4 comments about Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone.

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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!

5 comments about But He Was Good to His Mother : The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters.

1. The author's writing style successfully avoids smooth flow and continuity. He skips around, and maintains superficiality throughout. No interest was generated, and it was hard to keep track of the individuals chronicled in the book.Definitely not a good read. There was no eagerness to find out what was next, rather eagerness to finish. I honestly could not remember one fact from it. Even the photos were not anywhere in the book near where the subjects were discussed.



2. The title of this book comes from the fact that Jewish gangsters took a very protective attitude towards their mothers, and did everything they could to keep them and other family members in the dark regarding their unsavory behavior. Gangsters may have led immoral lives regarding their so-called profession, but would turn weepy when the subject of their mother came up. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact they knew their mother would be disappointed in them. Unlike those in the mafia the offspring of Jewish gangsters did not intermarry with others so their profession did not extend beyond one generation. I found the book to be well written, and what I especially liked was the number of photos of gangsters I have read about in previous books, but of which photos have been scanty. Gyp the Blood (square name Harry Horowitz), Irving Wexler (Waxey Gordon), Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro, Abe Reles, Harry Strauss (Pittsburgh Phil), and a family photo of the Purple Gang were all included in addition to photos of Dutch Schultz (square name Arthur Flegenheimer), Jack Guzik, Lepke Buchalter, and numerous others. This book is a worthy addition to my gangster library, and you can purloin this book for only $10.00.



3. Robert Rockaway provides an engaging portrait of the warm, loving relationships many of the most notorious Jewish mobsters in the history of U.S. crime enjoyed with their girl friends, wives, children, and other family members, especially mothers. The emotions the wicked ways of these boys provoked from their loved ones ranged from devastation and shame to pride, arrogance, and defensiveness. While a lot of this material is old hat, an equal amount is not, and I generally found this book to be light and enjoyable.



4. A good book for casual crime readers who don't need heavy details, but amazingly inaccurate in several areas. Seems to repeat old myths told in other books rather than do research.
   
   ie Joe the Boss's hit team did not include Anastasia, Adonis or even Siegel
   
   or
   
   Dutch Schultz was not shot in the bathroom or even shot by Charlie Workman. The caliber of the bullet found in Dutch matched those used by his men, not those who had shot his men down. The more accurate tale is that he was mistaken;y shot by his own men while trading fire with Lepke's boys. (The bathroom was directly behind the doorway where Workman had to be shooting from)



5. Prompt delivery of my order. Would recommend this seller. Book as advertised.

5 comments about Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti.

1. This book was accurate and for someone who is intrested and enjoys reading about John Gotti this is a great book for you to read. A little dragged out in some areas such as the Trials but very interesting. I enjoyed reading this book very much, as i believe you will as well



2. When I picked this book up I thought I would get a nice history of Gotti. That was true to some extent but the majority of the book was devoted to the trials. If you are a lawyer or someone who is interested in that sort of thing then this book is for you. If you want a good read then pick up the Capeci book on Gotti,that is top of the line! You can also read this if you are having problems sleeping....



3. John Gotti started out as a nobody from Queens,New York, who would later become the biggest know name in the mafia today. After he assassinated Paul Castellano, the boss of the Gambino family John started to climb his way up in the mafia life.Through out the book the authors go into great detail about John and the family. John was always a fan of the press and media, he wanted his name to be know to all. That was also exactly what happend. John was the most feared man in New York for most of the 80's and the early 90's. After gettin extreamly popular the FBI and RICO started to fallow him and bug his hidouts and homes. In the mid 90's John and his two main men Sammy and Frankie were arrested and sentenced to life in prison.After that the Gambino family fell apart.

   The book Mob Star was thrilling and exciting. After reading the first chapter it was hard not to put this book down. The way the authors go into great detail about what is going on and how it happens, you feel like you were in the same room with john at every moment.Mob Star is a very fast reading book,only because you can not wait to see what John Gotti gets into next.I would recomend this book to anyone who likes the Mafia or just wants to read an excilent book.




4. John Gotti started out as a nobody from Queens,New York, who would later become the biggest know name in the mafia today. After he assassinated Paul Castellano, the boss of the Gambino family John started to climb his way up in the mafia life.Through out the book the authors go into great detail about John and the family. John was always a fan of the press and media, he wanted his name to be know to all. That was also exactly what happend. John was the most feared man in New York for most of the 80's and the early 90's. After gettin extreamly popular the FBI and RICO started to fallow him and bug his hidouts and homes. In the mid 90's John and his two main men Sammy and Frankie were arrested and sentenced to life in prison.After that the Gambino family fell apart.

