LAWRENCE R. SAMUEL is a Miami-based independent scholar who holds a Ph.D. in American studies and was a Smithsonian Institution fellow. He blogs for PsychologyToday.com, where he has received more than two million hits, and is often quoted in the media. His previous books include The End of the Innocence: The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair (Syracuse University Press, 2007), Making Long Island: A History of Growth and the American Dream (The History Press, 2023), and Queens: A History of the Most Diverse Place on Earth (SUNY Press, 2025). His most recent work is Making Miami (Pineapple Press).