The Washington Century - Annotated by Burt Solomon (Paperback)

About the Book

In this epic work of history, the story of the American capital is told through the lives of three families who each symbolize a different aspect of the city and nation it represents.

From the Back Cover

The Washington Century chronicles the hundred-year rise of the nation's capital as it grew to become the most powerful city in the world -- a story made vivid through the history of three very different families, each representing an essential aspect of Washington: the Cafritzes, headed by a real estate mogul and his consummate hostess wife; the Boggs family, a political force in the ultimate political town; and the Hobsons, lead by a prominent black activist and civic leader in the first black-majority American city. Veteran journalist Burt Solomon uses these families to explore everything from the customs of Washington's elite society to the expansion of the federal bureaucracy, the District's own struggle for self-governance, and the influential role that politics and, increasingly, lobbying have played in the city.

Review Quotes

"Solomon paints vivid portraits of family monarchs and patriarchs while offering an engaging, breezy history of the nation's capital." - Library Journal
"[A] page turner." - U.S. News & World Report
" Solomon's choice of families and their stories move the reader through the immense amount of history effortlessly." - Roll Call
We thought we knew everything there was to know about our federal city until reading The Washington Century . . . intriguing." - Washington Times
"Interesting . . . Solomon has a . . . clear understanding of how this city changed during the 20th century" - Washington Post Book World
"Well-told stories about Washington by those who know the city and its history." - Booklist
"Solomon astutely tracks three families of American aristocrats who wielded power inside the Beltway through the 20th century. . . . An insider's knowing and engaging portrait, not to be found in any guidebook." - Kirkus Reviews