3 comments about The Road To Al-Qaeda: The Story of Bin Laden's Right-Hand Man (Critical Studies on Islam).

1. Among various books of Islamic movements that published after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, this book might be the most controversial. The author of this book, Montasser Al-Zayyât gave a reflection about his comrade Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the second command of the contractor turned religious revivalist Osama Bin Laden. Zayyât and Zawâhirî are two Islamists who rose from the underground movement in the post 1967 era. Both Zayyât and Zawâhirî are coming from the middle class of Egypt and have gained professional education and career; Zayyât as a lawyer and Zawâhirî as a medical doctor. They are bounded as comrade in the Islamic political movement after they met firstly in 1981, the time when they were imprisoned suspected of having conspiracy of assassinating the former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. Although they did not play a part in the assassination of Sadat, they had have to spend three years in prison as the price of their involvement of the cells and their ideology of toppling Egyptian secular government. Three years time in prison is a significant phase of their life that eventually separating their practical vision; Zayyât chose to be the advocate of da'wah, a society centered movement of Islamism, while Zawâhirî chose to be a jihâd fighter, a state centered of Islamic activism.
   Zayyât seems to understand of what he wrote. In the third chapter of this book, for example, Zayyât broadly analyzed the experience of Zawâhirî living in Afghanistan, the place where the ideology of jihâd was crystallized into skills, tactics, and strategies. In this book, Zayyât also differentiated two phases of the experience of Zawâhirî during his life in Afghanistan; the first is Zawâhirî's experience during jihâd against the Soviet before the 1990's; and the second is during Taliban's rule from 1996 to 2001, the time when Taliban demolished by the U.S. military. There was a vacuum period around 1992-1995 in which the Arab-Afghans like Zawâhirî had had to step out from Afghanistan. Sibghatullah Mujadadi, the interim president for the mujâhideen government of Afghanistan wanted the Arab-Afghans to go back to their home countries because their mission of wiping out Soviet's power in Afghanistan accomplished. However, this decision could not easily be accepted by the Arab-Afghans because the government of their home countries would not accept their return as free citizens. In the case of Egypt, Zawâhirî says: "Egypt had already started taking security measures against the Arab-Afghans by trying them before military courts in absentia and issuing harsh sentences, including death sentences for the elite of the Arab-Afghans, as well as sentences of life imprisonments for others (55). In this unpredicted situation, thousands veteran of Afghanistan war were in the state of uncertainty. Some of Arab-Afghans who succeed to return to their county, for example the Algerian-Afghan, because of their confidence after demolishing Soviet's power, had actively engage in attacking the Algerian government. Some others who could not even step into their countries had had to live in the foreign countries, some of them as the illegal citizens. It is in this situation that the generous help of Osama bin Laden and the strong leadership of Zawâhirî became a combination of power that highly applauded by the Arab-Afghans.
   Osama bin Laden is a generous sheikh who rendered in providing a place to stay for the homeless Arab-Afgans in his military camp in Sudan. At this time, Sudan is the nirvana of the ex-mujâhideen because only in Sudan that the government were pleased to cooperate with the Islamist leaders. Thousands of the veterans of Afghanistan jihâd decided to join Osama bin Laden in Sudan after being spy on by their government. Their decision to enter Sudan was continuously followed by thousands others veterans until Taliban gained their power in Afghanistan. After Taliban took over the government of Afghanistan, Zawâhirî and Osma bin Laden returned to Afganistan and told thousands veterans to follow them. However, Afghanistan that ninety five percent of its land was controlled by Taliban was no longer a fascinating land of jihâd. Under Taliban rule, the Arab-Afghans who reentered Afghanistan were not forced to join Taliban to fight other Afghan factions. In Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden and Zawâhirî more concerned to organize the jihâd to outside of Afghanistan, rather than to fight with the other mujâhideen. At this period of time, Afghanistan really became the base of Al-Qaeda in its true meaning.
