New York, 1986: Wall Street boomed while thousands faced homelessness, AIDS, and deep inequality. Between 1986 and 1989, events like the crack epidemic, the rise of ACT UP, the Central Park jogger case, and the release of Do the Right Thing reshaped the city’s identity. Journalist Jonathan Mahler explores this turbulent era and the influential figures who defined it, including Ed Koch, Donald Trump, Al Sharpton, Spike Lee, Rudy Giuliani, and Larry Kramer. Elm Street Books will be on site for book sales and signing.

Jonathan Mahler is a longtime staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and author of the bestselling Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, adapted into an ESPN miniseries, and The Challenge.