Events › Author Talk: Don Gillis - The Battle for Boston (In Conversation with Joan Vennochi)

Jamaica Plain resident, community organizer, and author Don Gillis discusses his 2025 non-fiction book, The Battle for Boston: How Mayor Ray Flynn and Community Organizers Fought Racism and Downtown Power Brokers; in conversation with Boston Globe columnist and associate editor, Joan Vennochi.

The Battle for Boston captures the remarkable era under Mayor Ray Flynn, whose election in 1983 marked the beginning of a profound shift in the city’s political and social landscape. The book chronicles the inspiring journey of a city that dared to challenge the entrenched power brokers, including developers, landlords, and banking industry leaders, through powerful grassroots campaigns. 

Copies of The Battle for Boston will be available for purchase through our partner Rozzie Bound Co-Op. 

This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of Roslindale Branch Library.

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