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Boston Mayor Menino Plans Book About Time In Office

Boston's longest-serving mayor is planning to write a book.

Mayor Thomas Menino, 70, has signed a deal to author a book chronicling his life, career and two decades in office, he said.

"It's a story of my 20 years as mayor, the things we've dealt with, and the changes we've seen," Menino told The Boston Globe.

The book will be co-written by Jack Beatty, a political analyst for public radio and author of "The Rascal King," the 2000 book about former Boston Mayor and Massachusetts Gov. James Michael Curley.

Menino, who has been mayor since 1993, announced in March that he would not seek a sixth four-year term.

Menino said he has long thought about writing about his time as mayor but wanted to wait until the end of his time in office to avoid being accused of working on the book on city time. "Now that I'm in my waning days, it's time to put some history down on paper," he said.

Rather than a traditional memoir, the book will be as much about the city itself as it is about him, he said.

The book will examine Menino's attempts to overhaul the city's maligned public school system, the transformation of its once-tense racial climate, and efforts to improve public safety, Beatty said.

Beatty has already started meeting with some of Menino's former staffers, current aides, journalists who have covered his time in office and family members. He is also combing through thousands of newspaper and journal articles as well as television appearances.

The book, which is expected to be released next spring, is being published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Menino did not disclose how much he is being paid.

This article was originally published on July 15, 2013.

This program aired on July 15, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

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