I, Koch: A Decidedly Unauthorized Biography of the Mayor of New York City, Edward I. Koch

This is a somewhat biased and humourous account of Ed Koch. It was published before his 3 terms as mayor were completed; therefore the book is not a full appraisal of Koch's reign in office. At times this book comes off as a personal assault on Koch - is it necessary to describe Koch's eating habits? The fact that he is overweight is mentioned a few too many times. One wonders if the authors have been victimized by Koch's many diatribes against reporters. Are they following Koch's motto (page 285) - " the most important thing in life is getting even"? Do they really expect a mayor to take the subway to work instead of his personal limousine? Do they not realize that New Yorker's prefer a flamboyant talkative mayor instead of a wall-flower? What's so wrong about Ed Koch pointing out in China that Stalin had massacred millions of his own people - I am glad someone can tell the truth instead of dumb diplomacy? Nevertheless the author's do gain points by describing Koch's chameleon shifts between liberalism and conservatism. Koch also overlooked problems of New York's many `minority' groups. Koch had the view that if he could make it - so could everyone else. Koch was divisive towards people of colour - a mayor should be for all people, not just some of the people. The authors detail Koch's rise to power and the inconsistencies of his career - what prompted Koch to run for governor when he had just been re-elected as mayor of New York? They point out that Koch did balance the budget but missed out on trying to resolve transit problems and the growing number of homeless people in New York.

The book is written by three veteran New York City reporters who were immersed in Koch's politics during his administration. Now, on the eve of his successor's inauguration for a second term, Koch is still in the news almost daily, making this book on his City Hall past -- what he does and doesn't want you to know -- a must for interested parties.