The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The Power Broker Podcast By 99% Invisible cover art

The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The Power Broker

The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The Power Broker

By: 99% Invisible
Listen for free

About this listen

 What if the most powerful man in New York never held elected office? Roman Mars and comedian Elliott Kalan dive deep into The Power Broker, Robert Caro’s epic biography of Robert Moses, the master builder who reshaped New York City with highways, bridges, and raw political force. Each episode unpacks each chapter from the book and features guests like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Schur, and, of course, Robert Caro. Together, they explore how one unelected man used ambition and bureaucracy to bend an entire metropolis to his will.Copyright © Roman Mars. All rights reserved. Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • The Power Broker #1: Robert Caro

    The Power Broker #1: Robert Caro
    Jun 16 2025

    Welcome to our first official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Robert Caro happens to be our special guest for this episode and you do not get more special than that.

    On today’s show, Elliott Kalan and Roman Mars will cover the Introduction, Part 1, and Part 2 of the book (the intro through the end of Chapter 5), discussing the major story beats and themes, and then we will bring the great Robert Caro to the stage.

    Power Broker #01: Robert Caro

    Join the discussion on Discord and Reddit.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 33 mins
  • The Power Broker #2: Jamelle Bouie

    The Power Broker #2: Jamelle Bouie
    Jun 16 2025

    This is the second official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro.

    This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with New York Times political columnist Jamelle Bouie as our book club guest.

    Elliott and Roman cover Part 3 of the book (Chapter 6 through Chapter 10), discussing the major story beats and themes, with occasional asides from Jamelle Bouie guiding us through the politics of the era.

    The Power Broker #02: Jamelle Bouie

    Join the discussion on Discord and Reddit.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 45 mins
  • The Power Broker #3: David Sims

    The Power Broker #3: David Sims
    Jun 16 2025

    This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro.

    This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims as our book club guest.

    Elliott, Roman, and David cover the first section of Part 4 (Chapter 11 through Chapter 15), discussing the major story beats and themes.

    The Power Broker #3: David Sims

    Join the discussion on Discord and Reddit.
    Show more Show less
    2 hrs and 7 mins
No reviews yet