   The book Mob Star was thrillin and exciting. After reading the first chapter it was hard not to put this book down. The way the authors go into great detail about what is going on and how it happens, you feel like you were in the same room with john at every moment.Mob Star is a very fast reading book,only because you can not wait to see what John Gotti gets into next.I would recomend this book to anyone who likes the Mafia or just wants to read an excilent book.




5. The book is a one sided story told by a man who is "obsessed" with John Gotti. Full of news reports that could be fact or fiction. This author has made a ton of money off the Gotti name and continues to do so. He will not let go, we know $$$ motivates him, we know the name GOTTI sells/promotes his web site, articles, and books, but could there be more to the relentless vendetta he has against JOHN GOTTI or is it in Italians themsleves. A dirty little secret?? The rumor is Jerry Capeci uses a pen name, and in fact he is of "irish" ethincity by birth. Could he have a hiddin agenda which motivates his writings of Italian Americans negative light????? Let us know Mr.Capeci!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 comments about Chicago Assassin: The Life and Legend of "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and the Chicago Beer Wars of the Roaring Twenties.

1. Vincenzo Gibaldi was born in Licata, Sicily to loving parents who wanted a better life for him, and brought him to the United States. However, after first his father and then his loving step-father were killed in gangland hits, something in Vincenzo snapped. Taking on his boxing name of Jack McGurn as his nom de guerre, he became an assassin par excellence, and rose to be one of Al Capone's lieutenants. However, after rising to dizzying heights of fame and wealth, Jack McGurn fell far and fell fast, until he too became just another victim of Chicago violence. This is the story of the brutal rise and brutal fall of one of America's top gunmen - "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn.
   
   Overall, I did not know what to expect when I picked this book up. Having grown up in Chicago, I had heard about "Scarface" Al Capone, "Bugs" Moran, "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn, "Hymie" Weiss, and all of the other famous mobsters. But, I must say that this book surprised me with its excellence. The author does a great job of bringing that era to life, and really letting you get a good understanding of the people involved and what they did.
   
   There's never a dull moment in this book, as the author eschewed the temptation to pad out the narrative, making a great medium-sized book into a tedious big book. Plus, I liked the many black-and-white pictures included, and the final chapter that answers the question, "Whatever became of...?" This is a great book on Jack McGurn, and Chicago in the Roaring Twenties. If you want to read the best book on this subject, then take it from this Chicagoan, and get Chicago Assassin by Richard J. Shmelter.



2. How quickly we forget the reality of the "good old days"... That thought kept going through my mind as I read Chicago Assassin: The Life and Legend of "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and the Chicago Beer Wars of the Roaring Twenties by Richard J. Shmelter. This is an excellent biography of a major crime figure during the days of Prohibition, and Shmelter captures both the personalities and sentiments of that period in American history.
   
   Contents:
   Innocence Interrupted; Innocence Lost; "Noble Experiment, " Life-changing Decision; Chicago's Underworld Rises; Terrific Timing - Terrible Tool; Gunning for Gennas, Amutuna Gets the Hook; "Joe Batters" and "Momo"; Vengeance, Conflict, Exodus; Capone vs. Weiss - Round One; Capone vs. Weiss - Knockout Blow; On Top of the World; Aiello Threatens the Empire; The Joker; McGurn Has the Last Laugh; Close Calls; Jack Meets Louise - Frankie Meets His Maker; Return to Chicago, Unrest in the Unione; Violent Valentine; Aftermath of Carnage; The "Blonde Alibi"; The Walls Begin to Crumble; The Empire Descends; Wedding Bells, Al Goes Away; Vindication, Alienation; The Comet Vanishes; Whatever Became of ... ?; Notes; Bibliography; Index
   
   Shmelter starts McGurn's story back in Italy, when his parents met and decided to emigrate to America. Vincenzo Gibaldi, aka Jack McGurn, was a typical kid raised in Brooklyn by immigrant parents, but his life was forever altered at the age of five when his father was gunned down by two men who mistook him for a rival gang leader. McGurn's mother remarried and Jack appeared to be a model son, but he was plotting his revenge for the death of his father. McGurn tracked down the killers and assassinated them in cold blood, starting him on a path defined by the ability and willingness to kill anyone as a hired assassin. This path was cast in stone when his second father was also gunned down by gang members over the sale of sugar to other gangs for the production of bootleg liquor. He started to work for Al Capone's organization, and quickly rose up the ranks to become Capone's most trusted bodyguard and triggerman.
   
