She is the author of The Bronx, a historical study that charts the metamorphosis of The Bronx from "a haven" for second generation immigrants fleeing the overcrowded tenements of Manhattan to its decay during the 1960s and 1970s and its slow and present-day revitalization. Professor Gonzalez is the author of innumerable historical monographs on urban history in New York City. She earned her Ph.D. in History from Columbia University