   In his second phase of living in Afghanistan, Zawâhirî was more active in organizing his cadre of Islamic Jihâd to topple the Egyptian government. His friendship with the salafî contractor, Osama bin Laden, to a certain extent, had broaden his objectives and goals, from a domestic jihâd inside Egyptian border, to be a borderless international jihâd against the global enemy. It is not clear in this book how Zawâhirî became more radical and interested in a direct attack to the U.S. and its interests. Zayyât and some other experts on this issue believed that Osama was the one who brain washed Zawâhirî's mind. In this book, Zayyât commented Zawâhirî's articles in the Islamic Jihâd publication during the year of 1997 that are entitled "America and the Issue of Jihad on Jews in Cairo" and "America and the Illusion of Power." In these two articles, Zawâhirî showed his new concern to hit the U.S. regardless its strength as the only superpower on earth. Zayyât mentioned there are at least eight reasons why Zawâhirî radically changed his mind. One of the reasons, according to Zayyât, is the failure of their internal actions in Egypt. In addition to that reason, the capture of many of jihâdî members shake the Islamic Jihâd movement and finally it required alliance with the more stable organization both in term of financial and structure. Finally, Zawâhirî decided to merge the Islamic Jihâd with Osama bin Laden and they created the so-called movement "the International Islamic Front for Jihâd on the Jews and Crusaders" (64-70).
   In my view, as a reader of contemporary Islamic movements, Zayyât missed several key points that are very significant to understand the setting and the idea behind the movements. Zayyât, as an insider of the Islamic movements, failed to inform his audience how the jihâd movements that is basically try to restore the ideal form of ummah as a response of modern challenge of social life, has been turned to be the so-called terrorist movements that haunted Western world. To say in the explicit words, this book is so weak in clearing up the radicalization process of the Arab-Afghans who are in the situation of culdesac after the mission of jihâd against Soviet is accomplished, but cannot go back to their normal life in their home countries, and finally find the way to continue the desire of jihâd by attacking American interests around the world. Zayyât seemed to be not interested in searching the link between the radicalization of the Islamists and the continuous repression of Arab or Muslim countries under auspices of the United States as the only super power on earth. What Zayyât wrote in this book is more about his experience of knowing Zawâhirî and his concern to respond Zawâhirî's criticisms in the book entitled "Knight Under The Prophet's Banner" against his peace initiative, rather than showing off his challenging vision of modernist Islam. It is true that in the chapter eight, Zayyât slightly revealed his modernist views by highlighting the mistakes of Zawâhirî that caused all Islamist, whether they are the member of Al-Qaeda or not, had paid the mistakes. He also criticized several conditions of his fellow Islamists such as fossilization of mind, imitation of the past, and the lack of ijtihâd. However, Zayyât's languages of criticism are nothing new to the consciousness of Muslim masses. In this pocket size book, Zayyât spent three pages to marshal the visions of the salafî intellectuals from Jamal al-Din al-Afghânî, Rashid Ridha, Hassan Al-Bana to Sayyid Qutb. However, he still unable to crystallize their ideas into a new vision that at least will give a confident to Muslim masses to wrestle with the multitude of problems of modernity and the world's advanced capitalist challenges today. Zayyât, in this period of time, seemed to understand that Islamic vision that is still using the old pattern of the early post-colonial era, such as establishing shari'a, is not a ready made-solution. At the same time, he also realized that the social conditions of Muslims that is disunited, is one of the reasons why Muslims cannot transform themselves into an ideal society.
   Zayyât convinced that building peace and signing the agreement of cease-fire between Islamists and Egyptian government is the only possible way to heal the wounded Muslims today. His criticism of the use of violence by his fellow Islamists like Zawâhirî and the Islamic Jihâd's members that caused thousands loss their lives is a great effort that paved a new basic of dialog between the Islamist vision and the modern vision of society. "The type of dialog that Al-Qaeda used with the media must be avoided," he said. "So too should we abandoned the approach of bin Lâden and Zawâhirî in which the main objective is to administer as much harm to the United States as possible," he added (112). In this book, Zayyât wanted to differentiate and to distinguish in term of ideology and practical action between Al-Qaeda and other Islamists who are not interested in violence and in attacking American interests. From the whole explanation on this book, he intensely wanted to show that aim and he seemed success to do so.



