The second section of City of Ambition dealt mainly with the New Deal, its program, and their controversies and effectiveness. Reading through this section, I was amazed to see how similar President Roosevelt’s and Mayor La Guardia’s ideas where on trying to fix the economic crisis that plagued the countries. The two leaders, in trying to solve the issues, didn’t try to do something crazy to pull the country out the Depression. They were also not concerned with just getting the country out of it, but as many people as they could out of the Depression. Hence, they provided as many people as they could with decent, respectable jobs, tailored to their specialties, which didn’t put a burden on the unemployed or on the system, but actually helped.

Reading the first section of City of Ambition, I was surprised by the political nature of President Roosevelt, and Senator, and later, Mayor La Guardia. During this time, at the height of political corruption, and party polarization, it was remarkable to notice how, during a time of great difficulty, two powerful politicians, belonging to two separate parties, willingly worked together, and supported one another, to achieve a common goal. It’s remarkable to read about, and to witness the difference in the two political parties of our time, and to wonder what caused such a split, and an unwillingness to work together to achieve a common goal.

Christine Stansell’s “American Moderns” was, in my belief, a brilliantly written piece of New York City History. She was able to make this brief, yet influential part of New York City History very entertaining, and informational. By following a limited number of influential artists, writers, poets, etc, Stansel allows the reader to get in touch with these people and feel for them, almost as if she is writing a novel. Reading “American Moderns”, I couldn’t help but think of some of the many similarities of the two eras in New York, and how people prior to the 21st century weren’t all that different from modern day New Yorkers. In fact, the Bohemians were pioneers, creating a modern city in a time where people still held on to Victorian Era mannerisms and traditions. Their short time in “The Village” made a significant impact on shaping the City.

The historical non-fiction, All the Nations Under Heaven, was a great account of the life of the early immigrants arriving in New York City. Reading the book, I was able to relate to many of the accounts in the book: The close ties to other immigrants of the same background, the tight hold on their respective cultures, and the desire to pass on those cultural traditions to the younger generation. It truly gives a sense of how alone these immigrants were in a new country, each group being discriminated by the other, each group trying to survive, and prosper. Many modern immigrants still face these issues today, and yet they push on, with the help of other immigrants, who have been in their place. That’s the best part of this immigration story: No one truly forgets where they came from, and what it has been like for them, and everyone helps out one another. That has been true before, and it has yet to be proven wrong.