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Al Capone Does My Shirts
Gennifer Choldenko
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ASIN: 0142403709 |
Book Description
Murderers, mob bosses, and convicts . . . these guys are not your average neighbors. Unless you live on Alcatraz. It's 1935 and twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family have just moved to the infamous island that's home to criminals like notorious escapee Roy Gardner, Machine Gun Kelly, and of course, Al Capone. Now Moose has to try to fit in at his new school, avoid getting caught up in one of the warden's daughter's countless plots, and keep an eye on his sister Natalie, who's not like other kids. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents' expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.
A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Book
People magazine Best Kids' Book
A School Library JournalBest Book of the Year
A Kirkus Editor's Choice
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A Junior Library Guild selection
A Children's BOMC selection
Customer Reviews:
kcs shirts.......2007-10-05
Moose Flanagan, he is a 12 years old boy, he is a kind person compared to the kids of Alcatraz some are trained well because there children of the gaurds and he loves baseball. Moose was forced to live here because of his mother and his dad he is one of the gaurds there too. Moose gets scared his first night because he never knows when a murderer might show up. The island of Alcatraz is not where you want to live because that is where all the worst of the worst go like murderers and full on gangsters that will kill you no matter what. So Moose has to fit in at this island, not be tricked by this girl Piper, and keep his young and imature sister out of danger. I thought this book was intresting. i would recommend this book to middle schoolers or people who like out door books or who likes reading. I learned how it is to have a younger sister.
"If you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else".......2007-07-28
Moose Flanagan and his family arrive on Alcatraz Island in 1935 so his father Cam can work as an electrician and guard at the prison and his sister Natalie can have a chance to attend a "special" school for children with Autism. At the time it's not called Autism, but that is what the reader of today is lead to believe. Moose is caught in the middle of Piper the wardens daughters' schemes and her mad drive to meet Al Capone and his mothers desperate need to get Natalie into the only school that can help her. Moose is the only one that can really reach Natalie and the decisions and realities that the family has to face can just be too much for a 12 year old boy. Maybe Al Capone is his only option.
My class really enjoyed Al Capone..........2007-06-28
I used this book in a three week summer school course with eighth graders. I needed a high interest but easy to read novel to catch their interest. AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS was a great choice! They found the setting of Alcatraz very interesting, and they really loved the well-developed characters, especially Moose and Natalie. There are many, many teacher resources for this novel available on the internet. Using ideas from the internet and adding my own personal material, the unit was very easy to plan and carry out. The students wrote daily journal responses to questions relating to various aspects of the book (ideas for prompts are available on Scholastic's web site).
We did some background study which I think added to the students' enjoyment and understanding of the novel. We watched a biography of Al Capone, and we did an internet scavenger hunt to research two topics: Alcatraz and Autism. Doing this early on helped provide context for the students.
The characters in AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS are probably the most interesting aspect of the book. My students seemed particularly fascinated by how Natalie, the main character's sister who has autism, changes and develops through the story. They could really relate to a lot of the things the protagonist (Moose) goes through, even though he lives on Alcatraz in 1935. To me, that's the power of a great book -- it contains themes that are universal. I would highly recommend this book for middle school students, whether it be as a group study or individual reading. It has a great ending too!
Al Capone Does My Pants Is Super.......2007-05-24
Al Capone Does My Shirts
I liked this book because it has some comedy and it talks about what some kids would actually do because it is a real place.
Other kids might like this book because they might want to learn a little bit of history or they might want to laugh. If you like cliffhangers you will really enjoy this book.
The book had a lot of cliffhangers and thought provoking scenes. It also talks about Alcatraz Island.
This book tells how Moose's dad gets a job on Alcatraz Island as a prison guard. This book also tells how Moose and his friends try to get Moose's sister, in to a private school called the Esther P. Marinoff.
Al Copone Does My Shirts.......2007-05-22
I loved the book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes comedy/history books. I liked the book because I thought it was funny and entertaining.
Someone else might like the book because you learn about convicts that lived on Alcatraz. Someone else might also like it because you learn a little about autism in this book.
The book had a lot of facts about Alcatraz. The book was funny at times but at others it wasn't. You should read this book because it is funny, entertaining, and educational.
Book Description
BLACK HATS is the untold story, rooted in factual speculation, of two of the most notorious men of the early 20th century––Wyatt Earp and Al Capone. Earp made his name in his younger days, serving as a lawman who was well known for bending the law where he saw fit, and shooting first and asking questions later. But it's a little–known fact that Earp spent the last twenty years of his life as a private detective in Los Angeles. So when his best friend, Doc Holliday's, mistress implores the aging lawman to track down her and Holliday's errant son in Manhattan, Earp willingly takes the case. His task: to convince the young man to give up his ill–advised involvement in organized crime and bootlegging.
Earp enlists his old friend, Bat Masterson, who's now a sportswriter, and delves deep into the world of the New York mafia, where he comes across a young Alphonse Capone. Earp and Masterson, men who earned their names in the rough and tumble, lawless world of decades before, set their sights on liberating a young man from the ruthless thug Capone and his gang. The showdown between two of the most storied, and feared, personalities in American history will be a blockbuster tale for fans of crime writing and historical fiction alike.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read.......2007-08-09
Have read all of Patrick Culhane's "Road to" Series. I found them highly entertaining and good reads.
Black Hats is no different. He weaves the historical with fiction for a rich tapestry of a story.
Don't look for a deep meaning but sit in a comfortable chair with your favorite drink and enjoy.
Started out great, then..........................2007-06-26
I thought that the premise of the story was rather imaginative. I'm a big fan of historical fiction especially when the author weaves historical figures into the story alongside fictional characters. The plot moved along very quickly and the development of the characters was good as well. As I was making my way through the book I kept asking myself how the author would end the story I knew (as do many of us) that Capone eventually leaves NY to settle in Chicago but how would the author accomplish this within the context of his story? I thought the ending was just a bit too far fetched. The author wrapped it up in a nice neat package. Who wants that? I guess the author was limited to what he could do to most of the main characters if he wanted to keep it in line with reality. Still it was a huge letdown.
Wyatt Earp In NYC? Get A Rope!.......2007-05-09
One of the things I love about Max Allan Collins's period-piece mysteries and suspense novels is the authenticity. If you read something in a Collins book, outside of the fictional spin he adds to and puts on things, you can bet it really existed at that time. He also delves deeply into the backgrounds of his historical "characters" and provides a good biography of them.
When I read that BLACK HATS was going to offer a confrontation between an elderly Wyatt Earp and a young, wet-behind-the-ears Al Capone, I was excited. I conjured up images of alley showdowns with six-guns and Thompson submachine guns. We almost got that here. The action was a little more downplayed that I would have wanted, but I was working off my own expectations. Collins stayed within the truth of what really happened in those days in 1920, with a little bit of what COULD have happened thrown in.
