Review by Booklist Review
A certain degree of schadenfreude arises when a polarizing public figure suffers object humiliation. One mourns the loss of the stellar qualities that once generated widespread adulation while simultaneously celebrating a comeuppance that barely begins to rectify a lengthy record of misdeeds. Such is the current state of Rudy Giuliani's place in history. Once fêted as America's Mayor in the aftermath of 9/11, Giuliani is today a comedian's punch-line, thanks primarily to his farcical, seemingly criminal shenanigans as Donald Trump's personal attorney. His fall from grace has been so dramatic, so swift, and so self-inflicted that it combines classic elements of Greek tragedy with the ethical teachings of Aesop's fables. Raised with a devout faith and grounded moral compass, Giuliani nevertheless fell victim to the allure of power and its trappings, his ego and need for relevance on the world stage defying credulity and eclipsing common sense. A respected national political journalist, Kirtzman was with Giuliani on the morning of 9/11 and has covered his roller-coaster ride in politics, law, and business for three decades. With a cinematic made-for-TV sense of scene and pacing, gossipy insider revelations, and sharp analysis, Kirtzman vibrantly depicts the sad and tawdry unraveling of Giuliani's reputation.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The same "fanatical sense of righteousness" that propelled Rudy Giuliani's rise set him on the road to ruin, according to this richly detailed biography. Journalist Kirtzman (Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City) describes how Giuliani first gained the spotlight by prosecuting Mafia bosses and Wall Street traders in the 1980s. Elected mayor of New York City in 1993, he succeeded in reducing crime, but his aggressive defensive of the NYPD in the police killings of unarmed Black men fueled the city's racial tensions, according to Kirtzman, who also suggests that the Giuliani administration's distribution of faulty radios to firefighters resulted in unnecessary deaths on 9/11. After failing to overturn the mayoral term limit, Giuliani fell short in campaigns for the U.S. Senate and the White House. Meanwhile, his tumultuous personal life was punctuated by three divorces, strained relationships with his two children, and a drinking problem that only seemed to worsen after he became Donald Trump's personal lawyer. Though Kirtzman's research impresses, the book's abrupt shifts from heavy topics (such as allegations by one Black lawmaker that Giuliani is "an absolute, out-of-control racist") to more gossipy matters can be jarring. Still, this is a comprehensive and alarming portrait of Giuliani's downfall. (Sept.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
A new political biography of Rudy Giuliani by reporter Kirtzman, who has followed his career (from prosecutor to mayor to presidential candidate to Trump lawyer) since 1992. Kirtzman's 2000 book Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City narrated Giuliani's rise to prominence as New York City's mayor who was praised as well as criticized for his brutal crackdown on crime. Weeks before Giuliani's mayoral term was up, the Sept. 11 attacks made him an international icon and TV news dubbed him "America's Mayor." Giuliani parlayed his new image into a post-mayoralty career selling his legal advice and his name to dictators and Big Pharma, which earned him millions of dollars per month, with speaking fees of $100,000 or more and a $2.7 million book advance. To understand how Giuliani fell from that early-aughts reputational peak, Kirtzman conducted hundreds of interviews for this portrait of a polarizing man brought low by rumored heavy drinking and a disastrous third marriage--and by an infatuation with the Trump presidency that has lost Giuliani his law license and landed him in legal jeopardy and financial ruin. VERDICT Will appeal widely, not just to politics buffs.--David Keymer
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A veteran political reporter ventures an answer to the question so many have asked in recent years about Rudy Giuliani: "What happened?" The life and work of Giuliani are tragic by definition, since they mark the collapse of a once upright man who fell victim to his own ambitions and imagined himself above the law. Taking a page from Giuliani's own strongly Catholic upbringing, Kirtzman--who first met Giuliani as a journalist in 1992--frames the matter as a moral issue, "the result of a series of moral compromises made over the years as the temptations of power and money grew." Even his victories, such as his seemingly steady leadership after 9/11, were so compromised--in that case, by "his administration's ineptitude," made evident by the fact that a badly cobbled communication system made it impossible for first responders to share information. Outwardly cheerful, Giuliani, "had a dark, Machiavellian streak, yet managed to wrap his problematic acts in a cloak of righteousness." Giuliani's apparent belief in his own moral invincibility led him to questionable acts even while the memory of 9/11 was fresh. For example, he became counsel and de facto lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, "earning millions by protecting a company whose actions were contributing to the overdose deaths of America's young people." All that pales next to his relationship with and actions on behalf of Donald Trump, which extend far into the past. Kirtzman deserves much credit for following the trail to Giuliani's mayoral terms, when he helped Trump shortcut zoning issues to build behemoth towers. Giuliani's final collapse, of course, came when he helped with Trumpian grifts, from trying to bully Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden to contesting the 2020 election. Giuliani's take might well stand as a motto for his entire sordid trajectory: "My attitude about my legacy…is 'fuck it.' " A sad tale, expertly told, of corruption, bad judgment, avarice, and treason. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