   As Prohibition continued and the Chicago Beer Wars grew more heated, shootouts among rival gangs became commonplace. The Thompson submachine gun, or Tommy gun as it was nicknamed, was the weapon of choice for gangsters, and McGurn could handle one with the best of them. Capone used McGurn both as a planner and as a triggerman, and soon McGurn was living the life of a high-profile gangster, complete with fancy clothes, loads of money, and beautiful women. But through all of this, he had to be aware of the fact that he was a constant target of rival gangs, and his life could be snuffed out at any time. The downhill slide for both Capone and McGurn started with the Valentines Day Massacre. That slaughter changed the public's perception about organized crime, and government officials started to crack down hard on those groups. Although it was never proven that McGurn actually took part in the killing, the general feeling was that he and Capone had orchestrated the whole thing. When Capone was convicted of tax evasion and sent to prison, McGurn no longer had the protection he was used to, and the new leader, Frank Nitti, took his revenge on McGurn and tossed him out of the organization. The Depression, constant police harassment, and failed business ventures took their toll, and McGurn was reduced to a shadow of his former glory. And even that shadow came to an end when three unknown assassins tracked him down to a bowling alley and ended his life in a hail of bullets. A fitting end to a person who lived his life gunning down others.
   
   Apart from the fact that Shmelter writes a compelling narrative, he also captures the harsh reality of the Roaring Twenties. I kept thinking that we tend to look back at those times as the "good old days" and think our level of criminal activity and corruption is unprecedented. In reality, things were as bad if not worse back then, and all we're doing is repeating history over and over. I would recommend this book on a number of levels, ranging from a fascinating read to a sobering look at our past. In terms of "recreational reading", this is one of the best books I've read this year.



3. In Chicago, the roar in the Roaring Twenties was often the sound of Thompson machine guns firing. The advent of prohibition and the continuing demand for alcoholic beverages meant that enormous profits could be made. This led to the rise of the criminal gangs that took advantage of the situation. In Chicago, the largest such criminal enterprise was headed by Alphonse Capone and "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn was one of his soldiers.
   McGurn's journey to becoming one of the best assassins is a story of great tragedy. Born Vincenzo Gibaldi in Sicily, McGurn's natural father was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity in a gang war in New York. After his mother remarried and the family moved to Chicago, his stepfather was also gunned down in a gang hit. Forever altering McGurn's attitude, he vowed revenge and the only way he could do that was to become a killer himself. He was ruthless in his methods, killing many men, either directly or indirectly. However, after Capone was jailed, he fell out of favor and in a short time was unemployed and broke. In an attempt to get back on his feet, he threatened to become an informant. Shortly after that threat was made, he was gunned down in gangland style, a victim of his own methods.
   Paid killers are rarely the subjects of biographies as they are generally psychopaths with little to offer other than a list of their kills. McGurn is different in that he was an intelligent man and was very close to Al Capone. Shmelter makes him come alive with literary descriptions of his actions that keep your attention and on occasion you have a bit of sympathy for McGurn. No person could have their two male parents so brutally and suddenly killed without having their psyche permanently disabled.
   The Chicago gang wars was an amazing time in the history of the United States, the enormous profit and power that came with bootlegging almost brought down conventional government. Members of the rival gangs killed each other with legal impunity, although nearly all eventually met with a violent death. This book provides one side of this story, from the perspective of one of the greatest of the killers. If the history of the Chicago gangsters of the Roaring Twenties interests you, then this is a book you must read.



4. American Crime Writers League member Richard J. Shmelter presents Chicago Assassin: The Life and Legend of "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and the Chicago Beer Wars of the Roaring Twenties, a fascinating biography set amidst the gangland violence that wracked Chicago during the Prohibition era. Chronicling the life of Vincenzo Gibaldi, who took the name "Jack McGurn" along with the sport of boxing, Chicago Assassin tells how McGurn's father and stepfather were murdered by mobsters, and how his revenge attracted the attention of the notorious Al Capone, who invited McGurn to join the organization. McGurn built a terrible reputation as Chicago's most feared gangster assassin, and may even have helped plan the infamous St. Valentine's Day massacre. He killed more than twenty people during Chicago's Beer Wars, yet was eventually spurned by the Organization he worked for, and murdered Capone's orders. A striking true crime saga, meticulously researched and providing a singularly vibrant picture of the seedy underworld that sprang up to seize advantage of the Prohibition era.

5 comments about Bonnie and Clyde: A Twenty-First-Century Update.

1. This book has a lot of interesting information and tons of pictures. If you want to know anything about Bonnie and Clyde, it's all in this book.