2. Also available in a hardcover edition (0745321763, $65.00) The Road To Al-Qaeda: The Story Of Bin Laden's Right-hand Man by Montasser Al-Zayyat is the biography of one of the world's most-wanted terrorists -- Ayman al-Zawahiri. An Egyptian, Ayman was identified as the man to take over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after the death or incapacitation of Osama bin Laden. Since the September 11 attacks, Ayman is also the reputed architect of the Riyadh bombings in Saudi Arabia. Enhanced with an extensive introduction from the distinguished Islamic scholar Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi, The Road To Al-Qaeda provides western readers with critically important insights into the tensions between violent and non-violent factions within radical Islamist movements. No contemporary Islamic Studies collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of The Road To Al-Qaeda.



3. By rendering this book into English, Ahmed Fekry and Sarah Nimis have done a tremendous service for anyone seeking more insight into international terrorism than she can get from a talking head on the evening news.

   Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi3's introduction, though a bit meandering, provides useful background and presents interesting questions.

   Highly recommended.

No comments about In the Shadow of Papillon: Seven Years of Hell in Venezuela's Prison System.

4 comments about Undoing Time: American Prisoners in Their Own Words.

1. I read this book in a day...well half of it. I finished it in two days and I found it to be very informative about prison since the stories come from prisoners.



2. This compassionate collection of prisoner autobiographies made me feel very sad in places, angry in others, hopeful and encouraged in still others. The accounts, like the prisoners who wrote them, are diverse: their tone varies from poetic and sublime to gruesome and shocking. Few, if any, are self-pitying. The editor seems to have taken great pains in selecting pieces that tell a different story about criminals' lives: how backgrounds (mostly horrific) aren't always to blame for their choices in life, how criminals *can* tell right from wrong, and how deeply sorry (but not always able to express that sorrow, and seldom encouraged to do so) many of these prisoners are for the damage they've done to others and to themselves. This is a fascinating, revealing read. Anyone who has any interest at all in prisoners' backgrounds, crime or criminals will relish this superb collection of autobiographical stories that editor Jeff Evans has compiled.



3. I met the author of this book recently at a reading/signing in Brooklyn, NY and asked him why he wrote it. He was careful to point out that it was a collaborative effort of nearly 40 people but that he was always interested in the personal histories of prisoners and just could never find a book on them. Indeed, this is the first time I've ever come across a book like this too. I'm always skeptical about anything prisoners have to say, but I was deeply affected by the stories of these prisoners' lives. They were honest-sounding and eye-opening, and the piece by William Skeans, in which he describes his own family as "white trash" was especially heartbreaking. One woman prisoner wrote about her father's suicide and, although her piece was short, it left me feeling as numb as the author after she saw her blood-spattered mother seated in the living room. Not all criminals are witnesses to violence, but as Jimmy Santiago Baca writes in his preface, "For most of these writers, their childhood environment consisted of dope fiends, alcoholics, or thieves who lied, cheated, stole and raped, plundering their innocence and any chance of a normal life. When this happens to you as a kid, it virtually guarantees you'll end up behind bars." These well-chosen autobiographical stories will live on in your mind and make you think seriously about the nature of crime and our unforgiving justice system.



4. Moving, heartbreaking, infuriating, disturbing: this anthology gives voice to those behind bars, giving context not only to their crimes, but also to their lives. Some writers are self-serving - celebrity "Preppie Murderer" Robert Chambers whines about the daily drone of prison life, mentioning the reason for his incarceration only in passing. Just when he is on the cusp of getting your sympathy, he is sabotaged by his narcissistic verbosity. More moving are childhood remembrances that start off with a Norman Rockwell glow, but turn into traumas that scar for life - a father's suicide, a mother's abandoning her children at a social worker's office...

   Editor Jeff Evans has done something that neither hang 'em high judges nor bleeding heart liberals have tried: he has given the supposed worst of our society back their humanity by giving them a forum. Whether you agree or disagree with what they say, their words from the inside give more understanding to our world on the outside...and where the two collide.

5 comments about The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography.

1. This was one of the most poorly written mafia biographies I have read! First, anyone who gave a good review HAS to admit it didn't even put Moran as the central focus! Although claiming to be the life story of Bugs Moran, it barely put him in the spotlight at any given moment. Of all 300+ pages I would dedicate less than 25 of those to Moran! The erratic chronology was difficult to follow. At times the history of Chicago and the prohibition gangs was intriguing, but the overall dry and erratic writing made it a difficult and daunting read. I would not recommend this book, nor this author!



2. I really enjoy reading about the mafia, and the history of how the syndicate came to be. I believe this was a story that was begging to be told. A peer, and an arch-enemy of Al Capone, Bugs Moran was the 1920's gangster "experience".
   
   I picked up this book with alot of anticipation, but this author virtually killed this subject.
   
   With each hit, the build-up should have been palpable. It was often anti-climactic, or worse. Sometimes, I would have to read the passage twice to make sure someone had actually died.
   
