5 comments about The Holy Thief: A Con Man's Journey from Darkness to Light.

1. This book is amazing. The story told is absolutely incredible, but not nearly as amazing as the man who's life is being told. He truly is The Holy Thief and I am blessed to be able to call him my Daddy! He is living proof that miracles do happen!!!!



2. One of the most remarkable stories I have read, as the other reviewers have noted, it is truly inspirational.
   Borovitz grew up in a warm family, but when his Dad died, his world fell apart. Unfortunately, he was also somewhat influenced by an Uncle who was, in reality, a Jewish mobster. Rootless, Borovitz quickly gravitated to a criminal lifestyle, undertaking increasingly more serious criminal acts. Eventually, he is forced to move from Cleveland, his birthplace, to Los Angeles. Once there, he continues his cons, and eventually lands in prison.
   This memoir is well-written. In particular, it describes that one important constant that Borovitz had in his life while growing up was Judaism. His going to Synagogue, the family holiday gatherings - all are described so that the reader feels the deep reverance that Borovitz had, despite his criminal life, for his religion.
   He also writes so well concerning his Change - when he began to turn away from his life of crime, and toward something far more worthy of his abilities - that of Jewish spirituality. I especially commend his description of how this took place; other authors who have undergone similar "revelations" often depict it as sudden and earth-shaking, and that from that 'moment on' each was immediately transfored from a
   low-life loser to a 'saint'! Thankfully, and far more realistically, in my opinion, Borovitz explains that he was changing, but that it was gradual.
   After his transformation, Borovitz completed college and then Rabbinical School. Realistically he hesitated even applying, declaring that they would not accept an ex-con gonif (thief) into their program. However, with the support of his friends, and the fact that G-d often works in mysterious ways, he was accepted with open arms.
   Today he is a Rabbi for a community of people who were like him once, but also like him, are committing to changing their lives.
   If you ever feel like cons, addicts, etc., can't transform their lives - just pick up this book. You will be amazed.



3. Next to the word inspiration in the dictionary should be a picture of Rabbi Mark Borovitz. This is the story of a man whom God chose to send to the deep valley of dispair and addiction so that he would have the experience and wisdom to encourage others to turn their lives around.
   Anyone in trouble or who knows someone in trouble should read(no-devour) this book.



4. Like another reviewer, I don't typically take the time to write a review of books I read. As the wife of an inmate who is changing his life for the better while incarcerated, I seek out inspirational stories of people who have hit rock bottom and have used that experience to reach out to others. I read a short review of this story in Reader's Digest and decided to seek it out.
   I read it cover to cover in a Saturday afternoon. The author is so frank, honest, and REAL. His story gives me hope for my husband's future, and proves that good can come after a life of mistakes.



5. I never take time to post reviews about books, but I had to comment on this one. I couldn't put this book down. I was especially moved by Rabbi Borovitz's definition of love, which you'll have to wait until near the end to discover. But it's so worth the wait. What an amazing story!

1 comments about Motorcycle Mania 3: Jesse James Rides.

1. In this hardcover picture book Jesse James goes somewhere to perfect his skills with copper, then he gets back to work on his Copper Chopper. Kid Rock gets his own softail WCC bike built at about the same time at Jesse's place and the two set off on a road trip to Mexico. That's about it. Lots of cool pictures which you'll like if you're into choppers and the whole Jesse James/WCC thing. Only problem with this book is that it has ALL the text right at the beginning followed by ALL the pics. A little frustrating having to read and then flip forward to look at the pics which were referred to in the text earlier. Other than that it's not really as interesting to read as "I am Jesse James", IMHO. Still, worth checking out if you're a fan.

2 comments about The Thin Green Line: Outwitting Poachers, Smugglers, And Market Hunters.

1. This book is for anyone that enjoyes and cares about our American Wildlife. With little support from the government and even less cash,Terry Grosz and his officers performed miracles to catch all sorts of bad guys. Just how this was accomplished is what makes it so interesting. This book will leave you laughing, crying and angry enough to write to every official you can reach. Terry loved what he did and it shows in every paragraph.



2. Terry Grosz is my instructor, mentor and a dear Friend. "The Thin Green Line" is a "real life" book detailing the author's dedication to protecting our natural resources and his dedication to conservation agencies in general. Everyone of his books are a collection of an incredible man's service to fauna, flora and mankind. Do not miss a single one of his books!
   K. McCloud

5 comments about LETTERS FROM TEL MOND PRISON: An Israeli Settler Defends His Act of Terror.

1. The four published reviews of this book are rather biased and show that the reviewers did not internalize what the author wrote. They stand in stark contrast to the 7 personal reviews. I couldn't put this book down. In a very personal way the author and his real experiences embody the reality of the co-existence, or lack thereof, in judea and samaria today. Stangely enough, shortly after a friend insisted I read this book I have shared tea with Era in his home and with his neighbors in Turmis Aya that he descibes in the book and to independently hear them tell the same stories he tells in the book.
   This book should be required reading for anyone that wants to offer an opinion about the future of Samaria.