2. I first became aware of Bonnie and Clyde after a frigid night's motorcycle ride to see Arthur Penn's 1967 movie. Except for buying a DVD thirty years later, I seldom thought of them. Then, last November, my wife and I visited Dexter and Stuart, Iowa. In April of 1934, a month before their deaths, Bonnie and Clyde, along with Henry Methvin, robbed the bank in Stuart. Ten months before, the Barrows had shot it out with a posse at Dexfield Park, north of Dexter. The site of an abandoned amusement park, Dexfield offered Bonnie and Clyde, along with the severely wounded Buck Barrow and his wife Blanche, temporary sanctuary following a shootout in Platte City, Missouri. Penn's movie placed the shootout in Platte City, Iowa, which doesn't exist, ignoring the long ride from the Kansas City area to western Iowa. It also ignored the fact that Buck lived several days after his head wound and actually died of pneumonia. Penn's characterization of Blanche as a screaming ninny isn't accurate, either, and it got him sued.
   
   Penn wasn't after history, but sensationalism. James R. Knight is after history. He is one of those wonderful people who recognize that everything is coming together and seizes the moment. Penn's movie was only the latest in a thirty-year sequence of stylized and mostly inaccurate portrayals of the lovers and their companions. It perhaps began with Jan Fortune's Fugitives, published a scant few months after the fatal ambush in Louisiana. It continued through books by several members of the posse who killed Bonnie and Clyde, and by former criminal companions. As many of the principals, including members of the Barrow and Parker families, aged, other writers began to interview them before it was too late. Given the opportunity to pull together their work with original research, James Knight acted.
   
   This book is the result.
   
   Perhaps only a person who doesn't depend on writing for his income could have done it. Knight, after all, is a pilot for Federal Express who just happens to be an excellent historian. His book shows meticulous patience, coupled with a desire to be what Fox news isn't, fair and balanced. For instance, he gives Fortune's oft-maligned piece credit for what it got right. Though he depends heavily (for the first few chapters) on the recollections of Marie Barrow Scoma, a teenager at the time of her brother's death, Knight sometimes argues, appropriately, with her recollections. After all, she could not have known all that her adult brother was up to. Knight understands that the Barrow and Parker families were far more complex, and far more involved in supporting their wayward kin, than has heretofore been obvious. The evidence has always been there, but Knight uses it broadly and well.
   
   The author is so careful to remain balanced, and to avoid the hysterical tone of previous books, that his prose sometimes seems bloodless. Nowhere is this more evident than in chapters 36 and 37. There, he recounts events around the May, 1934, ambush that killed Bonnie and Clyde. He is meticulous in describing the location and sequence of the wounds each received, the damage to their stolen Ford, and the behavior of members of the posse. It's important, though, because the ambush has so often been misinterpreted. I hope that in a future work Knight will greatly expand these chapters, taking a closer look at everything and everyone who contributed to the ambush and at the questions that still remain. Still, Knight corrects several misconceptions and downright errors fostered by the movie and by previous books. You won't know it, though, unless you read the extensive footnotes.
   
   Which brings me to the subject of how most to benefit from reading this 2003 work. I read it twice. The first time, I had a bookmark in the footnotes and flipped back and forth frequently. The second time, the bookmark was located in the first appendix. This allowed me to review a full history of each character as s/he surfaced in the text. As a result, I have a far better idea of "the story of Bonnie and Clyde" (to borrow the popular title of Bonnie's second poem) than I received on that winter night in 1967.
   
   For all of that, Knight neither whitewashes nor condemns Bonnie and Clyde. Rather, he recognizes the essential tragedy of their story. They lived on their own terms, but everyone paid a price. That they paid with their lives does not obscure the suffering inflicted on their families and on families left fatherless. At the same time, Clyde might have remained a relatively small-time crook (or made changes in his life similar to those accomplished by Ralph Fults) were it not for the brutality he experienced in the Texas prison system. The story of Bonnie and Clyde, then, is in some sense the story of human beings interacting with our surroundings--for good and for ill. I am writing this review two days after a confused and angry teenager murdered people in an Omaha mall. He did it with an assault rifle, at a time when gross inequalities again exist between Americans. Clyde used a 1930's version of that rifle, at a similar time. When will the American people demand gun control? And when will we insist on an end to national policies that lead to the creation of millions of poor people?



3. "Here they come down that dusty road, and muddy bend; Man and woman welded in crime, together they lived and together...they died. Who else could it be?; But good ol' Bonnie and Clyde!"
   
   The book entitled, "Bonnie and Clyde A Twenty-First-Century Update" by James R.Knight (with Jonahtan Davis )is... "A killer of a book!"
   
   This is a superbly written and researched book. James R. Knight is too young to have ridden along with them, at least in this life. However, his knowledge and interest in this gun toting couple makes me wonder, where he may have been in his last life time?
   
   His writing is informative, easy to read and follow, and...extremely descriptive. In addition, the book is a photographic library in itself!
   
   Sometimes, I could almost hear the heavy "barking" of Clyde's "BAR" and watch the black exhaust clouds rise from the tail pipe of his get-away, 1934 Ford sedan.
   
