Good Books About Miami....??? (Miami Beach, University: university, live in, restaurants)

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Hello. I am wondering if anyone has any good suggestions for books about Miami???

I am thinking here of Non-Fiction books that might cover topics such as: HISTORY, CULTURE, POLITICS, ARCHITECTURE, URBAN PLANNING, etc.


Here are a few I have read that I found informative:

1. "Going to Miami: Tourists, Exiles, and Refugees in the New America" by David Rieff (1987)

2. "City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami" by Alejandro Portes and Alex Stepick (1993)

3. "Miami: A Social History" by Melanie Shell-Weiss (2009)


Thanks for any input. Also, if you have read any of the above, I'd be interested to hear if you have any comments.

[mdiggs1]

Black Miami in The Twentieth Century by Marvin Dunn. If you want to know the history of blacks in south Florida, this is a good book to read.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by mdiggs1

Black Miami in The Twentieth Century by Marvin Dunn. If you want to know the history of blacks in south Florida, this is a good book to read.

Thanks. I have NOT heard of that one.

"Shadows in the Sunshine: Race and Ethnicity in Miami" by Raymond Mohl (1989) is supposed to be pretty good on that topic as well.

My cousin (who is white) is married to an african-american guy from Miami. They live in Gainsville now but his background is actually pretty interesting: his father is from Spain with both Spanish and Northern African roots, his mother is a black woman from the southern United States.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

I appreciate that this is an on-line forum. But does anyone actually read "books" anymore???

Only ONE reply so far......

Come on Miami....prove the naysayers wrong who might say you are only interested in sun worship and expensive cars. I know you are a literate town with one of the best book festivals in the country.

[r_k]

Not sure if this qualifies, but I am currently reading "Billion Dollar Sandbar" by Polly Redford (1970). Excellent and fairly detailed history of Miami Beach.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Sounds interesting...thanks for the post!!

[StreetSmarts]

Can you get "America's Most Wanted" in paperback?

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by Island_OnThe_Land

Come on Miami....prove the naysayers wrong who might say you are only interested in sun worship and expensive cars. I know you are a literate town with one of the best book festivals in the country.

I think the naysayers are kind of right in that sense... Maybe not all sun and cars. We can add Walmart and big chain restaurants to the list. This is the legacy the South left us. In that sense Miami is not very different from other Florida cities.

[nicsma2002]

Look for books by Seth Bramson, Paul George, Arva Moore Parks, and Howard Kleinberg on these topics. Also, I second Black Miami in The Twentieth Century by Marvin Dunn. A must read.

Hopefully this link will work and will lead you to tons of books on these subjects. There is no shortage.
http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=su%...ced&dblist=638

[matchpoint]

I was listening to NPR a couple of weekends ago and "The Fight Doctor" Ferdie Pacheco has a new book out about the heyday of Miami's boxing scene in the 50's and 60's. It sounded like an amazing book, and I hate boxing. I want to read it.

An Unofficial History Of The 'University Of Boxing' : NPR

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/bo.../Marino-t.html