William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925–2008)

William F. Buckley Jr's postmortem of his impossible campaign to become mayor of New York is entertaining, thought-provoking and witty. The Unmaking of a Mayor has no right to continued relevance after the passage of sixty years; the personalities and many of the issues have disappeared like so much subway smoke rising from the grilles of Manhattan's streets. But Buckley's prose (which cascades rather than sparkling) continues to communicate its vital message and delights the reader every step of the way. Though many of the battles Buckley was fighting have been won (and lost again) since the 1960s, The Unmaking of a Mayor remains an enduring record of what happens when the critic mounts the hustings. Highly recommended.… (meer)