   Frank Hamer does not appear to be as powerful a figure as he was portrayed in the 1967 movie with Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Although, a central figure in orchestrating the couple's final demise, the initial credit seems to flow toward a little known figure of the ambush group listed as, Officer Prentis Oakley.
   
   Author, James Knight also gives the reader what Paul Harvey used to say on his radio program: "and now you know ... the rest of the story."
   Knight follows through with information on the fate of each actor who ever played any part on the stage of "Bonnie and Clyde."
   
   A great job Mr. Knight(and Mr. Davis)! When can we expect another publication???



4. Other than the books written by John Neal Phillips, this is the best of the Bonnie and Clyde books. Well researched, balanced viewpoint, great photos. A superb read.



5. I've read many good books on the subject of Bonnie & Clyde, and even though the 1967 movie was far from accurate historically, it is one of my all time favorite movies. This book does the best job I've found of setting some of the inaccurate facts straight. I live less than 30 miles from Dexter Park, where the gang was ambushed, and I find it fascinating to finally read so many details of what transpired during those events. If this subject interests you at all, then this book is an absolute must read.

5 comments about Boss of Bosses: The FBI and Paul Castellano.

1. This book covers the story of Paul Castellano, a weak boss of a very strong family. It shows a guy who shouldn't have been a boss, leading a group of killers who wanted to be boss. Also, it is a prime example of the cops abusing their eavesdropping privilages. I know the guy was a mob boss but they got all up in the man's business. I could have done without knowing so much about the live-in mistress. But this guy made a lot of bad moves toward the end of his reign.



2. This book purports to be the story behind the FBI's take down of big-time Gambino crime boss Paul Castellano. The authors, two ex-agents set themselves up as the heroes in this cops-and-robbers tale.
   
   It's too bad that the story ends up being an almost complete fabrication, because there's some truly entertaining "tales" told in this book. Forced to resign from the FBI, O'Brien and Kurins probably made more money from this sham of a book then they did in their crime fighting careers.
   
   Maybe they learned from the criminals they watched for so many years, eh?



3. I would've liked more behind the scenes mob information. The book focused too much from an FBI perspective. Also, I got a little tired of the agents giving the mob boss, Paul Castellano, so much respect and sympathy! At times it was like they felt sorry for the guy because they have to do their job and arrest him. Hello! The guy is a leader of the mob! These people lie, cheat, steal and kill for a living!!!



4. First off, I'd like to say that I appreciate the way the authors were to Paul Castellano. They weren't necessarily sympathetic, but they were respectful. Some people ask why respect a killer, many people kill for many different reasons, currently, many people are killing other people under the guise of war. They respected him as a human being, a flawed person like the rest of us and saw no need in treating him poorly which is bad tact for anyone of any stature. With all that aside, this is a great book into the inner workings of Cosa Nostra, it aptly shows the older members of the old ways and the ways in which they dealt with the world around them. It is very true that those ways are essentially gone. The book overall shows a human being that had risen to power and slowly loses his grasp on all that he obtained. It also shows the death of the old ways and a birth to a newer and less successful new age of Cosa Nostra. Salud, to the agents that showed genuine respect to another human being, regardless of his standing in life.



5. A pretty good book. The FBI had a big head and ego but the book is still good.

5 comments about You Can't Win.

1. This is an amazing story that drags you into this guy's lonely world. Sexy, it ain't. It's a man's, man's world. It's obvious this guy did some hard time getting all the details down. I guess living it would allow you plenty of ammunition. After reading I had acquired a whole new paranoia regarding breaking and entering. It's depressing and lonely and stark. This is a book that needs to live on and on.



2. My son, who this book was purchased for, enjoyed this book very much. Thank you.



3. I thought this was a tip-top book. Blacky's adventures out West and in Canada around the turn of the century were very intruiging. I just wish there were more books written by him and not so much of a mystery of what happened to him later in life. Or maybe that's what makes him so appealing. I agree with several others about the "extras" at the end of the book. Especially his article that appeared in Harpers. That could've have been written today.



4. A true story about a house burglar in the Twenties who escaped the law by riding the train to another town where he did the same thing again. It's Americana at it's best. Someone ought to write a ballad about this man using his words. "There's a lot of law at the end of a rope." "A hang man may be your only hope." "In a blind alley you shoot and shoot first." "Old grudges are opened. Old hates are revived. Stool pidgeon's beaten and the turn key's denied." "No one is eating the damned hang man's stew." "I never borrowed money I could not pay back."
   Hobo's are not derilicts and after you read You Can't Win you may feel the same. It is a great book that admonishes the prison system where there is no cure for the human condition if you put the human in a jail cell.
   He ended up working for a library in San Francisco. How he died nobody knows.



