Witness to a City: Introduction

I was admittedly in a bit of a negative mood when I cracked open the introduction to Witness to a City, for reasons that included but certainly weren’t limited to our new mayor and his first day in office. Would the words of Miller cheer me up, or at least give me some perspective?

In a very real and unexpected sense, they actually did. The introduction to Miller’s book tells a very personal story in a rather compelling way. Miller talks about his upbringing, paying no shortage of attention to the single mother than sacrificed time and again to provide him with every opportunity. He talks about the youthful experiences that honed his sense of justice and drove him towards a career in law. And while he eventually details his progression through municipal politics, he does so in a very personal and accessible way.

There’s not a lot else I can say about the introduction of Miller’s book at this late and fuzzy hour, other than to recommend that you read it and enjoy it. There are references to civic issues and ongoing troubles that persist to this day, and his descriptions of the transit woes of the time are oddly prophetic. But I think we’ve all had enough of that for one day, don’t you?

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