Dream City
Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C.
Description:... In this provocative new book, two of Washington, D.C.'s most respected journalists expose one of America's most tragic ironies - how the nation's capital, often a gleaming symbol of peace and hope, has become the most un-American city, a colony in the midst of democracy. Harry S. Jaffe and Tom Sherwood have chillingly chronicled the descent of the District of Columbia over the past thirty years into one of our country's most racially polarized and violent cities. Each year millions of tourists and students come to Washington to witness the majestic city of presidential monuments, the White House, the cherry blossom festival, and the Smithsonian museums. Yet while most Americans feel this federal city belongs to them, few wish to admit their collective responsibility for the other Washingtonwhere drugs, murder, and poverty are daily testaments to the nation's failures, and where 600,000 citizens live without the basic rights taken for granted by other Americans. Dream City is a book no American can ignore. It confronts Washington's glaring contradictions - from congressional hearings to gangland murders, from the establishment of home rule twenty years ago to the inside story of Marion Barry's enigmatic dynasty and disgrace. It reveals the shocking paradox of a town polarized by race, class, and power, where international summit meetings are held blocks away from modern urban atrocities. It is the story of a glorious dream turned nightmare.
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