‘The Only People They Hit Were Black’: When a Race Riot Roiled New York
Four decades ago, a bat-wielding mob raged through Washington Square Park, leaving dozens injured and one dead. The violence lasted only 10 minutes, but the repercussions persist today.
Andrew Meier, ‘The Only People They Hit Were Black’: When a Race Riot Roiled New York, The New York Times, December 10, 2022. Adapted from Andrew Meier’s book Morgenthau: Power, Privilege, and the Rise of an American Dynasty, recently published by Random House.
Wall Street Journal: A consistently hypnotic multigenerational biography
“With the appearance of Andrew Meier’s voluminous and consistently hypnotic multigenerational biography, Morgenthau, it is now possible to delve even deeper into this only-in-America dynasty: its origins in Germany, its fall from, and later return, to wealth and influence, and its scions’ unshakable commitment to public service….
A former Time Magazine correspondent and Russia specialist, Mr. Meier draws the reader into the family’s private and professional lives with verve, a marvelous ear for anecdote and a gift for cherry-picking from his prodigious research….
One would imagine that dignity, selflessness and inexhaustibility can neither endure in a family nor engage a reader for nearly 900 pages. Mr. Meier proves otherwise. And his magisterial book vividly reminds us of the days when immigrants yearned not to preserve ancestral identity but to live the American dream. As Henry Sr. proudly told a group of fellow Jewish elites: “I am the amalgam of what’s been produced by putting a little boy in that [melting] pot and mixing him with a part of yourselves.” The same can be said of all the remarkable Morgenthaus.”
Harold Holzer, “'Morgenthau' Review: The Men in the Arena,” Wall Street Journal, December 9, 2022 [paywall].
Washington Post: A Richly Told Story
“[A] sweeping biography of the venerable family. [Meier] has given the Morgenthaus the magisterial book treatment…. The result is a richly told story of a family he sees as an overlooked American dynasty.”
Andrew Kirtzman, “The extraordinary lives and lasting influence of the Morgenthaus,” Washington Post, December 8, 2022.
FIREWALL: A Legit American Family Dynasty
Can you name a family in America that rivals the Morgenthaus for longevity in wealth and power? Host Bradley Tusk talks to Andrew Meier, author of Morgenthau: Power, Privilege, and the Rise of an American Dynasty, about how to get rich, make alliances, call in favors, and stay highly relevant for four generations.
Every other week, Bradley Tusk talks with the most influential investors, policy makers and entrepreneurs about the latest trends in the venture space, tech world and political arena. He brings listeners inside the room where entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers, strategists and journalists reveal what's really on their minds.
Deadline NYC: Tales of New York From a Veteran Reporter
Hosted by veteran reporter Tom Robbins.
Talking with reporter and author Andrew Meier about his new epic biography: Morgenthau: Power, Privilege and the Rise of an American Dynasty.
For the past forty years, Tom Robbins has been writing about New York, with stints as reporter and columnist at the Village Voice, the Daily News, New York Observer and City Limits. He is investigative journalist in residence at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and has written for The New Yorker.com, the New York Times, Time Magazine and others.
NYT Book Review: Editors’ Choice: New Books We Recommend This week
“This elegant saga [Andrew Meier’s Morgenthau], the fruit of patient archival research and hundreds of interviews, traces in fascinating detail the rise of an illustrious New York Jewish family from 19th-century Bavaria to 20th-century politics.”
“9 New Books We Recommend This Week,” Book Review, Editors’ Choice, New York Times, October 27, 2022.