All the Best: My Life in Letters and Other Writings

This is a good book to read if you'd like to witness how a crafty politician skillfully defends himself against critics, supports his positions on particular issues and/or gets into heated but seemingly civil exchanges with other public figures with whom he clearly does not get along.The book is divided into several parts. In each section, Koch describes the circumstances surrounding the issue in question, accompanied by a transcript of the letter(s) he either sends to a specific person or publication (the latter case is most often a Letter to the Editor), followed by a description of the reaction(s) provoked by his letter(s). Sections contain letters he was written focusing on the following general subjects: Race, Israel and the Jewish-American community, local NYC issues, Correspondence with other Public Figures, and General Foreign Policy issues, among others. My favorite section of all is the chapter entitled "Giving As Good As I Get", where he, among other things, describes one of his ego clashes with Real Estate Developer Donald Trump. "Ego Clashes" is an appropriate term to use, since the specific political issue seemingly at the center of the clash [Koch's and Trump's different plans aimed at luring NBC Studios to stay in New York] really seems like an excuse for these two men to publically quarrel with each other. It's quite telling that Koch really doesn't talk at length about another public clash with Trump (over the Wohlman Skating Rink), where many people believe that Trump's efficient and effective renovation of the rink exposed some of Ed Koch's lesser qualities as a public administrator.Unlike former President George Bush's similarly titled book "All The Best, George Bush: My Life and Other Writings", this book does not really offer much insight into the personal life of the author. In this book, the closest you come to learning about what makes Ed Koch, the man (as opposed to the politican) tick, is when reading the last letter printed in this book, a letter Koch wrote to his successor David Dinkins. In it, he somewhat poignantly describes, in a general emotional sense, his struggles as Mayor of New York City.People who are fascinated by Ed Koch (or those who are just interested in reading the articulate rhetoric of a skillful politican) will enjoy reading this book of the former NYC mayor's letters.