Collins gave us a fictional son of Doc Holliday and painted the Prohibition backdrop both eloquently and faithfully. His other "characters" like Texas Guinan, Jack Dempsey, and Damon Runyon were great and added a lot of color to the story.
But it's Wyatt and Bat Masterson who really seize the spotlight. Their friendship comes across clearly and believably, and it was fun seeing them in action together.
The plot was especially well done too. John Holliday had won a warehouse full of liquor in a poker game at a time when the rest of the city (and the state) were dry and having to import their liquor from Canada. It was a treasure trove on par with one of the acheological finds that would have sent Indiana Jones scampering for his fedora.
I was a little disappointed with the ending because it wasn't as BIG as I'd imagined. But it had neat little twists that made everything come together well.
BLACK HATS is a fast, fun read with plenty of history, atmosphere, and trivia to keep armchair historians and thrill-seekers turning the pages.
Wyatt Earp vs. Al Capone? It works!.......2007-05-01
Okay, a book that pits Wyatt Earp against Al Capone? How the heck is that going to work? And is it even possible to make it into a readable book? The answer to both questions is a huge YES!
Max Allan Collins, writing as Patrick Culhane, has written one helluva historical novel. He manages to make you believe that a 70 year old Wyatt Earp could beat a 20 year old Al Capone. He does this by using all real historical figures as his main characters. As far as I could tell only two of the characters were fictional. Doc Holiday's son and his girlfriend.
The only minor complaint I have is the ending, which after all the action that takes place earlier in the book, is a bit of a letdown. But given the constraints of history, the ending actually makes a lot of sense. As I think back on it now it was a pretty good way to end the book.
Read the book -- don't wait for the movie.......2007-04-24
This is without question one of the most entertaining and engaging books I've read in a long while. Frequently blending historical characters, particularly ones with multiple biographies about them, doesn't work. The "what if" school of writing requires lots of research, speculation and educated guesses. Culhane, aka Max Allan Collins, manages to not only pull it off but sets the table for a movie made from the book.
To posit that Doc Holliday had a son by Big Nose Kate and that Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson would be around to help him out of trouble with the New York mob and up-and-coming gangster Alphonse Capone in 1920 is nothing short of brilliant fancy. And believable fancy at that! The period details are excellent and there's enough action and twists to keep you wanting more. The ending is perhaps a bit contrived, but who cares since it's been such a fun read. Wyatt and Bat are wonderfully drawn and they amply prove the old saw about age and experience beating youth and impetuousness.
Well done, "Patrick!" One thing this book has done, and it was the Wyatt Earp tie-in that got me to pick it up to begin with, is to encourage me to read other work by Max Allan Collins. Now, if Hollywood will just option this book and cast it properly...
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Book.......2007-06-12
This is about the people who nearly beat the Capone Mob for control of the Chicago boot-legging business. They were led by a florist and included a war hero, a cowboy, a bigamist and a practical joker who starred in an early stag film in the middle of a gang war. The wild Northside Gang is today best remembered for being the victims in the St Valentine's Massacre but in the twenties they were household names. This and Rose Keefe's book about Bugs Moran are both fascinating. A must read!
North side chicago vs the NYC mob classic.......2007-01-23
A great bio on the Chicago gangster gunned down in his flower shop during the "Roaring Twenties". The book focuses on the rivalry between the Northside Chicago mob and the Southside Torrio-Capone mob.Obanion and his cohorts are literally devoured by the inter-city "big time" mobs with connections to New York city.From reading this book I don't believe Obanion knew what he was up against,he was a small town boy who moved to the city of Chicago, yet he tried to run his crime empire like a small business. Cavorting around a flower shop by day,shaking hands,(without an enemy in the world?),with little to no protection,meanwhile engaging in criminal activity that would include murder.That's just asking for it,and Torrio's mob,later inherited by Capone,was only too happy to oblige. It seems Torrio's mob when they arrived in Chicago was already an experienced hard core criminal transplant from NYC and cites thereof.How could Obanion honestly think that when the control of rackets,gambling,bottlegging,and the millions of dollars at stake, there was a "moral" line that shouldn't be crossed?Especially when dealing with the mob and seeing as the mob eliminated its own so what could a rival gang expect.Capone listed his profession as furniture dealer but I doubt you would see him lifting furniture into trucks.His furniture business was a fort.The short baby faced Obanion never had a chance in dealing with the NYC mob. this book really brought this out as I read it.An excellent work on crime history but it sort of makes Obanion look like a "farmer".
The Genuine Article: Rose Keefe Delivers 100 Proof Goods.......2006-07-11
This is the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched biography of Dean O'Banion and it has been justly recognized as definitive. Rose Keefe's greatest accomplishment is that her meticulous research has refuted dozens of journalistic half truths, embellishments and canards that have become commonly accepted as the truth simply because of constant repetition over eight decades. The actual Dean O'Banion is a far more complex and interesting character than his newspaper stereotype.
Many sources have characterized the Prohibition battles between the Northside Gang and the Capone/Torrio mob as simply a territorial battle between the Irish and those damned Dagoes. Keefe correctly points out that the Northsiders were, in fact, an exceedingly diverse group comprised of Irish, Italian, German, Jewish and Polish hoodlums. The reality was more complicated than the widely accepted conventional wisdom.
Although O'Banion could act in an utterly ruthless manner if circumstances warranted, more often than not he relied upon his quick wits. He possessed superior intelligence and had an engaging personality that inspired great loyalty from his comrades even long after his death.
Despite his humble origins, O'Banion had the ability to put people from various walks of life at perfect ease and to form lasting friendships that allowed him to move easily in political and social circles despite his criminal background. O'Banion was a contradiction: he was a devoted son and husband. One could envision the industrious O'Banion succeeding in almost any field of endeavor that he tried. The loss of his beloved mother to tuberculosis and a childhood accident that left O'Banion partially crippled with a permanent limp were traumatic episodes, but rather than contenting himself to be sidelined by his handicap or to endure a life of economic hardship and privation, O'Banion chose not to be pushed around as he hit back hard with both fists in order to survive in the rough and tumble, dog eat dog environment that was Chicago in the early years of the past century.
If you are living from hand to mouth, it always pays to be ambidextrous and O'Banion was, figuratively and literally: his custom tailored suits contained multiple pistol pockets which allowed O'Banion to draw concealed revolvers using either his right or left hand or both hands simultaneously. The same hands that O'Banion could and did use to fire pistols, crack safes, stuff ballot boxes or slug out rival newspaper hawkers would also cut flowers into lovely arrangements for weddings and funerals. As a bootlegger, O'Banion prided himself on selling quality products as opposed to the rot gut handled by his rivals.
Keefe relates the many occasions on which O'Banion performed acts of charity. Some of these kindly acts were calculated, however, since O'Banion was also interested in reaping votes come election time. By performing good deeds, he could call in favors when ballots were being cast by his neighbors. Unlike Al Capone who coupled brutality and with openly lewd and lecherous behavior (Scarface allegedly gained his trademark after making crude remarks about a woman's shapely posterior in the presence of her protective and knife wielding older brother), O'Banion was noted for behaving in a courteous and oftentimes chivalrous manner.
