The Northern Mystique probes race relations and politics in three areas – Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York City – during the second half of the twentieth century. It alternately explores the white exodus from Brooklyn during Jackie Robinson’s decade there, the election of Ed Brooke in Massachusetts, Shirley Chisholm’s victorious bid for Congress in 1968, the region’s diverse response to school busing, and the demise of the Northeast’s small cities. It concludes with an epilogue on Deval Patrick’s recent victory. Throughout, The Northern Mystique grapples with the tension between images of racial and political progressivism – dogged at times – and more sobering historical realities.