Hey there, it's Stephen Dupner, and this is a special bonus episode of the Freakonomics

Radio Book Club.

In case you were not familiar with the format, it works like this.

We select a very good book.

We interview the author at length, and rather than force the author to provide a slap-dash

summary of the book they've spent years writing, we have them read actual excerpts, hand

chosen for maximum effect.

This episode features two people I happen to be exceedingly fond of, and I'm guessing

you will be as well.

Conducting the interview is Kurt Anderson, the author of several very good books himself,

most recently Evil Geniuses, the Unmaking of America, a recent history.

He also created and hosted the public radio show Studio 360, and before that, he co-founded

an edited spy, the magazine of satirical journalism that took aim at various low-hards,

scoundrels and terrible ideas.

He also happens to have lived in New York City for the past few decades, and the past few

decades of New York City is the very topic of the book we'll be hearing about today.

The author is Thomas Dijja, and the book is called New York, New York, New York, four decades

of success, excess, and transformation.

If you care even a little bit about New York City, and possibly even if you don't, this

book will enlighten and quite possibly thrill you.

Here's Kurt Anderson.

You know what log rolling is?

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