Keefe's writing is factual and entertaining. The O'Banion who she describes in such great depth proves to be such a charming and larger than life personality that it is entirely possible to imagine his immortal soul awaiting forgiveness and redemption in Purgatory. I was reminded of the Warner Brothers crime melodrama "Angels with Dirty Faces" in which a priest played by Pat O'Brien called upon a group of juvenile delinquents to "pray for a boy that who couldn't run as fast as I could" after his childhood friend who failed to escape the corrupting influence of the mean streets died at an early age as a result of embarking upon a criminal career. If this sounds like a mere Hollywood screenwriting cliche, consider the fact that a Roman Catholic priest was disciplined and transferred for leading graveside prayers for Dean O'Banion despite orders from the Cardinal to deny Christian burial rites to known gangsters.
The only serious fault that I found with "Guns and Roses" is that the book lacks proper footnotes. There is a bibliography, but Keefe ought to have provided footnote attributions to the excerpted materials that were previously published elsewhere. There are also some minor geographical, historical and typographical errors that Chicagoans may catch in the text, usually on minor details, but the book is otherwise solid. Despite these shortcomings, this book is nevertheless a significant addition to the true crime history of Chicago during the Prohibition Era.
Well-researched and a fun, fast read.......2006-07-06
I'm so glad to see some really well-researched books coming out these days about the legendary figures of organized crime. Dean (not Dion) O'Banion was one guy I never expected to see a full-blown biography on, yet here it is. Rose O'Keefe must have done a lot of digging to come up with all of this material, and virtually none of it can be found in any other book; certainly none that I've ever heard of. She scores well as a writer, too, telling O'Banion's story in a way that will keep you turning those pages, eager to see what's coming next. There's a lot of context here about the various gangs of 1910s-1920s Chicago, and O'Banion's place in that jungle, which is helpful. If I had to name one small criticism, I'd have to say that the author's tone betrays a tiny lack of objectivity about her subject. He just seems like a vicious thug to me, though a fascinating one, but the book empathizes more with O'Banion than with his victims. But overall this is a must-have book for anyone interested in the history of organized crime in America. You'll be so entertained in reading it that you won't mind the education you're getting!
O'Banion, Chicago's Premier Florist Gangster.......2006-06-02
"Guns & Roses: The Untold Story of Dean O'Banion, Chicago's Big Shot Before Al Capone" by Rose Keefe is a long overdue crime book. This biography of Chicago's first celebrity gangster (he was a popular florist) is excellent and has numerous unpublished photographs. Dean's death started a five year run of killings and bloodshed. Keefe's writing style is very good and easy to read. I agreed with previous reviewers who have encouraged others to purchase this book.
Mike Koch, Author of "The Kimes Gang."
Book Description
All I ever did was to sell beer and whiskey to our best people. All I ever did was to supply a demand that was pretty popular.
Why, the very guys that make my trade good are the ones that yell the loudest about me. Some of the leading judges use the stuff.
When I sell liquor, it's called bootlegging. When my patrons serve it on silver trays on Lake Shore Drive, it's called hospitality.
-- Al Capone
Customer Reviews:
Great story.......2007-04-28
This book is fantastically written. I picked it up in the book store and could not put it down. From Italy to his death, this book tells the entire story in fantastic detail. Without restating what other reviewers have already stated, I just wanted to say that this is one of the best biographies I have ever read. Meticulously researched and written, the details bring the book to life, making you feel like you are living in the 1920's, viewing everything. The book also does a good job of telling the story of the rival gangs and gangleaders in Chicago, like Bugs Moran and the Irish, as well as the contemporary politicians of the day. From the shootouts to the drug running, the bootlegging to the day-to-day of Al Capone, this book nearly reads like an action novel!
Also, having lived in Chicago for two years, I really enjoyed the references to the neighborhoods and streets.
Highly recommended.
Florida turns "Big AL" into small potatoes.......2007-01-27
this book gives an interesting aspect to the Capone story particularly in regard to Capone's Florida excursion. It seems Al went to Florida to escape the "heat" of Chicago but found the heat and humidity of Florida eventually put him in jail. The IRS investigated his holdings and possesions in Miami and Big Al found that all the rackets were already covered by business developers from Ohio. These snowbirds once they got a handle on Florida's vice industries weren't about to tolerate Capone and the attention he could bring to some of their more dubious business enterprises.In alot of works on Capone the writers make the point solely that there was moral outrage and this was enough for the state of Florida to want Capone out.However from the Schoenberg book read there is alot more involved in the reasons for the riddance of Capone. It seems his high profile was not welcome because it brought to much attention to the fishbowl and no respectable fish wants to be seen devouring the smaller ones.
This Is How A Biography Should Be Done.......2006-08-05
Before I say much else, let me congratulate the author, Robert Schoenberg, on this work. This study of Al Capone is an elevation of the standards of biographical presentation, and I found it as enjoyable as it was informative. The word "fearless" also comes to mind, and by that I refer to Schoenberg's capacity to advocate his own carefully-formulated views on the real Al Capone, behind the enduring legend, the misunderstandings, and the deliberate misinformation long spread as character assassination.
Exhaustively-researched, Mr. Capone---the book---does everything but bring Mr. Capone---the man---from his time into ours. Capone was comparatively no monster, nor was he a saint. He was no more ruthless than circumstances in his business ever required him to be, and was by degrees shrewd, wise, cautious, generous, fun-loving, tough, pious, forgiving, sadistic, kind, and patriotic. Capone's philanthropy has never received the coverage it deserves, and his philandering has been too focused upon. Capone, let's not forget to mention here, made his name and rose to power on the strength of his talents as a peacemaker among the warring ethnic gangs of the east coast. A deft negotiator who could be trusted to deal fairly with all sides and to keep his word when given, Capone had far more friends than enemies in the underworld, and it was the strength of these alliances that he drew upon in the 1920's when he made his move to become the top power-broker in the city of Chicago: not the most powerful underworld figure, THEE most powerful person in America's second-city.
Capone was a larger than life figure, and a man with as many weaknesses as talents. Foremost among his weak points was his all-possessing vanity. This vanity drove him to revel in the publicity and fame he both intentionally created and magnified via his extensive influence on the Chicago press. (It's said by 1930 there wasn't a Chicago newsman worth his salt who hadn't had dinner with Al Capone.) This desire for the spotlight put Capone into international headlines, and made him the focus of seemingly every legitimate law enforcement agent with any ambition. Schoenberg's emphasis on the role played by members of the Treasury Department, men unknown today in comparison to the self-promoting Elliot Ness, a being every bit as obsessed with his own celebrity as was his foe Al Capone, is especially refreshing.
