'Mayor For A New America': Tom Menino's Much-Awaited Memoir

There's a new book out that's being devoured by people fascinated with Boston politics and its complicated, storied and often messy history. It's the much-awaited memoir by former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who's now 71 years old and stepped down earlier this year after 20 years in office.

Menino's new book is called "Mayor for a New America" and it covers his rise from an obscure political aide from Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood to the city's longest-serving mayor. It's co-written with political analyst Jack Beatty, author of another book about a famous Boston mayor, "The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley."

Menino's memoir begins near the end of his tenure, as he's shepherding the city through one of the most traumatic incidents in its history: the Boston Marathon bombings.

WBUR's Sacha Pfeiffer explores Mayor Menino's new memoir.

NOTE: At the last minute, a bad case of laryngitis prevented Mayor Menino from joining Radio Boston for this segment.

Jack Beatty, news analyst for On Point, senior editor of The Atlantic and co-author with Tom Menino of "Mayor for a New America."

The Boston Globe: ‘Mayor For A New America’ By Thomas M. Menino With Jack Beatty