2. this book is intriging. it makes you wonder about the other side of the media. letters from tel mond prison is a book written by a man who lives his life with such pupose, meaning and honesty you wonder some times who you feel bad for - the "terrorist" or the "victim"



3. Era Rapaport effectively communicates the highs and lowes of being a settler in the land of Israel today. He is a modern day Zionist who gave up a life of comfort to face ridicule, persecution and imprisonment to stay true to his faith in the resettlement of Eretz Israel. I highly recommend this book to all who love Zion and believe in the restoration of Israel.



4. This book takes what has become a controvertial impersonal topic and turns it into a tale of the human spirit. Era was an the average American. He had the normal life, but he choose to follow the path G-d choose for him. His acts of desperation would be called terrorism by the media, but it is only after reading this book that one understands he was an everday guy defending his family. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gaining a true first hand perspective of life in the West Bank.



5. Mr. Rapaport's book is one of the few honest accounts of life in Israel today. Unlike reporters who have very little understanding of the complexities of life in Israel, Mr. Rapaport lives in the heart of Israel, and has a great understanding of the problems his country encounters daily. You can't go wrong reading this book.

No comments about The First Vice Lord: Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levee.

4 comments about Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story.

1. A very riveting book that drips with a son's respect and admiration for his father's crusade for reform in a notorious and corrupt Teamster chapter. The author's father stands toe-to-toe with Hoffa and risks all.



2. Great reading as the author, with his litigation experience, puts the pieces togethet of the story so that all the facts are represented and the story flows. Even though I knew the outcome, I was still pulling for the dad to muscle out and be the victor against Mr. Hoffa. Besides the story about his father, what a wonderful way to remember your childhood thru the eyes of your father.



3. This is an extremely well-written book that will appeal to all! Harper's story of one man (the author's father) reminds us of what really matters in one's life - being true to who you are. In the telling of his father's intriguing story, the author illustrates to us that we need not be afraid of life's setbacks and obstacles for they can be used to build personal strength, character,and wisdom, and expand our empathy, acceptance and love of others. Harper's exceptional writing style results in one of those rare books that leaves you feeling like you were there -- "But by the grace of God go I...." And regardless of the dark places our life's journey might take us, it is never too late to leave our legacy --especially when it is built on on love and honor. A fascinating and moving true story --a must-read.



4. This is a very well written book that tells a compelling story of two men's lives and how they intersect. It has the feel of a good mystery novel and, even though the phrase is trite, really is hard to put down. The reader gets drawn into the story immediately and is carried along from page to page in anticipation of what will happen next. If you enjoy reading any subject matter at all, you'll enjoy this book.

5 comments about The Story of Chicago May.

1. I first heard of Irish writer Nuala O'Faolain when I picked up one of her books in the WH Smith at Heathrow as I ran to catch a flight back to the States. Sometimes we are drawn to certain authors in mysterious ways, as if the moments were meant to be. Thereafter, I was led to her two memoirs, breathtaking in their candor about moving through stages of life as a young Irish girl, a writer, and mature woman coming to terms with her past.
   
   Knowing this writer's work, I didn't expect "The Story of Chicago May" to be a traditional biography, and it most certainly was not. May Duignan, born in post-famine Ireland, nicked her family's savings and ran away to America. There, she achieved legendary status as "Chicago May," working as a thief, outlaw, showgirl and prostitute.
   
   What I find remarkable is how the writer weaves in her own process of discovery and personal experience in researching and writing the book. This approach won't work for all readers. Some prefer the conventional biography, but others will find this book refreshing. No matter how a writer strives for objectivity, biography writing will never truly elude the subjectivity of the writer's own experience. O'Faolain did it her way, though she painstakingly researched her elusive subject. She literally traced the steps of May through city after city on two different continents.
   
   Years of May's life were spent in prisons on both sides of the Atlantic, but she managed to survive a life on the edge. Exhausted and sick at heart, she later met police reformer August Vollmer, who convinced her to write her autobiography as a way toward the light. O'Faolain refuses to sugarcoat the "Queen of Crook's" struggle to make ends meet, her experiences in and out of prison, or her poor choices in men, several notorious crooks in their own right.
   
   "Hope kept me up," May wrote in her last, desperate note to Vollner before her death as "a tired old prostitute" in an unmarked grave in Philadelphia. But the book is not about a character who tried to save her own soul, whatever that may be interpreted to be. It ends with just as many questions about the seeming lack of meaning in May's life, yet assures us that even such a life as hers is worth examining: "Out there, people are waiting in the dark. Shine the beam of attention out there. The dark recoils."



2. Nuala O'Faolain does a remarkable job of humanizing a woman who otherwise would've remained just another fallen woman. This book is a captivating tale of survival, as well as a wonderful source of history. Anyone interested in what it was like to literally survive in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century will enjoy this tale. O'Faolain has a gentle, hypnotic writing style that really works here to evoke empathy for a woman who would otherwise be regarded as a common prostitute and petty thief. I loved it.



3. Like some of the previous reviewers, I was annoyed and bewildered after the initial reading of this book. Not because it wasn't well-written. It is. But the intermingling of the author's experiences and what she perceives May Duignan-Churchill to have felt/experienced was disorienting because I thought I was buying a biography of Chicago May. Most historical biographies are devoid of personal observations unless the author happened to be there along with his / her subject, which certainly wasn't true in Nuala O'Faolain's case.
   