   This was less about Bugs Moran, than about many of the other 1920's gangsters, like Johnny Torrio, Dean O'Banion and Hymie Weiss. These are all formidible figures in their own right, however, I wanted to know more about Bugs Moran, and aside from the fact that he liked children, I really never learned much about his motivation, his passions, or what really drove him to hate Al Capone.
   
   The writing style is often flowery, and the author takes three sentences to explain what could easily have been said in one.
   
   I hope a better biography is written on this subject sometime soon. I slogged my way through this one, without learning much.



3. Wonderful book. Full of little-known details. If you have any interest in true crime, you'll like this one. Rose Keefe strikes again.



4. Although this book can be seen simply as a companion piece to Rose Keefe's "Guns and Roses: The Untold Story Dean O'Banion, Chicago's Big Shot before Al Capone," in many ways "The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story - A Biography" is the superior book and a more important contribution to the history of the Prohibition Era. Comparisons between the two books cannot be avoided, but do not dismiss "The Man Who Got Away" as a quickly churned out sequel intended to capitalize upon the success of the first book.
   
   It is a pity that some critics think in those terms because the research that Keefe put into "The Man Who Got Away" must have exceeded her earlier effort. A certain amount of overlap between both titles occurred since both men were in the same North Side gang, but the Moran biography is significant for breaking new ground and revealing facts that have never been reported. "The Man Who Got Away" does not merely correct often repeated mistakes as to the subject's birthplace and the common misspelling of his name as was the case in "Guns and Roses."
   
   The subtitle of "Guns and Roses," is something of a marketing gimmick: prior to the publication of this definitive biography many O'Banion anecdotes had previously appeared in print, but the varied accounts were scattered and dispersed until Keefe gathered them together and saw to it that the entire story was finally recounted in one coherent book with the embellishments and myths cleanly excised. She also included new facts from interviews that she conducted with the handful of surviving O'Banion acquaintances. Most of the journalistic errors that Keefe corrected had gained widespread currency due to constant repetition. Keefe elevated O'Banion from his status as an interesting historical footnote in books written about his contemporaries and rivals. Only a few minor facts concerning O'Banion were omitted from this superb biography.
   
   While the O'Banion biography has been rightly praised, I think that the Moran book has been unfairly neglected. In death as well as life, O'Banion's star has burned more brightly than that of his friend and eventual successor, "George Clarence Moran." O'Banion was more of a quotable bon vivant with numerous newspaper friends dating back to his "employment" in the circulation wars. Moran was a much more private person who has been chiefly depicted as an O'Banion lieutenant who gained a leadership role due to gang war attrition and subsequently faded into obscurity after narrowly escaping with his life on St. Valentine's Day of 1929. This shorthand is half true. Readers of "The Man Who Got Away" will learn far more about Moran than has ever been reported before.
   
   This is a greater achievement because summarizing Moran's life presented a more complicated challenge than chronicling O`Banion. Researching Moran's life did not entail correcting and improving upon prior accounts. Keefe literally had to start from scratch with Moran. Using her investigatory and interviewing skills, she reconstructed Moran's ancestry and childhood and added the final chapters to his post Valentine's Day criminal career. She documented more than thirty years of Moran's life that had largely eluded everyone else who has written about him. Her painstaking research resulted in locating actual Moran relatives who had been hiding in plain sight for decades. She persuaded an obstinate and reticent octogenarian to discuss Moran despite his previous steadfast refusals to be interviewed so as to preserve his own anonymity.
   
   The only criticism that I had about the research is that Keefe seemed to cite articles from "The Chicago Tribune" to the exclusion of almost all other Chicago daily newspapers. Many researchers rely upon the Tribune since its readily accessible online, but the paper has its limitations due to the biases of its editor and publisher, Robert R. McCormick. The author did consult a few other newspapers, but did so quite sparingly judging from the endnotes. This is a trifling complaint. The book omits a few random details (one or two capers are missed), but otherwise all of the essentials are in place.
   
   The significance of Keefe's accomplishment becomes clearer when readers learn how well "Moran" concealed himself from his enemies and shielded his immediate and extended family from any scrutiny. As a young adult, he adopted an assumed identity that defied the combined efforts of legions of historical researchers, journalists, law enforcement officials and screenwriters to uncover his true background until the publication of "The Man Who Got Away." It is no exaggeration to say that Moran carried his personal secrets to the grave. Keefe exhumed the truth almost fifty years after his demise.
   
