Was,” 1961–1968 | 225

22. Charlotte Street: The Fires, 1969–1973 | 231

23. Charlotte Street: The Gangs, 1970–1975 | 236

24. Charlotte Street: The Collapse, 1973–1975 | 249

25. The Grand Concourse, 1965–1969 | 268

26. The Hotel and the Concourse, 1969–1976 | 281

27. Roosevelt Gardens, 1974–1975 | 288

28. The Grass Roots, 1974–1977 | 300

29. The President’s Magic Visit, 1977–1978 | 311

30. Disenchantment, 1979–1980 | 324

31. Charlotte Street and National Politics, 1980 | 333

32. “The Next Part of the South Bronx,” 1972–1978 | 345

33. “We’re Still Here,” 1978–1982 | 363

34. White Picket Fences, 1984 | 376

35. “South Bronx Rising,” 1985–2002 | 389

36. Still the Poorest Urban Congressional

District in America, 2003–Mid-March 2020 | 441

Covid Afterword | 515

Acknowledgments for the Third Edition | 547

Notes | 551

Bibliography | 569

Third Edition Bibliography | 579

Index | 581