Bestselling author Jonathan Mahler on the untold story of 1980s New York

A new book titled “Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City, 1986-1990” covers New York City’s pivotal and transformative years in the 1980s, tracing notable figures such as Donald Trump, Al Sharpton, Curtis Sliwa and Rudy Giuliani. The author, Jonathan Mahler, is a New York Times Magazine staff writer. He previously wrote the critically acclaimed bestseller “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning,” an account of 1977 in the city.

Mahler joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss the new book, focusing on the economic boom driven by Wall Street, the rise of homelessness and key struggles like the fiscal crisis and the crack epidemic. They also discussed how it all relates to the present day, the race for mayor and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.