By Coral Gables Gazette staff
Miami’s story has always been larger than life. From the frenzied land booms of the 1920s to the glittering skylines of today, the city’s rapid transformation has fueled both myth and reality. On Sunday, September 7 at 5:00 p.m., Books & Books in Coral Gables hosts author Lawrence R. Samuel for Making Miami | An Afternoon with Lawrence R. Samuel, a conversation about his new book Making Miami: The Historic Rise of the Magic City (Pineapple Press, $24.95). The event is free and open to the public, with books available for purchase and signing. RSVPs are required, and organizers recommend arriving early to secure seating.
Samuel’s book, released earlier this month, traces Miami’s journey from a sleepy southern outpost into one of the most distinctive cities in America. His approach is comprehensive, weaving together real estate speculation, infrastructure development, cultural movements, and social struggles into a layered narrative that captures the city’s volatility and resilience.
A Century of Transformations
At the core of Making Miami is the argument that real estate has always been the city’s engine. Samuel begins with the land rush of the 1920s, when investors poured money into Florida at unprecedented levels, fueling a speculative boom that brought both prosperity and collapse. He details how the Great Depression reshaped Miami’s fortunes, yet also set the stage for its reinvention.
The Art Deco era of the 1930s, now central to the city’s identity, is presented not simply as an architectural movement but as the work of developers and visionaries determined to rescue Miami’s appeal in the midst of economic hardship. Samuel also devotes attention to the World War II years, when servicemen and servicewomen stationed in Miami created an influx of population that permanently altered the city’s demographics.
The narrative moves through the turbulence of the 1960s and 70s, when urban decline, racial unrest, and economic stagnation tested Miami’s social fabric. Yet Samuel shows how the city reinvented itself yet again in the 1980s, during a construction surge fueled by foreign capital, much of it with controversial origins. The cyclical rise, fall, and rebirth of Miami emerges as a central theme—one that still defines the city today.
Beyond the skyline
While real estate anchors the story, Making Miami distinguishes itself by examining less studied dimensions of the city’s growth. Samuel writes about the environmental pressures Miami has faced, including the transformation of its natural ecosystems by residential, recreational, and industrial development. He highlights the tensions between growth and conservation, pointing to the costs of unchecked expansion.
The book also addresses issues of race, class, ethnicity, and immigration, treating them not as side notes but as central forces in shaping the city’s identity. Miami’s unique blend of cultures—from its Cuban exile community to its Haitian, Colombian, and Venezuelan populations—comes into focus as both a driver of vitality and a source of friction. This multidimensional analysis has earned praise from experts such as Paul George, resident historian at HistoryMiami Museum, who calls the work “very informative—includes subject areas that have remained underserved in terms of historiography.”
About the author
Lawrence R. Samuel brings both academic rigor and accessible storytelling to the project. A PhD in American Studies, along with advanced degrees in English and marketing, gives him a rare cross-disciplinary perspective. He has served as a Smithsonian Institution Fellow, written extensively on American cultural history, and gained a wide readership through his blog at Psychology Today, which has drawn more than two million views.
Since moving to Miami in 2006, Samuel has immersed himself in the city’s culture, blending the eye of an outsider with the lived experience of a resident. His writing style is informed by scholarship yet aimed at a broad audience, allowing readers to see familiar places and stories in a new light.
A civic and cultural moment
For local readers, Samuel’s work resonates on multiple levels. The founding of Coral Gables itself in the 1920s was inseparable from the real estate speculation and boosterism that shaped Miami. Understanding the broader forces that propelled the “Magic City” offers fresh perspective on how the Gables developed its own identity as a planned, Mediterranean-style community.
The upcoming event at Books & Books will be more than a book talk—it is a chance to consider how Miami’s past informs its present challenges. As the city faces rising seas, ongoing waves of immigration, and yet another real estate surge, Samuel’s historical sweep reminds audiences that transformation has always been Miami’s defining feature.
Event details
What: Making Miami | An Afternoon with Lawrence R. Samuel
When: Sunday, September 7, 5–6 p.m.
Where: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables
Admission: Free with RSVP (seating limited; early arrival advised)
Books: Available for purchase and signing at the event
How history, development, and identity converge
Miami’s nickname, the “Magic City,” originated from its seemingly instantaneous growth. But as Samuel’s book makes clear, that magic was never just a trick of rapid construction. It was the product of ambition, risk, reinvention, and resilience—qualities that continue to define the region. For Coral Gables residents, attending Making Miami offers both a look back and a way to understand the present. It situates our community within the broader currents of South Florida history and invites reflection on what kind of city we are helping to shape for the next century.