   Apart from familial considerations, Moran believed that close media scrutiny was simply bad for business. This was a lesson lost upon his opponent, Al Capone. Continual newspaper coverage served to intensify the resolve of the Federal government to prosecute Capone on tax evasion charges. Unlike Capone who basked in the spotlight, Moran was seldom interviewed. Rather than holding press conferences, Moran and his allies staged a series of epic gun battles to eliminate those opponents who helped orchestrate O'Banion's assassination and threatened to encroach upon the lucrative North Side bootlegging and gambling territory.
   
   Ultimately, Moran's precautions may have saved his life. The team of out of town killers assigned to rub out Moran failed to correctly identify their intended target and wound up shooting seven other gang members in the mistaken belief that someone in the assembled group must have been Capone's archrival. A tardy Moran escaped unscathed after he spotted what appeared to be a police car parked opposite one of his booze depots.
   
   If Moran lacked the wit and charm possessed by his colorful and charismatic friend, some of those same qualities earned the cocksure O'Banion the enmity of rival gangsters and put him into an early grave. Moran, a mobster who let his violent actions speak for him, was one of the few Capone foes to die of natural causes.
   
   "The Man Who Got Away" may have sold fewer copies than the more popular "Guns and Roses" because it has not been released in paperback. Seek out the hard cover which I highly recommended.



5. Rose Keefer did a great job on the book "The man who got away." The only problem I saw with this book, is it was mistitled ... It is one of the best books I have ever read about the overall crime history of Chicago, but it took 204 pagess to get to the "Bugs" part. Once you reach the last chapter, it seems the author was in a hurry to finish it leaving so many questions unaswered.

5 comments about Al Capone and His Gang (Famous Dead People).

1. "I think Al Capone's name was mentioned in every news report today," a reporter once said. This was exactly how Capone liked it, as demonstrated in the biography, Al Capone and His Gang, by Alan MacDonald. I think Al Capone was nicer than many people thought - what do you think? Read this book to form your own opinion on whether Capone belonged in prison. Capone was an infamous gangster who gained fame and fortune and wanted everyone to know. MacDonald clearly portrays Capone in this fast paced book with short chapters, and keeps the book interesting by including Capone's journal entries. Those who enjoy adventure will enjoy this Capone biography. Read this book to learn why the police had trouble convicting Capone of any crimes.
   
   Capone was born in New York, then moved to Chicago, where he completed a lot of his mischief. Most of Capone's life experiences, as covered in this book, took place near his Chicago and Miami homes. Later, Capone was considered the most famous gangster that served time in Alcatraz Federal Prison. This was reinforced as I read about his life of gambling, betting on fixed games, murder, hiring hitmen, and bootlegging. Capone was so powerful that even the police were scared of him!
   
   Al Capone was the main character in this biography about him. Other gangsters (enemies), police (enemies), and important people (sometimes helpful) were also mentioned in the book. Capone was my favorite character in this biography that covered his life history. I was amazed at what Capone got away with, as described throughout the book. He could have been caught many times but police didn't gather much evidence on him. I was more amazed that Capone looked out for less fortunate people, as described on page 161. He handed out $100 bills to the needy and opened a soup pantry. Capone had a nice side for those on his good side!
   
   Reading this book went pretty quick, though it covered Capone's entire life as a gangster. I would recommend this book to any male middle school student. This was a pretty straightforward book, since MacDonald was presenting Capone's life history, and nothing was questionable. There are no other books directly related to this book.
   
   Capone was a gangster who rose from nowhere, achieved financial success, and will never be forgotten!



2. From the first to last page, this book will keep you readin. Telling the full story of Al Capone, from his birth to his entry into gangs to his rise then fall, and his death. This book also has accutual gangster slang with translations. Also, it uses kid friendly comics, words, and police reports. It also dispells many rumors you may have heard about Al Capone. All in all, a great book. A must buy!



3. Very good book. I bought it for school because I had to do a report on a biography, and I'm very happy I chose it. It has all the facts you need to give a great presentation on a biography, and it includes lots of fun extras that will make you want to read more!



4. Al Capone and His Gang by Alan MacDonald is a great book about Al Capone. It describes his life in a comic book way. It also tells about his bootleg career. The quote I like best is, "I love my job,thats what I'm good at," because I don't see how anyone could think killing is fun. This book also reveals Al's secret diary, and it's the number one source for gangster slang. I like this book because the life of Al Capone is really interesting and full of surprises. I recommend this book to teenagers who love biographies that are suspenseful and full of surprises.