Schoenberg portrays Capone's pragmatism and realistic attitude about the conviction for tax evasion that eventually sent him to prison, first in Georgia, later in Alcatraz. Beneath his bravado ("I plan to spend a third of my sentence asleep.") Capone made the best of the bitter hand he was dealt. We come in the last chapters to meet the most surprising incarnation of "Scarface Al" Capone, that of Capone the model inmate, a man too learned in hard wisdom to make trouble for himself among either the prison population, or those who governed it. Finally we see the sad final years of the one-time boss of Chicago, as he wastes away on a modest Florida estate, a victim of cardiac troubles and neurosyphilis. One final myth, that Capone's phobic reaction to needles prevented his receiving treatment for syphilis, is exploded, and the truth revealed at last: this being that because of America's involvement in the Second World War the penicillin used in the treatment of syphilis was virtually impossible to attain on the homefront, even for the dying, and even for a legend like Al Capone.
Mr. Capone is among the best examples of biography I've ever read, and should be studied for what it brings to the field of research, as well as for its presentation of an oft-mythologized man. Easily a five-star book that I'd recommend without question. It's not only great, it's good.
Mr. Schoenberg Does Mr. Capone Right!.......2003-05-31
Building and expanding upon the solid foundation previously laid by Pasley and Kobler and correcting old errors, and guided by the likes of top-notch Capone experts Mark Levell and Bill Balsamo, Schoenberg has crafted one of the best Capone biographies to date, far superior to Bergreen's ludicrous fluff. The author puts perhaps too much faith in the questionable testimony of "Born Again" hoodlum George Meyer but that is abbreviated and an almost a minor aside in this comprehensive, well-researched bio of America's all-time greatest gangster.
Outstanding.......2001-08-04
This is THE definitive biography of the world's most famous gangster. The book is exceptionally well-written, able to satisfy anyone from a casual layman to an organized crime expert. Schoenberg walks us through Capone's life, showing us why he did what he did and avoiding getting caught up in the usual myths surrounding him. The author's notes at the end of the book are extremely helpful. Most of all, Schoenberg gets almost all the dates and facts right when dealing with the events surrouning Capone's life. While I personally disagree with his take on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, he presents this event and others like it in such a precise manner one cannot help but say positive things. Anybody seeking information about Al Capone should look no further than Mr. Capone. A few other books about him have been published in the last ten years, specifically one by Laurence Bergreen, which is a far worse book and yet has received more publicity the Schoenberg's opus. All others should be ignored. Mr. Capone is the best book ever written about Al Capone.
Book Description
During Prohibition, Chicago's Beer Wars turned the city into a battleground, secured its reputation as gangster capital of the world, and laid the foundation for nationally organized crime. Bootlegger bloodshed was greater there than anywhere else.
The machine-gun murders of seven men on the morning of February 14, 1929, by killers dressed as cops became the gangland "crime of the century." Since then it has been featured in countless histories, biographies, movies, and television specials. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, however, is the first book-length treatment of the subject. Unlike other accounts, it challenges the commonly held assumption that Al Capone decreed the slayings to gain supremacy in the Chicago underworld. The authors assert the deed was a case of bad timing and poor judgment by a secret crew from St. Louis known to Capone's mostly Italian mob as the "American boys."
The target of the murder squad was indeed Bugs Moran, but the "American boys," who were dressed as policemen and arrived in two bogus police cars, arrived early at the garage where the massacre took place. When no one in the garage would admit he was Bugs Moran, the bogus cops stupidly killed them all. Much of the evidence to this effect emerged shortly after the massacre but was deftly ignored by law enforcement officials. It began to resurface again in 1935 with a manuscript written by the widow of one of the gunmen and a lookout's long-suppressed confession. Indeed, law enforcement tried very hard not to solve the crime, for under any rock the cops turned over there might be a politician, and under the St. Valentine's Day rock they would have found several. In the end, the machine gun bullets heard 'round the world marked the beginning of the end for Al Capone.
Customer Reviews:
Breaking ground alone is worth five stars.......2007-08-17
I'll be up front about two things before reviewing this book. The first is that one of the authors, Bill Helmer, is a close friend of long standing. The second is that I am a True Crime author myself, with a first-hand knowledge of the difficulties that accompany the research and writing of this kind of story: inaccurate newspaper coverage, carelessly compiled police reports, and of course the passage of time, which slowly and mercilessly kills off the survivors of the era who could have shed new light on a long-ago event. To cover a 1929 mass murder that the law enforcement agencies of the day chose to downplay for their own reasons is an enormous challenge that Bill Helmer and Art Bilek met with a commendable degree of success.
"St. Valentine's Day Massacre: The Untold Story of the Gangland Bloodbath That Brought Down Al Capone" is the first book to take a serious crack at the mystery surrounding the killing of seven Bugs Moran followers in a freezing Chicago garage in February 1929. The genesis of the murder plot, the identities of the actual shooters, and their subsequent fates are described in a breezy style that makes the book appeal to the casual reader as well as the more hardcore historian who wants "just the facts, ma'am."
One of the more knowledgeable parties who read the book was George 'Bugs' Moran's surviving son, who vividly remembers the day the Massacre took place and recalls the frantic aftermath like it was yesterday. He told me recently that Helmer and Bilek's account of the crime tallies neatly with what his father had to say about the subject over the years. He admitted to enjoying it immensely.
A previous reviewer criticized the book for not offering a thorough list of sources. It's only been in the last few years that detailed footnoting and bibliography lists that exceed the content itself in page count have been proper form outside of academic texts and histories approached from a scholarly perspective. When my first book, "Guns and Roses", came out in 2003, I was told that notes weren't really necessary. I insert them as a matter of course now, but my point in all this is that Bill Helmer and Art Bilek made no serious errors of omission in this area.
"St. Valentine's Day Massacre: The Untold Story of the Gangland Bloodbath That Brought Down Al Capone" is by far the most definitive account of the Massacre that has been published to date. And if that's not enough, it also has the seal of approval from the surviving Morans. That fact in itself should more than compensate for a couple of repeated sentences or anorectic footnoting style.
For any collector of books on Chicago.......2007-04-24
Reviewed by Kathleen Dowdell for Reader Views (3/07)
Authors William J. Helmer and Arthur J. Bilek present new information about Chicago's infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre that is sure to throw a twist in people's thinking and spark new research for many historians about life in Chicago during the 1920's prohibition era. They contend that the massacre was a mistake stemming from the fact that the killers showed up too early and slaughtered the wrong group of people, missing the intended victim, Bugs Moran. Instead, six of Moran's gangsters and their friend Dr. Reinhart Schwimmer were gunned down in a dimly lit garage in bloodbath fashion. In an effort to quickly report the news, much speculation and guesswork by both the police and the press was reported and accepted as gospel to this day.
