Table of Contents

Introduction 1. The Resort in Summer and Winter 2. Race and Real Estate 3. The Trestle Burns and the Projects Begin 4. Rockaway's Welfare 5. Robert Moses and the End of a Resort 6. Storms over Title I 7. Where They Live 8. Trends of the Sixties 9. The Whitest Neighborhood in New York 10. Divergences 11. The 310 Acres 12. The Reckoning

Promotional Information

Rockaway Beach was once a popular seaside resort with a small permanent population. Shortly after World War II, large parts of this narrow peninsula between the ocean and the bay became one of New York City's worst slums. This book is an illuminating account of this transformation, exploring issues of race, class, and social policy and offering a significant revision of the larger story of New York City's development. In particular, some of the negative assessments of Robert Moses, suggesting that the "Power Broker" was responsible for many positive initiatives affecting Rockaway.

About the Author

Lawrence Kaplan, who has taught British and American history at the City College of New York, spent his formative years in Rockaway. Carol P. Kaplan is a practicing social worker and an associate professor at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.

Reviews

"Well-written and well-documented... You will love the book. Read it carefully. At the end, you'll know "who lost Rockaway." -- The Wave "A clear-eyed and harrowing story of a largely African American community's struggles in the face of grinding poverty, urban renewal schemes gone wrong, and a forced ghettoization by the sea." -- www.farrockaway.com "a photographic portrait through fifteen well-chosen images, each really saying more than a thousand words" -- Eugenie L. Birch, The Journal of American History "Overall this is a very good book...that is worth the time of any scholar with an interest in urban development...I plan to have my doctoral students read it." -- Robert K. Whelan, Journal of Urban Affairs