5. Rare is the book that so vividly captures the spirit of a time and a segment of society. This book does all that and more. We've all heard the classic stories of the Wild West. Gunslingers, bank robbers, saloons and lawmen.
   
   "You Can't Win" covers the less visible people who got by hopping trains, busting safes, and burgling folks, innocent or not so. They had their own code of ethics, which were enforced by this tight group of vagabonds. This lifestyle is not romanticised, but you find yourself rooting for the characters, and bemoaning their losses, even though they were criminals.
   
   It was a tough life for many people. Reading about their stories through the eyes of one of their own (Jack Black), helps us better understand the lives led by thousands of people during the early maturation of the U.S. in the west.
   
   Once started, it is a very hard book to put down. I wish there were more books written as well as this one that detail the underbelly of society. It's a big part of U.S. history, just not well publicized.

5 comments about Story of Cole Younger: By Himself (Borealis Books).

1. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR HISTORIANS. ALTHOUGH COLE OMITS SOME OF THE UNLAWFUL EVENTS. IT'S A GREAT AND EASY READ.



2. interesting -- although need to keep in mind that Cole Younger was as big a liar as he was an outlaw.



3. Inside the mind of a Missouri guerrilla, that alone is reason to pick up and read this wonderful first-hand account of a sad and violent time on the Missouri-Kansas border. The events are real and the tempers do not quickly disappear. Both sides considered themselves in the right and some Confederates never truly surrendered though the cause was clearly lost. What happened to those men and women when the fighting was ended by officials? Read and find yourself drawn in to relate to those you may have previously despised.



4. I must recommend this first hand account of Cole's own story. It is not the only story but must always be the most important source and story of someone's life. I would have given this book a 5 as I would have several other books of this time period were it not for the "out-of-place" intro. Someone must have decided that it was important to censor and disclaim Cole's first hand account at the very front of the book. As I have done in the past, I taped these pages of attempted censorship together and noted to subsequent readers my advice on just skipping this questionable intro. Since my books usually get passed around a great deal I felt this was necessary to preserve the great and rare first hand account that Cole provided us of his life.



5. Cole was a cousin of my grandfather and I remember him talking of Cole visiting them after he was released from prison. Therefore, this was a very interesting insite into the person that was Cole Younger. It also gave some information of his background that I did not know before. An interesting look in to the thinking of a person who most people know as a name but not as a person.

5 comments about A Mind for Murder: The Education of the Unabomber and the Origins of Modern Terrorism.

1. This book is useful as required reading for college students if the professor would like to help get the students past the trivial debates about whether Ted Kaczynski was a serial killer, ecoterrorist, or what. Far too often, attempts at criminological writing reduce to an essay on a "How crazy were they?" and this book helps correct that, making sense out of an episode in American history which frequently baffles explanation. For a taste of the author's writing, one should look for much of the same writing easily found on the web as a series of articles in The Atlantic.



2. A Mind for Murder is a compelling look into what contributed to the creation of the monster known as the Unabomber. It begins in the earlier years of Kaczynski and logs personal event and how these events contributed to his psyche as a murder when he grew. One of the most compelling insights in the book is how he is thought to be insane and a madman. Kaczynski Knew what he was doing and did not what to be declared as insane because his environmental/anti-technology cause would be thought a joke. He took a plea bargain in order to keep the defense from declaring him mentally unstable. I was a amazed at the book and the great insight and detail it portrayed. If you are interested in Domestic Terrorism this is a must read.



3. Mind for Murder is an excellent book by Alston Chase. This book has two main components to it. The first component deals with the life and demise of Ted Kaczynski. The author gives us descriptions of Ted's early years as a child, his high school years, and spends a great deal of time expounding on Ted's time spent at Harvard.
   
   In the author's description of Ted's early years we our shown Ted grew to despise his parents pressuring him to excel academically. His resentment was especially strong toward his father who seemed to remain aloof and somewhat nihilistic till he committed suicide. Ted also resented his mother Wanda because he felt she intentionally subjected him to psychological abuses as a child. These feelings seemed to stay with Ted and even grow as Ted embarked on his college career.
   
   The second component of this book is a cultural analysis that centers around the time period Ted would have been at Harvard and proffers reasons why Ted and others in our modern times have felt the need to resort to terrorism. The author explains how Universities like Harvard used to place a strong emphasis on liberal arts education. Education that was paired with moral virtue. This way of thinking is found in the thoughts of the ancient Greeks who thought reason had to be bound with moral virtue. However, in the 1950s with World War II just having ended and the Cold War looming the universities seemed to adopt the stance of logical positivism. The idea that if something isn't scientifically verifiable it has no meaning. In other words, moral judgments are just the cultural attitudes of the time. Ted would have encountered this line of nihilistic thinking at Harvard. Is it any wonder in later years he would adopt and expound his personal philosophy to mean any ends justified the means? This is especially poignant considering moral judgments to Ted seemed to be just a bunch of efforts at psychological control by the system.
   
