Boston 1945–2015 tells the dramatic story of how a struggling, divided city transformed itself into one of the world’s leading centers of education, research, innovation, and culture. From urban renewal to the busing crisis, from the rise of neighborhood activism to the arrival of new immigrant communities, the book traces seven decades of conflict, reinvention, and unexpected resilience. Along the way, readers meet political figures, community leaders, and everyday residents—James Michael Curley, Mel King, Thomas Menino, Melnea Cass, Whitey Bulger, Louise Day Hicks, and many others—whose clashes and collaborations reshaped the city. Blending social, demographic, and economic analysis with vivid storytelling, this is the gripping account of how Boston reversed its downward spiral and emerged stronger, more diverse, and newly defined for the twenty-first century.