The Washington Century: Three Families and the Shaping of the Nation's Capital

This book takes an unusual approach to chronicling the 20th century history of Washington, DC, viewing it through the prism of the lives of three prominent families-the Cafritzes, real estate developers and philanthropists; the Boggses, politicians, lobbyists, and reporters; and the Hobsons, civil rights leaders and activists, both outside and inside "the system." Solomon had access to members of all three families, but the portraits are nonetheless critical, showing "warts and all" as well as intra-family disputes in the case of the Cafritz and Hobson families. To some extent, this is a book written for Washington "insiders." That is, as I read the book, I wondered whether it would appeal to audiences who are less familiar with the District of Columbia and its environs. (I have lived in the Washington metropolitan area for 25 years and worked in D.C. for 12 years.) The Boggs family portrayal (including Hale and Lindy Boggs, both prominent members of the House of Representatives; Cokie and Steve Roberts, both nationally known reporters; and Tommy Boggs, an influential federal-level lobbyist) is apt to be of interest to the "outside the Beltway" audience, but the depictions of the Cafritz and Hobson families, whose sphere of influence has primarily been "inside the Beltway," may be less interesting to audiences less familiar with local history and geography. Solomon has truly mined an impressive lode of documents and interviews in assembling this book, which has considerable "human interest" appeal. I found the book so captivating and well written that I had difficulty putting it down, and completed it in three days over the Christmas holiday. It is both well-written and compelling. It presents a useful chronicle of a number of developments-including the decline of bipartisan cooperation, the growing importance of money in Washington politics, and the decline of the middle class as a residential group inside the Beltway.