After sifting through pages of Chicago politics, facts about misguided law enforcement officials, and data about the origin of the Thompson machine gun, it remains crystal clear that the February 14, 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre had a huge impact on Chicago's reputation and branding as the gangster capital of the world. New evidence about Al Capone is examined and presented that shows how the misguided political reform movement helped him rise to power in the early 1920's without much effort on his part, yet leaving his name synonymous with Chicago.
In the authors' attempt to examine the massacre itself, they uncover revised and contradictory information that sheds new light on this old story. Accompanying all these facts is a wonderful chronology compendium that summarizes Chicago's vice, crime and corruption. As stated in the bibliography, much of the information in this book was obtained through books, booklets, and newspapers as well as personal memoirs of Georgette Winkler, widow of one of the gunman, Gus Winkler. The authors do a good job guiding the readers' thinking, forcing the reader to look at this information in a new way and perhaps rethink the traditional reported accounts of the incident as bogus. This in itself causes critical thinking that may lead to further research on the subject.
This book is truly an in-depth look at Chicago's prohibition era that discloses pages of information about this great city. I would recommend "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" to any collector of books on Chicago as well as someone just interested in the massacre itself. Even if you don't agree with the point the authors are trying to make, the book itself has many historical facts and information about Chicago politicians and gangsters, the very people who had a critical role in shaping the climate of the city.
Save Ninety Minutes: TheTitle Says It All.......2007-03-23
Since I can still vividly recall when the Roger Corman film "The St.
Valentine's Day Massacre" had its broadcast premiere on network television many years ago, I was eager to read this "definitive" new account of the 1929 mass murder on North Clark Street.
Unfortunately,
I regret to state, this book proved to be a disappointment.
Clearly, the authors, William J. Helmer and Arthur J. Bilek, both know the subject, but their book is less than satisfactory. Most of my specific questions were left unanswered and I did not glean much new information from reading the book.
The book is poorly organized. It seems as if the two authors divided the writing workload and submitted chapters separately without conferring with one and other. As a result, there is a tendency towards disjointed repetitiveness. After reading for the third or fourth time that the 1924 assassination of Dean O'Banion ignited open gang warfare between the North Side gang and the Torrio-Capone mob, I think the point had been established sufficiently.
Did anyone proofread the final manuscript? This book would have benefited from editorial revisions and simple fact checking. I had to stop counting the misstatements, incorrect dates and other clearly erroneous collateral facts before I got a headache. Illinois did not hold two General Elections during November of 1924, but, according to the chronology, Cook County officials and President
Coolidge were elected on separate dates. Similarly, the Black Sox
Trial did not take place in the Federal District Court.
There is some solid writing here and there, but, taken as a whole, it seems as if the book was compiled in great haste to meet an arbitrary publication deadline. Transitions are handled clumsily and the text meanders too much. It is not always necessary that everything be placed in strict chronological order for a historical account to be effective, but it would have helped in this case. The profiles of the principal gangsters and Chicago politicians are merely stereotypical thumbnail sketches. The meager bibliography and footnotes do not merit attention.
The best portions of the book describe the coroner's inquest and pioneering efforts in the field of ballistic testing. There is also a lengthy discussion of how the Federal Bureau of Investigation failed to cooperate with local law enforcement authorities and withheld information that may have provided a solution to the criminal investigation years later. The photographs, editorial cartoons and newspaper headlines, however, are well chosen and will be of interest to most readers.
As a topic, this true crime book held great promise and potential, but the execution was lacking (no pun intended). The final result is akin to having a pair of honor students earn a "C-" on their combined term paper after pulling an all nighter rather than applying themselves diligently and earning the "A+" that the entire class knows that they are well capable of. Someday, I hope that a revised edition of the book will set the record straight.
When Beer Was King........2007-02-15
When you move from temptation's way, don't leave a forwarding address. During prohibition, there were beer wars. In 1929, in Chicago, six members of the Bugsy Moran crime gang were lined up against a garage wall and shot by a rival gang. That wasn't the only violence during that time but it happened on this day so long ago. In our backward place here in Tennessee at the foot of the Smoky Mountains, "Thunder Road" was busy and productive. On into the Fifties, the town was full of moonshiners and bad whiskey. I think they could buy beer then, but as a tea-totaler, I'm not real sure, but the rich out in Sequoah had to hire someone to bring their hard liquor to their doors. In the Fifties, some gathered as party where the liquor flowed. Now, they can sit on the sidewalk of Gay Street and drink to their hearts' content.
The actual Valentine's Day Massacre became a part of American folklore. At the City Council, a man lectured a group of young boys, some Boy Scouts, about the way to go about getting beer. It's in all the grocery stores, which is their major money-making item. This town is full of big drinkers, from the age of pre-teen, mostly men. Our gangs are not so interested in causing trouble about beer, but will car-jack and kill innocent people who are in the wrong part of town. Their aim is money and drugs. We may have our own Valentine's Massacre but, hopefully, not this year.
At last an acurate picture of the story to match that gruesome photo.......2007-01-14
I have always wondered what the Moran gang was doing in that garage when they were gunned down and always believed the story about the bootleg liquor was somewhat lacking.Considering that the men gunned down were all the upper echelon of the Moran gang(minus "Bugs" luckily for him)how could they have been taken so completely unawares? This book tries to honestly answer the question and is backed up with thorough research.Before you leave this book you'll know pretty much who was all involved.The phony cops and hit-men who blasted Moran's gang were on retainer fees by the Capone mob,and people who are being paid well sometimes will be quick to thank their employer,even at the cost of bad judgement.Was the "heat" against the mob generated by the police and government toward Capone's Organization for the massacre worth the financial loss and bad publicity.Capone it seems was never known for astute political decisions anyway and "what the heck,"one less competetor for the booze and "racket "industry.From a read of this book as you see the blank smile of Capone it reminds one of a Hendrix line "smiling with tombstones in their eyes". As I reached the end I was about to congratulate myself because I have found a book in which there is no"J. Hoover bungling". Then I got to the chapter titled the "Crime Noone wanted Solved".That sounded Machiavellian so I figured out Hoover was in it.Yep!
Book Description
In this brilliant history of Prohibition and its most notorious gangster, acclaimed biographer Laurence Bergreen takes us to the gritty streets of Chicago where Al Capone forged his sinister empire. Bergreen shows the seedy and glamorous sides of the age, the rise of Prohibition, the illicit liquor trade, the battlefield that was Chicago. Delving beyond the Capone mythology. Bergreen finds a paradox: a coldblooded killer, thief, pimp, and racketeer who was also a devoted son and father; a self-styled Robin Hood who rose to the top of organized crime. Capone is a masterful portrait of an extraordinary time and of the one man who reigned supreme over it all, Al Capone.
