Back to school reading list: NYC politicos edition

Who among us doesn’t secretly believe they have one decent novel in them? Writing a book isn’t exactly the most lucrative these days, but still, we think, “My book could totally be the next ‘The Firm’!” In New York, there’s plenty of politicos and government officials who have actually acted on that impulse, with some of them developing part-time careers out of writing fiction. As you’re building out your back-to-school reading list, we suggest putting down “The Power Broker,” and dive into the vastly varied world of New York politics’ part-time novelists.

Sam Schwartz

“Gridlock Sam” Schwartz, a former New York City traffic commissioner, can write the rules of the road and even the foundations of our first-in-the-nation congestion pricing scheme, but lately he’s been trying his hand at fiction. His first novel “Autokill,” co-authored with Cary Pepper, unsurprisingly dovetails with his traffic obsession. It explores a universe in which autonomous vehicles are used as weapons – a universe that isn’t entirely science fiction, he told The New York Times.

Bradley Tusk

Speaking of futuristic cars … political strategist, lobbyist and Bloomberg alum Bradley Tusk is the author of several books, including the 2023 novel “Obvious in Hindsight.” Imagine the early days of Uber’s swaggering foray into New York City, but this time they’re selling a transportation revolution with flying cars. Bonus points for Tusk, who actually owns a bookstore on the Lower East Side.

Yume Kitasei

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pick to lead the Department of Citywide Administrative Services arguably had the most established literary career outside government by the time she was made a commissioner. Yume Kitasei has worked in city government for 15 years but has concurrently built a career writing speculative fiction on the side, landing on some “best of” lists in the process. As of April, she was on deadline for her next novel.

Steve Israel

The former Democratic member of Congress from Long Island is one of a few former elected officials who have taken up writing after leaving office, with Israel taking inspiration from real events in his World War II spy novel “The Einstein Conspiracy.” More bonus points for Israel, who also owns a bookstore in Oyster Bay.

Pete King

Israel’s old colleague on Long Island, former Republican Rep. Pete King, explored a writing career while serving in Congress. His series of political thrillers later reflected King’s criticisms and controversial statements about Muslim communities after 9/11.

T.W. Rose

The only thing better than a politico moonlighting as a novelist is one operating completely in the shadows. “Men Who Have No Music In Themselves,” an insider’s story of New York City politics, was written under the nom de plume T.W. Rose, whose identity has still yet to be revealed. As City & State Editor-in-Chief Jeff Coltin – who, as far as I know, is not Rose – put it in a jacket blurb, the book is “a fun way to revisit recent political history” and “a lot shorter than ‘The Power Broker.’”