   Chase later gives us insightful details of how Ted was used at Harvard by Henry Murray for a psychological experiment. Ted and some other Harvard students at the time were participants in an experiment to submit these persons to dreadful psychological interrogation experiments. The Govt. at this time was very concerned with finding out how to treat or even coerce political prisoners into doing what they wanted. Even going so far as to study and try to learn how to keep the masses under control. Chase gives us historical insight into the Govt. intentionally trying out "new" drugs like LSD on college students, prison inmates, and anyone else it so fancied because surely the Russians had a secret "mind control" drug like this to coerce confessions out of POWs. Ted resented his being tested (even if he was being paid for it) and came to view the techno-industrial system as guilty of imposing unnecessary suffering on the masses. Mind control, feeling like a cog in the machine, depression, irritability, lack of leisure, pollution, were all some of the things Ted blamed on the techno-industrial system. The only way to stop these unjust grievances was to lash out against the system. Even killing if necessary which is just what Ted did.
   
   This is a sad book in some ways but it's a more important work in many other ways. It tells what happens when value gets subjugated below reason. It tells how the culture suffers when ideas like deconstructionism, logical positivism, and structuralism so permeate our culture that nothing has any meaning. Until academics and the culture in general start accepting the fact that reason is only half the puzzle; there is always yin with yang, objectivity with subjectivity, and mind with matter in any accurate depiction of reality. Until we understand these principles and adopt a more holistic approach to reality we are perhaps bound to repeat these same mistakes-the devaluing of society to utter meaninglessness. Worst of all, the suffering of innocents by acts of terrorism and the dependence on antidepressants will continue to be a prominent part of life.



4. Though Chase does seem to suffer a need to attack what he views as the outcome of "value-free" education, I do not think the book suffers as much from this insistence as does the previous reviewer. In fact, there is much to be gained from such a study.

   Chase's book is an admirable study of both the Unabomber and the postwar currents that converged to contribute to the making of the Unabomber. Thankfully, Chase is wise enough not to offer excuses for Kaczynski's actions, but his research into what made Kaczynski "tick" provide a believable backdrop and a necessary antidote to the popular misconception of the Unabomber as a madman devoid of reason or motive.

   And rather than finding fault with Chase's attempt to tie the Unabomber's actions and theories to those of other "terrorist" groups, I found his arguments convincing, especially in regards to the pervasiveness of the positivistic, supremely rational curriculum of Western universities and the devaluing of the humanities.

   We need more thinkers and researchers like Chase who are willing to make us question our kneejerk reactions to men who make us as uncomfortable as Kaczynski.




5. This was a terribly disappointing book. Author Alston Chase's description of the psychological experiments which Kaczynski was subjected to at Harvard is disturbing, and he makes some interesting connections between the manipulation suffered by Kaczynski and his subsequent rage at 'systems of control'.

   But this potentially valuable insight gets lost in Chase's superficial and obsessive recounting of what he views as a social crisis bought on by 'value-free' education and philosphy. In the process, Chase condemns both academia and those who revolted against it, post-war society and those who pointed out it's failings, the US government and those who would try to move beyond a nation-state. By the end of the book, Chase has variously described Kaczynski as somehow representative of deep-ecologists, anti-globlization protestors, and even islamic fundamentalists (who, whatever their other problems, would not seem to be suffering from a 'value-free' education), all of whom (along with multiple other groups that the author doesn't like) are indiscriminately labelled 'terrorists'.

5 comments about 053803: Life at Fifteen.

1. Robert J. Gagnon has written a self-published book that is one of the best studies of the internal realities of American prisons to appear before the public. The book is so rich in texture and flavor, so informative and enlightening, and at the same time so entertainingly interesting to read that it deserves to be revised and published by a major publishing house, giving it the chance for the PR and distribution it so justly deserves.
   
   At age 15 author Robert Gagnon participated in a bank robbery to obtain money to support his drug and alcohol habit, a major mistake in the first place, made more consequential by the shooting of the bank manager. Even as a juvenile he was tried as an adult and sentenced to life imprisonment in Florida. It is this experience of moving from prison to prison from 1975 to 1985 when he was eventually paroled that serve as the diary or memoir of this stunning book. Written long after this life altering experience, Gagnon writes reflectively but with a keen sense of atmosphere and attention to detail that makes reading this book a mesmerizing experience. There is more to learn about the prison mentality from the perspectives of both inmates and law officers than other more famous novels about prison life.
   