Customer Reviews:
Capone, not so hot.......2007-07-23
This is a great novel. "Not so hot" in the sense that the author almost discredits Capone for how he really was. This is the first indepth reading about Capone, but it is very detailed. I am telling you , if you want to read only one book about Capone, then read this one. You will never have to read another book about him because this one is jammed packed. His life from start to finish. This book will change how you view Big Al, and show just how the media has glorified Al and the Untouchables. It has great tidbits about Torrio, Ness, Yale and anyone else involved in Capone and that era. I definitely recommend it. It is a long read though and can get tedious after a while. I suggest if you are anything like me, to read it in halves. The book is broken into 2 parts basically. The rise and the descent. No complaints on this one.
Capone, Ad Nauseum.......2007-03-24
I had to struggle to finish this biography. After investing so much time, I felt as if I had to see it through to the finish to prove that I could read it in its entirety. It was not enjoyable largely on account of the author's chosen narrative tone.
Laurence Bergreen comes across as an arrogant "Mister Know It All" type of blowhard. He does not seem especially familiar with Chicago, Illinois, where much of the action in this biography occurred, beyond superficial details. I suspect that he booked a round trip airline reservation, checked into the O'Hare Airport Hilton, went out for dinner and drinks in the suburbs and called it a day in terms of his local research.
There are numerous errors throughout the book, but some of the essential facts about Capone are otherwise correct. I would not recommend this book to anyone interested in learning anything about Capone's associates and competitiors in the gang wars. Bergreen's treatment of these figures is fairly stereotypical and uninformative if not entirely incorrect. He did not seem to think it was important enough to do all of his homework.
If you read this marginal book it is possible that you will learn something about Al Capone in a composite sort of way, but why bother? There are more informative books available from other biographers on the same subject that make for better reading. Quite a few topics are neglected in Bergreen's text, so he takes the position that the only important aspects of the Capone story worth addressing are the ones that he has covered. When Bergreen has a point to make be prepared to have the proposition hammered upon over and over again.
There is some totally off the wall material in the book about Capone becoming a cocaine addict that seems highly speculative and largely unsubstantiated. How long could a hop head survive as the leader of a major criminal enterprise in an era when drug use was considered the epitome of moral bankruptcy? Bergreen does not explain how Capone hid his habit from his criminal associates.
Whenever Capone behaves violently by murdering someone or ordering others to carry out a hit, Bergreen puts it down to the progressive nature of Capone's syphilitic condition or cocaine abuse. While Capone contracted the disease and ultimately died of its ravages, it seems far fetched to suggest that it impaired him each and every time that he went into a tirade or committed a killing. Syphilis has three distinct stages and its fatal consequences can be latent for decades before the disease becomes active. Capone could not have survived as a crime boss if he was suffering from active dementia while leading the Outfit.
A substantial amount of time is spent on Capone's estranged older brother who left the family, changed his last name to "Hart" and became a Prohibition Agent in Nebraska. This material has been published before, but Bergreen keeps pushing the subject over and over again. It is somewhat akin to finding lengthy digressions about Ted Williams in a biography of Babe Ruth. Yes, they both had a few things in common and both played for the Boston Red Sox, but little else transpired between the two men. After awhile I began to wonder if the author would return to the actual subject of his biography? It is correct to include "Two Gun Hart," but his importance is inflated. Capone seemed to have virtually no relationship with his elder brother, so even by way of contrast the inclusion of this material seems to be so much surplusage. I suspect that Hart's children may have been among the few Capone relatives willing to be interviewed by Bergreen.
Similarly, Bergreen segues into another extended detour by recounting the career of Elliot Ness. This goes on ad nauseum and I began to wonder if the writer forgot who the subject of his biography was supposed to be. He prattles on about Ness becoming an alcoholic and a philanderer. The problem is that none of these events in Cleveland relate back to the prosecution of Capone more than a decade earlier. A short summary would have been adequate.
There are a few mildly interesting anecdotes about Capone as told by people who met him in passing. Much of this is trivial. The fact that Capone was a generous tipper does not necessarily absolve him of his many crimes. These asides are amusing, but how much insight can a golf caddy really provide?
This book does not actually succeed in providing much in terms of describing Capone's era. If you are seriously interested in learning about Capone and Chicago, you owe it to yourself to read some other books.
the real Capone.......2006-12-31
This is a great book. It shows us that Capone was not only a villain, but also a man who was loved by the common people. Bergreens book is hard to put down, because of his fluid writing style. Everybody knows the story of the St Valentine's Day massacre, and that time when he beat a man to death with a baseball bat. New to me however was how he spent his days in jail and what he did after he got out of it. After his time in Alcatraz he was just a lonely man who didn't know know what he was doing because of his neurosyphilis. You kinda feel sorry for him. A great biography of the most famous man in the history of crime.
irs trial seems dry but vital to the story.Government case makes Capone look "sleazy".......2006-12-17
if you're an Al fan,you're going to read this anyway no matter if it's one or five stars.When things break down as did America during the Volstead Act,a vacuum exists and a law of nature,"nature abhors a vacuum".Someone or something is going to fill it legal or illegal,in this case it was Capone.You could either sell clean booze,brewed properly or as in the case of the Chicago mobsters,clean booze and dirty booze.That is beer and whiskey products brewed properly and mixed with pure alcohol to give it more life.The customer comes back more drunk and susceptible to more errors in judgement and a chance to fleece him or her even more.It is amazing to seehow large were the "bootlegging" operations hiring master brewers from Europe and employing hundreds or (thousands)? of people.It almost seems like the beer and alcoholic beverage industry has a momentum of its own that goes beyond the issues of the legality or illegality of it.Capone compares himself to an amusement park providing the American adult of the roaring 20's with entertainment.That includes the shootouts and gang wars,real life rootin-tootin cowboy shootin'.As American as apple pie and steroids.The press eats it up. The cops don't say too much as long as the mobsters only kill each other.As a matter of fact from reading this book there were so many police and newspaper people on Capones payroll that its a wonder the IRS was ever able to capture Al.He really had great PR running a soup kitchen and loads of other charities.Real drama like a shakespeare play.And don't forget Al was a family man,kids and mass every Sunday,as well as a major community financier,even if it was mob money.Indeed sometimes the machine gunnings and violence seem like a minor glitch,like nature correcting itself.Mobster movies always have to concentrate on the violence because it wouldn't play in the theatre to have a soft spoken guy making a spaghetti dinner for his family and friends.Unless somebody ended up in the pot.Al comes off in this book a perfect gentleman and warm until "crossed" then sneaky and deadly,(really deadly)!!like a true sociopath.This book is more than a biography of Capone,it captures the chaos of the roaring twenties and the depression,with America trying to figure out who and what it is after the Great War.When moral purists,like the kind who tried to "dumb down" America with the Volstead Act,get ahold of government,this is what can happen.An important book,this one. The book is divided into 2 parts,Al's rise and then his demise when the syphillus he contracted in his late teens took over his thought processes in his late twenties.This caused major errors in judgements and all the other racketeers tried to band together, even ones from other major cities,and finally strip Al of his power. Capone however was able to circumnavigate around even these to show himself "KING" of the mobsters.Just when you think Al is finished he comes back even more influential.The IRS trial was really well dealt with and it will cause a person to somewhat lose respect for Al.It amazed me how a literal handfull of government agents were finally able to bring Capone down when he seemed like he himself was an "untouchable".The way he tries to hire high profile attorneys to weasel out,we've all seen too much of.It seems from the read on this book that Capone even with his mind altering syphillus was able to play quite well the different "shades of grey"until the IRS and other government agencies and were able to present him to the American public in basic black and white.This book gives good insight into the "cooling off" aspect of Capones crime career,showing the space between the more violent incidents,whereas alot of books keep the pace of their biographies at a "white heat"by linking at times loosely ganster activity not directly involving Capones mob.