5. Al Capone was a real life mob boss from the 1920's and this is his story

   from beginning to end. The author describes the man, Chicago, and organized

   crime in the 1920's perfectly. It's almost like your with Al Capone on his daily

   routs, on the streets and in jail. Money, booze, and women are what gangsters

   desire and this is what the book is about.

   The book was very written, and is very easy to read. The book seams like it

   is at a sixth grade reading level with cartoons and hand written notes said to be

   written by Al himself. It was in perfect order so you the reader could under

   stand where the story was heading.

   This book is a good read for anyone who likes old gangsters, prohibition, and

   Organized crime. I liked this book because it wasn't strenuous to read and had

   great info. about Al Capone and his gang. I give this book a four star rating.

   It's not a five star rating due to the lack of information on his wife and kid.

4 comments about All-American Mafioso: The Johnny Roselli.

1. The most boring Cosa Nostra book I have ever read. Avoid at all costs.



2. ALL-AMERICAN MAFIOSO is a well-researched biography of legendary mobster Filippo Sacco, better known by his alias: John Rosselli. This book gives good insight into his obscure background and career in the underworlds from Boston to Los Angeles, and from Chicago to Havana, Cuba.
   
   It includes a vast "Notes" section with bibliography, which is always a plus when considering the validity of a research book. Obviously, the authors give you a chance to double-check them if you desire to do so. They had access to hundreds of government documents, FBI files, police files, court documents, interviewed countless people on both side of the law, and dug up contemporary newspaper and magazine articles to insert some nastalgic filler into their pie, turning this book into a nice three-course meal in which by the end of it you are full and satisfied.
   
   Very nicely written and well-edited. The majority of books today in the organized-crime genre are filled with typos and grammatical errors. I tend to notice them, and I noticed few, if any, in this book. Those kind of editing errors are always a turn-off for me when I read a book.
   
   The reader will be additionally impressed with all the rare, never-before-seen photos the authors were able to obtain, one of which is a photo of Rosselli at the age of eight, which I assume they obtained when they interviewed members of Rosselli's family, such as his sister.
   
   All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about John Rosselli and his Hollywood, government, and gangster pals; the glamorous Los Angeles movie scene of yesteryear; and the CIA/Mafia plots to assassination Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in the early 1960s, in which Rosselli played a major part -- and this is not speculation on the part of the authors, this is a documented fact confirmed by various government officials over the years and thoroughly investigated by a congressional committee in the late 1970s.
   
   I don't think anyone who wants to know about Johnny Rosselli, truly a gangster's gangster, will be disappointed when they finish reading this book.



3. This book's advantage over similar titles is the sheer number of historical insights it offers about four American cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Washington, DC) simply by tracing the extraordinary life of one man, racketeer Johnny Rosselli. Want to know how the Chicago mob hijacked the Hollywood union movement in the 1930s? Or how the Kennedy administration reached out to mobsters to assassinate Castro in the 1960s? You'll find the answers, and much more, in a few hundred lucid, well-researched pages. Many of the same stories appear in Gus Russo's *The Outfit* and *Supermob*, for example, but the extra detail there doesn't always pay its own way, and Russo's conclusions frequently stretch the evidence he presents. Like Russo's more exhaustive (and exhausting) work, *All American Mafioso* shows how interdependent the worlds of organized crime, business, and government could be in mid-century America. Rosselli's grisly murder--he was dismembered and stuffed into an oil drum off the Florida coast after his Senate testimony--also shows how ugly the results could be. Highly recommended.



4. 
   
   Essentially a series of newspaper clippings tossed together and called research, most of it wrong or based on speculation. Save your money

5 comments about Mob Cops.

1. I was (no pun intended) blown away by Mob Cops. Smith's writing, pace, and character development makes the book transcends the genre. The book provides an amazing, in depth portrait of humanity (granted, in many cases, of its lowest form), with stunning detail, arch humor, and behind the scenes knowledge of the inner workings of the mob, NYPD, and FBI.
   
   Once again, a great book. I coudn't put it down.



2. Mob Cops is the story of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, two highly decorated and respected New York City police detectives. During their careers they found themselves eventually working with and for mafia bosses across the country as they moved from New York to Las Vegas.
   
