Miami, Revised Edition: City of the Future

It was a gift and like new. Packaged well.

I wish I had read this book when I was living in Miami.I was looking for something similar to this so I could fully understand the city I was living in. I appreciated the city, but did I understand the history of it, the migration patterns, etc. ... not really.This book completely covers what took place in Miami up until the 1980s. Certainly things have changed since then (population growth as well as a growing skyline and the revitalization of Downtown as well as the transformation of Miami Beach), but I thought this gives the reader sufficient knowledge of the Miami metro area up to that point.The author spent a great deal of time discussing the cultural and social importance of the Miami Vice series to the area. It seems that the show was unique to place and time as a network show during that time had the capacity to capture the masses. I argue that it would be rare for any show on network tv today to have have that type of social importance or political salience.A lengthy read, but a good one.

It is about Miami Florida, too.

I enjoyed the history, but Allman rambles too much and needed someone to edit the book and reduce it about 1/3.

Obviously an older book. But good stuff between the pages.

So far the most informative book of Miami I found. It has some funny insights, unfortunately it stops at 1985

I had this book years ago, and remembered it fondly. So I Am quite happy to replace it, and read it again.

T.D. Allman's 1987 book "Miami -- City of the Future" is a thoughtful and original perspective on modern Miami (post-riots, post-Mariel). Allman is not a resident, so he's able to look at the city's complex social and political fabric with an objective eye.The book is not organized chronologically nor by subject matter, which may test the patience of some readers. But I found Allman's style and substance unique and insightful. For example, he points out the irony of refugees so desperate for a chance at a new life that they will actually *swim* to Miami, contrasted with the "utter weariness of life" that you find in so many Miami residents. Allman writes poetically of Miami as a place that draws people with dreams, people who long to reinvent themselves. He includes stories of people from all walks of life -- one is struck by how similar the winners & losers are; their disillusionment and loneliness is haunting. I could relate to Allman's evocative descriptions of Miami's allure -- the beauty, diversity, and danger of the Magic City.The unfortunate thing is that the book is now so dated. Part of that is, of course, not the author's fault -- Miami has changed and continues to change very rapidly. Many of the things that Allman writes about, such as the white good ol' boy political power structure, no longer exist. Allman's blithe assurance that the massive influx of immigrants would become thoroughly Americanized is not evident in present-day Miami. It's also unfortunate that Allman writes so extensively of the "Miami Vice" tv series, which further dooms the book to period-piece status. I would welcome an update or even a sequel to this book.