The Rise and Fall of Scar Face.......2006-01-22
Here is a highly readable, very entertaining, and absorbing biography of Al Capone.
Bergreen digs through the decades-deep layers of myth and confusion, showing us the "real" Al Capone, a complex and apparently contradictory man.
And herein lies the one problem with this book. Bergreen can't seem to make up his mind. Was Capone an evil criminal mastermind or a misunderstood victim of American cultural hypocrisy?
On the one hand we read about the evil Capone. The man who without warning could fly into violent rages, beating men to death with baseball bats; a scheming sinister mastermind who plots the St. Valentines Day Massacre.
Then there is the other more sympathetic Capone. A seemingly misunderstood entrepreneur, a man persecuted for striving toward his piece of the American dream. According to Bergreen, this Capone wasn't the king of the Chicago rackets. He was instead a mere figurehead, whose love of the media spotlight allowed the true rulers of prohibition-era organized crime, Johnny Torrio and Frankie La Porte, to run their evil empires of vice in the murky shadows of the Chicago underworld.
If this Capone is to be believed, then Bergreen should have spent more time fleshing out this aspect of his character. The "Capone as figurehead" theory is supported by very little evidence and thus fails to convince.
All that aside, this is a very good book. I found it fascinating. Bergreen does a great job of bringing the hectic, thriving, and utterly corrupt Chicago of the roaring 20's to life. Capone's time in prison is also well covered and shows us the truly pathetic side of Scarface, a lonely broken man slipping into a syphilis-induced dementia, slowly wasting away in the cold and harsh confines of Alcatraz.
I highly recommend Capone: The Man and His Era. It's the kind of book you hate to see end.
Customer Reviews:
The Life of Alphonse Capone and the start of the Mafia........2006-05-17
I think Kolbler does a good job of detailing the rise of the Mafia. Italians calling themselves the Black Hand rob and blackmail guilable Italian immigrants. People like Colossimo, and Capone get into the protection busiess. This leads to other rackets, and the Mafia is born. Capone was not a member of the Mafia group, but he knew their main leaders. Capone and before that Torrio become the main influences in the Chicago underworld.
This is a detailed biography of Alphonse Capone. The book also shows the corrupt nature of early Chicago politics and the start of Prohibition. Capone because of his leadership qualities and friendship with Torrio becomes a effective leader of the Chicago underworld. Al used whatever he needed to establish his rule. This included blackmail, torture, and murder. He also was generous to those who were loyal to him. There was both a good and dark side to Al Capone. If you betrayed him, then he could beat you to death like the three Sicilians. If you treated him as an equal, he could help and befriend you.
Kobler shows all the complexities of Al Capone, He may have evil traits, but a very real human came through in Kobler's biography. This is a very detailed, but also very readable history of Al Capone.
Scarface.......2005-08-15
In a book subtitled, "The Life and World of Al Capone", one would suspect an in depth look at the famous Chicagoan. While the book has points where it is very informative, I believe the author could have used a more involved editor in composing his book. Having originally gone into publication in 1971, there are better books about Al Capone.
In the first hundred pages, Al Capone's name is literally mentioned only about five times. I respect the author's motive for formatting the book this way. He was trying to set up the world that gave rise to a gang leader like Al Capone. However, some of the stories could have been left out. At times, I found myself wondering if the author would ever start discussing Capone.
The author begins the story of Capone in his service to Johnny Torrio. Eventually, this relationship develops more into a partnership than a hierarchy. Capone was very aggressive in furthering his interests even if the price was murder. La Cosa Nostra and organized crime in America thrived under the laws of prohibition. The illegally produced and supplied alcohol was only produced by those willing to disobey the way. It was a chance Capone was to take. Additionally, Capone made his money from gambling and racketeering.
The generous side of Capone is one that is less frequently discussed. He donated much of his wealth to the poor which is more than can be said for the contemporary crooks and gangsters of corporate America. With this comparison in mind, it seems odd that the government finally crumbled the Capone empire with charges of tax evasion. Capone was sentenced to eleven years, but served less than six due to good behavior and the terminal phase of syphilis.
I was disappointed to discover the end of the book. The author followed through with the title in the beginning with an overwhelming introduction. Unfortunately, the author chose to describe Capone's effect on the world in seven pages. I believe the author could have said more of the world of Al Capone more in terms of his after effects.
In total, I found this book to be more than adequate. While it is flawed and inconsistent, it is a worthwhile primer for those seeking to learn of Capone. At times, the author goes into great detail demonstrating the work put into this project. However, the amount of work is not always consistent with the final project.
Outstanding.....The "Premier" Bio of Al Capone.......2005-07-10
In my opinion, this is the best and most well written of all of the Capone biographies. The first few pages of this highly engrossing book takes the reader to the front door of the Lexington Hotel, Capone's headquarters.....on into the inner sactum of the gangleader himself. The story of Al Capone is brilliantly laid out in an easy to follow format that takes the reader through Capone's life and motivations. I've read all of the major bios on "Big Al" and this is by far the best.....highly recommended.
Masterful, inspired, brilliantly literate, yet street-smart!.......2005-06-10
John Kobler is a little-known master craftsman and this is his master work. Don't miss it. Quite possibly the best biography you'll ever read. P.S. PLUS, I learned the word "chinoiserie" from this book!
Book Description
If American crime had a golden age, it was between 1920 and 1940—the roller-coaster years when a rural nation became urbanized and the nineteenth century finally gave away to the twentieth. The same forces that reshaped society also changed the face of crime, and soon the Progressive movement that battled urban decay led to the unintended consequences of increased police and political corruption, drunkenness transformed from a working-class vice to middle-class rebellion, and organized crime was established nationally.
The Complete Public Enemy Almanac is the ultimate reference book for the gangster era, with many unique features:
• A highly original and revisionist history of the period, covering the entire nation
• A unique, unmatched collection of gangster and outlaw biographies
• Hundreds of illustrations and period photographs
• A full, first-ever crime chronology of the period
• Dozens of short features on everything from the shift from local to federalized law enforcement to the history of body armor and goofy schemes to deal with "motorized bandits"
• The origins and meanings of such terms as the "one-way ride," "X marks the spot," "the real McCoy," "G-Man," "Public Enemy," and many more
• Innovative lists, including the Chicago Crime Commission's "body count" of gang-style murders during the period
• New light on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Kansas City Massacre, the deliberate killing of Pretty Boy Floyd, the mysterious death of Baby Face Nelson, and other events
• An exhaustive bibliography (including numerous short reviews) of every true-crime book published about gangsters and outlaws of the twenties and thirties
Meticulously documented, lavishly detailed, exhaustively researched, and written with an eye for the turths that have remained largely hidden, The Complete Public Enemy Almanac provides a reliable source of information about the violent and lawless era of the twenties and thirties.
