The Battle For Boston:

How Mayor Ray Flynn and Community Organizers Fought Racism and Downtown Power Brokers

Author Don Gillis was one of the community organizers and became a trusted senior advisor during Flynn’s decade in office. In The Battle for Boston, Gillis details how this savvy band of townies and out-of-town activists shifted the political paradigm from downtown business priorities to genuine neighborhood needs. Racial politics also came to the fore during the Flynn Administration, as Boston sought to move beyond the acrimonious years of forced school busing and create a city that spread opportunity equally and fairly.

The book is engaging, passionate, well researched and well-written, and will have a permanent place in the history of Boston politics.

By Don Gillis

Fordham University

Press/ 432 pages/ $34

cloth/ May 2025