   Though we know very little about the current life of the author, we can only appreciate that this man has developed into a sensitive chronicler with writing skills that would suggest this is not a first book. Perhaps writing the book years after the experience has given him insight and philosophical musings not readily apparent in the mind of a fifteen year old felon, but the degree of sophistication with which he relates 053803:LIFE AT FIFTEEN has moments of rather profound insight into the tribal life system that pervades the prisons across the country. 'Few people like to admit it but man is an animal before he's a human being. Animals have only two reactions to attacks, fight and flee. What makes people human is the ability to reason. An animal in a trap will chew off its own paw to escape, whereas a human knows to wait and see if it can fool the trapper'. 'Humans...have been away from the jungle a little but too long. Very few of us could survive without the most basic of tools, in the very least a knife. Since we've killed off or restrained most of our natural enemies, our worst threat is each other. The rules of civilization have domesticated people by using the fear of discipline to stifle the instincts of the masses.' But in addition to these reflections, Gagnon describes in raw detail the day to day life of the prisoner - details that include not only some fairly horrific events but also include an odd, twisted humor and the overall obsession of surviving the life that each of these men endure. It is frank, it is informative, it is gory, and it is all true. The fifteen-year-old Robert comes across as a rather amazing survivor and as a lad with skills of adjustment and intuition far beyond his years - even in an adult prison.
   
   Yes, there are problems with a self published book: despite a fine cover with a photograph of the confinement wall of the prison, the layout of the pages is cramped without the usual paragraph placement, the punctuation and spelling could benefit from an editor's hand, and the flow of the pages is often disrupted by illogical spacing. But the story is so very well written that this raw version of 053803:LIFE AT FIFTEEN could serve as a fine manuscript for a major publishing house to polish into what seems to be a surefire success on the wider market of bookstores and with PR in the right places. Robert J. Gagnon is a very fine author. Hopefully this book will flourish in a more refined format. It most assuredly deserves it. Grady Harp, July 08



2. I've got to say, this book is one of the few books that I was able to read cover to cover, without wanting to put it down. I was drawn into the world of a young man sentenced to life in prison at the young age of 15. From beginning to end, this book held my attention to see just how the author used his instincts and wit to get himself out of many questionable and potentially dangerous situations. Far from boring, you will read about the true life interactions between inmates of all races, statuses and ages, the good the bad and the frustrating. I must say I love the way in which Mr.Gagnon wrote this memoir. The dialogue was excellent and he leaves out no details. Whether my heart was pounding with anticipation, or I was laughing out loud at his many comical actions and pranks, I felt I always knew what the author was thinking at any given moment. Through the crime, the trials, the fights, the riot and much more, you will be glad you chose to read this book.



3. Listed in the National Criminal Justice Referral Service Library as a study aid for its social and educational value. Currently on the reading list at multiple Florida High Schools for its appeal to students that do not normally like to read.
   
   NCJRS abstract:
   
   Written in the first person, the author begins his story just before he committed the crime of armed robbery with his accomplice, Zig. At the age of 15 years, Robert Gagnon, the author, walked into a savings and loan bank in Fort Lauderdale on December 19, 1975 and robbed the bank. As he left, the manager attacked him from behind and in the midst of the fight, Gagnon shot and critically injured the manager. After he and his partner were questioned by police, Gagnon took full responsibility for the crime, even adopting the media account of what had occurred, in an effort to save his partner who was an adult. Gagnon writes that he was convinced the State would only sentence him to 1 to 5 years imprisonment, but instead he was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in a Florida State prison with a minimum of 3 years before parole. His story of life in confinement begins. He mainly focuses on life with his fellow inmates and the lessons learned from some of the "old convicts." He tells of learning how to take care of himself in the midst of dangerous offenders and of eluding the many "tricks" of law enforcement and corrections officers. Gagnon explains that convicts have different types of personalities and are referred to as "hustlers, dealers, players, and racists," to name a few; everyone is placed in a category. He recalls a prison riot in 1982 and about the lost feeling he had after being released following nearly 10 years in institutional confinement.



4. I personally know the author and got to know him prior to knowing anything about his past or the contents of this book. He is a loyal and true friend who would literally give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his pocket. The book is written the exact way that Robert would tell you the story, adding some humor and leaving out not one detail regardless of its content. I received the book yesterday and haven't been able to put it down yet! It's a must read! I am a high special education reading teacher who is considering using this book in my class this year. My student's love easy to read, high interest, true stories. Buy the book, it's worth every penny!!!!



5. AN INTERESTING TRUE TAIL OF LIFE IN JAIL, SURVIVAL,AND CONQUEST.
   KEPT ME READING TO FIND OUT WHAT AND HOW THIS YOUNG MAN WOULD DO NEXT.FUNNY,SOMBER,AND GRIPPING. GOOD READING