My Haphazard Spring Reading List

Fear City: New York's Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of  Austerity Politics by Kim Phillips-Fein
(the story of how New York City went broke in 1975 and the fallout that ensued...)

The Dark Side of Camelot by Seymour Hersh
(Hersh's controversial and eyebrow-raising expose of the sordid underbelly of the Kennedy presidency....JFK's private persona does not at all match his public image...Ugh...)

Havana Nocturne by T. J. English
(Interesting fast-paced narrative about the Mob's control of Havana - focusing on Meyer Lansky, Santo Traficante, Fulgencio Batista, and Fidel Castro)

The Age of Eisenhower by William Hitchcock

(a well-written, generally positive reappraisal of the Eisenhower years...)

Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror and Deliverance in the City of Love by David Talbot

(A grand tour of San Francisco history - episodically focusing on various decades and colorful personalities - with emphasis on the 60's and 70's)

Typhoon by Joseph Conrad

(Ordinary guy, not one for introspection, heads straight into the storm, leaving his boat mates mystified...)

Double Play: The San Francisco City Hall Killings by Mike Weiss
[A gripping, character-driven account of the 1978 murders of City Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone... ]