   It didn't take me long, however, to appreciate "The Story of Chicago May" for the unique literary effort that it is. O'Faolain is using May Duignan's story to depict one woman's struggle for independence AND show how similar struggles go on today despite increased earning power and educational opportunity. The author is an accomplished memoirist, and in this book she uses her brilliant capacity for insight to help make sense out of a cheerfully unrepentant female crook's career.
   
   By the end of the second reading, I loved the book. That said, I understand why other readers who expected a no-nonsense historical biography, packed with facts and no fancy, were disappointed.



4. I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is "unfocused, disjointed, unstructured, incoherent, and rambling." It was difficult reading and difficult to keep up with what is fact and what is the author's interjections.
   Also, I did not care for the personal family information from Ms. O'Faolain. In my opinion, it only added to the adjectives mentioned above and to the book's boring length that could have been more interesting if it were not so lenghtly.



5. The biography was much as described in other reviews, where an interesting person was described both through the historical facts found and personal experiences of the author. I enjoyed O'Faolain's strategy and the story of May's life.

1 comments about Want Some Aggro?: The True Story of West Ham's First Guv'nors.

1. As if we need another book about violence?
   Get a life and go out one night in your town centre - kids are killing kids!
   This book is all Watch With Mother meets Jackanory.
   If you've read one Cass Pennant book, you've no need to read anymore - not that you'd want to ... Charles Dickens he ain't.
   What with Charles Haughtry on the front cover. A right couple o' Charlies, they make.
   Same ol' same ol'.
   Millwall, West Ham, then maybe Portsmouth (in that order); we all know where the so called hard men of football violence come from.
   Not for real football fans - and quite frankly Bermondsey ruled the roost, not Bethnal Green.
   A lot of poetic license has been used to pep up most of Smiffy's stories - and a fair share of Tom Peppering too.
   What is it about East Londoners and their obsession with telling all - no wonder `Bertie' Smalls and most other London supergrasses come from that manor.
   Mile Eng Mob? Bunch o' crowd punchers more like.

5 comments about Murder, Inc.: The Story of the Syndicate.

1. This book is not just a history of the mob but is part of that history, as Tukus was a prosecutor of the first big cases against the mob. As a prosecutor of the criminals Tukus is hardly objective in his views of them, their lives and so forth. Their horrific deeds speak for themselves but he feels the need to condemn them often, as if preaching to the jury. The stlye is overwhelmed by the 50s journalistic background of the co-author, and I like others find it annoying in its excess of adjectives.
   Nevertheless, if you want to know the subject, this is a must read. And with all its flaws, it is still really fun.



2. Turkus did a ton in uncovering this layer of the inner workings of the mob. The Syndicate was a real threat that, when organized, was dangerous for anyone involved, which was anyone they wanted to involve themselves with. Introducing the Brownsville gang was a great backdrop to laying the foundation to the National Syndicate.
   
   Interesting, though, is that Turkus uncovered so much, and yet when Valachi sang more than a decade later it turned out that Turkus had missed a completely different organized crime with much more secrecy involved around it. This makes sense, in a way, since most of the men testifying and being put away were unable to be "made" men and thus not privy to the inner workings of the real mafia that held the power.
   
   Otherwise a great telling of the Syndication and the 7 executions that resulted from the Canary that couldn't fly. Seeing Lepke go down was amazing, and you can truly see the power of an Anastasia at work when Reles mysteriously jumped/fell out a sixth story window.
   
   A little curious though. Turkus made a big deal about Anastasia's role in Marinzano's death, that he had an Ace of Diamonds in his hand, and yet the cover of the books has a dead man with an Ace of Spades. Is this Maranzano or another death? And if so why the striking similarities? I would have liked to have had these questions answered.
   
   All in all, I would recommend. Read before or in conjunction with The Valachi Papers.
   
   5 stars.



3. Burton Turkus (1903-1982) was assistant district attorney for Kings County, New York (Brooklyn) in the early 1940's, and successfully prosecuted a number of members of Murder,Inc., sending seven of them to the electric chair. This is the chronicle of his efforts to try to bring down this organization of professional killers. I would have liked this book even more if a section of photos of the main characters had been included, but there aren't any. This is an interesting story, well told and, as the expression goes, it has the added advantage of being true. Readers need to bear in mind that the book was written in 1951 and some of the figures, like Anastasia, were still alive at the time. Later scholarship has disproven some of Turkus' theories about the mob organizations, but that still doesn't detract from the entertainment value of this book.



4. Glad that I did not live in that era!!A good account of men's cruelty.



5. Very interesting in that the style of writing reminds one of gangster movies of the period. Definitely a classic of the genre that has stood the test of time.

1 comments about The Last Gangster.

1. Ex-cop Ron Previte gives you insight inside the Joey Merlino/Ralph Natale edition of the Philly mob. If you have read BLOOD AND HONOR or BLOOD OATH, then this book will come up waaaaaaay short. If you need to kill some time, read it. If not, try another book.