"The passing of John Lindsay at the age of 79 in December 2000 generated nostalgic memories of a dashing politician and a by-gone era in New York City. When Lindsay, a liberal Republican from the city's "Silk Stocking" district, was elected mayor of New York in 1965, political observers described him as a White Knight, the best hope for a stagnant and troubled city. A reformer with movie-star looks, Lindsay brought glamour and hope to City Hall.

At the height of his popularity, leading politicians from both parties, including Nelson Rockefeller and Bobby Kennedy, feared Lindsay's growing popularity. Some even pegged him for the White House. After his second term as mayor, however, Lindsay left office fatigued and disillusioned, his political career devoid of its early promise, a man rendered as one pundit described him an "exile" in his own city.

In his insightful book, The Ungovernable City, Vincent Cannato details what happened to Lindsay and to New York during these tumultuous years."--BOOK JACKET.