Customer Reviews:
WOW, After this, what's left. .......2007-10-13
Well , they've done- The most complete crime almanac on the market-
I've been researching the outlaws & gangsters for going on 40 years, now Rick & Bill have put it all down in ONE book AND a bunch of new stuff I've never heard of before. Where were ya 40 years ago guys ?
I keep it next to my computer-
A wonderful reference tool, and yes a MUST for your library.
Sandy Jones
Must have for crime buffs or researchers.......2007-10-08
Helmer and Mattix have delivered a fun format for such a massive delivery of entertaining information. As I flip through the pages, I feel this book is almost interactive in design-- photos followed by short stories and an on-going chronology of national events interspersed with important definitions and short bios of key players. More than an exhaustive reference work, this book is a one-volume library and definitely a must-have for anyone interested in crime history. Excellent gift idea, too, and a surprising value for the money.
An essential reference work.......2007-10-05
Authors William J. Helmer and Rick Mattix have produced an extensive and truly essential reference work on the Gangster Era (1920-1940). The book breaks down criminal and law enforcement history into its various component parts, dealing with characters and events through the use of individual biographical essays and sprawling, detailed chronologies. Every serious outlaw of the period - from Accardo, through Capone, Dillinger and McGurn, to Abner "Longie" Zwillman - is represented.
At the same time, the work ties elements together and probes more deeply into causes and effects through an impressive collection of articles on topics such as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Castellammarese War, criminal use of the Tommygun, the evolution of investigative techniques, early efforts toward bulletproofing...
The Almanac is amply illustrated with photos and other images, many of which have not been available before. And a treasure of information awaits those who dig to the back of the book. There will be found a collection of gangster quotes, including the last words of Dutch Schultz; gang membership lists; and a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of Gangster Era books, which itself is worth the price of admission.
Casual presentation and a laid-back writing style provide comfortable cover for this work of genuine scholarship but may be misinterpreted on a quick glance as a lack of professionalism. Design elements surely would have benefited from closer attention. However, the few superficial negatives do not detract in any substantial way from the authors' achievement.
The Complete Public Enemy Almanac is a must-have for crime historians and a useful and informative guide for the True Crime reader.
Countless hours of research.......2007-08-23
Reviewed by Kathleen Dowdell for Reader Views (8/07)
This beautifully-bound, 889-page, hardcopy book is a must have for any person interested in true-crime. Chock full of gangster and outlaw events of the 1920s to 1940s era, the authors have succeeded in presenting in chronological order, many little known facts that occurred in what they call the golden age of crime. The book may be a little daunting with its dialogue and graphic pictures, but it gives the reader a true sense of how life in America really was in those days and is an example of good stories often ignored because of the negative connotation they portray.
Each of the seven chapters is filled with nuggets of factual information that has been researched and documented by the authors. Besides just telling about the events that took place during this era, the authors provide in-depth information about the evolution of official police departments, passage of amendments, inception of cooperative crime control, and the development of criminal identification in crime detection laboratories in Chicago. Throughout the book, events occur in chronological order giving the reader a sense of order, enabling an easy transition from one event to the next.
An entire chapter is devoted to "quotable quotes." You can read about Al Capone's colorful remark about prohibition in which he says "When I sell liquor, they call it bootlegging. When my patrons serve it on silver trays on Lake Shore Drive, they call it hospitality," and "You can get much farther with a smile, a kind word, and a gun than you can with a smile and a kind word." One chapter's focus is on mobsters and outlaws and explains the difference between consensual crime and violent crime. Included in this chapter are short biographies of gangsters and outlaws who achieved notoriety.
It is apparent that countless hours of research went into gathering and documenting all of the information found in this book. This book could never be read in one sitting, nor would you want to rush through the meticulously scribed information. To aid in taking your research even further, the authors provide nearly 60-pages of bibliographical resources. That in itself is an added treat.
I would recommend "The Complete Public Enemy Almanac" for any historical researcher who needs accurate facts and information on how crime has influenced politics and culture. In addition, the book is filled with newspaper headlines, cartoons, pictures, and biographies about the golden age of crime. This would make a great bedside book on a dark, stormy night.
The Bible of the 1930s Outlaws and Gangsters.......2007-08-15
When I bought this book I dove right in. It reads like a timline of all the Public Enimies and their crimes. I have not put the book down since I bought it. Bill Helmer and Rick Mattix are the top dogs in the world of 1930s crime and it shows in the book. I have to say that this is the best book that I have purchased in a long time. Any fan of Alvin Karpis,John Dillinger,Lester Gillis, Aurthur Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde and Al Capone, this book is a must have. Whenever a fact is in doubt I grab my "Bible" and look it up. The best book on the subject ever.
Customer Reviews:
the first work on Capone and still a classic........2007-01-10
this book writen in 1971 was the first major work to adress capone and the mob world of organized crime. smooth reading and the author either doesn't have the sources available to writers today or just doesn't take the liberties and resultant credibility strain that can happen as a result.in the Bergreen book Capone for instance there seem to be alot more ties between city counsel,the police,government agents and the mob.As if the mob has penetrated so deep into government,that only a handful of honest police and officials are left to confront Capone. In the Kobler book,however,the lines are more cleanly drawn between Capone and the "forces of law and order" while the author does admit to some indiscretions on the part of alot of government people by actually being on Capones payroll.It seems in the Kobler book that the government can't figure out how to get at Capone entrenched as he is behind his organization. Another instance of the Bergreen book differing substantially from Kobler is in regard to Capones charity giving. In the Bergreen book Capones charities are represented as being alot more generous which can make the reader somewhat empathetic with Al as he literally gives away at least tens of thousands away to people hard hit by the depression. Kobler presents his charity giving as an attempt more at PR and to make the "man in the streets" empathetic hence more willing to buy Capone beer and patronize his gambling and cat house businesses.Also Bergreen, while admitting to the debilitating effects of Capones syphillus,points out that he was still able to maintain his status as "crime boss" and was capable of decision making even up to the last. Kobler however shows a Capone after Alcatraz as an invalid with a miniscule amount of decision making and influence. These two books go together and are both important to understanding the era.At times you have to admit that with the family ties and the organization of these crime syndicates,it's understandable how hard it would be to break them up.Capone comes off as just a figurehead for a steamroller force known by various names like the "Mob",the "Organization" etc. An excellent work by Kobler on the Depression Era.
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