   This book tells the story of two cops, but also goes into vivid detail regarding those who were secondary players in the drama that would eventually lead to their downfall. Via flashbacks from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, the author attempts to show the interrelated stories of several characters in the criminal world who moved in and out of lives of these police. Through these contacts, they found their way into a world of money and power. With this power came the ability to do things that merely being a police officer would have never allowed.
   
   The book is interesting, but in reading the book you should be prepared for the often, and sometimes swift changes in time and location. While it is a bit confusing at first, the huge leaps from period to period slow and become more linear, making it much easier to follow the action.
   
   While reading the book you begin to realize that, as others have said before, there is a fine line between being a good cop and a good gangster, with both sides putting to use the same abilities and tactics.
   
   If you are looking for an in-depth look into the criminal world, from the lowest soldier to the mafia boss, this is a book that gives a portrayal of how the machinations of every member of an organized family can have serious ramifications throughout their entire world.



3. GREAT BOOK! I GOT LOST IN IT. BEST BOOK I READ IN A LONG TIME. I GUEST YOU GOT THE IDEA.



4. It is an interesting topic, but the book was written in such a hard way to follow that it is simply not worth reading. Hopefully someone will do the better job with this material in the future.



5. this book is not written very well. the auther chose to jump back and forth with the time line going from the 60's to the 80's back to the 70's and so forth. this happened every couple of pages and becomes very distracting and does not flow. very irratating.

4 comments about Comrade Chikatilo: The Psychopathology of Russia's Notorious Serial Killer.

1. This is no doubt one of the best true crime books ever. It delves deep into the mind of Andrei Chikatilo and gives us information about why he did it, if there ever is a reason to do these horrible crimes.
   
   Worst of all is that if the police hadn't been so inadequate, Chikatilo would have been in jail after his first kill. They were so sure that Kravchenko, a man who lived in Chikatilo's street, was guilty of the murder. Chikatilo went on to kill 52 more people. The search for this serial killer was almost impossible, because the police didn't receive support from the Communist Party, who denied that there was such a thing as a serial killer in Russia. That only happened in America.
   
   As others have said, this is not for the weak hearted. It is graphic and uncensored, and you will be shocked. I know I was.



2. In November 1990, Russian police finally arrested the man they believed to have been behind the brutal killings and mutilations of several children and young men and women ranging from age 9 to early twenties. The man was Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo, a Ukraine-born supply clerk in his mid-fifties, who lured his victims with promises of a nice meal at his dacha in the woods, assaulted, stabbed his victims with knives multiple times, poked their eyes out, and calmly disposed of the body. Under questioning, he admitted to 53 murders, which could've been up to 70. This book traces Chikatilo's life, his reign of terror (1978-1990), and why he evaded captured for twelve years.

   Having been born during the man-created famine of the Stalinist USSR, and having witnessed the kidnapping of his older brother Stepan, who was eaten by starving peasants, and thus made to stay inside the house for fear of suffering the same fate, it's no wonder that Chikatilo grew up with a damaged psyche. His impotence and premature ejaculation no doubt led to further humility, humility that wouldn't have boiled into a rage of unfulfillment and thence to horrific murder, had medically curing impotency been legal in the Soviet Union. Indeed it was lucky enough that he and his wife bore two children, and that his wife was a modest, patient, and understanding woman. Alas, that wasn't enough, it seems.

   The book also examines the flaws inherent in the Soviet police system. People suspected of a crime on circumstantial evidence, yet having an airtight alibi can be made to confess. This happened to Aleksandr Kravchenko, an ex-con who committed rape and murder but was under 18 so served his time, had seen the error of his ways and was now a good citizen. Unfortunately, he lived on the same street as Chikatilo, his house was also near the river where Chikatilo's first victim was, and his wife, brought in on trumped-up charges of stealing, was forced to change her testimony regarding her husband's whereabouts. Further, Kravchenko was beaten up in prison and threatened with rape by a decoy used to elicit confessions, and confessed to a crime he never committed, for which he was executed.

   Another example is the immunity given to Party members from crimes. Party membership was quite a mark of status in the Soviet Union. And the emphasis of scientific evidence, then dated, worked for Chikatilo. The police was looking for someone of blood type AB, and due to a medical anomaly, Chikatilo's blood was A, with the B antigen more prominent in his hair and saliva--hence the evidence was enough to drop any murder charges against him. One police captain might have been credited with his capture, but he acted more on intuition and common sense (his seeing Chikatilo's behaviour at the train station and panic when asked to produce his documents), and that unfortunately isn't scientific.

   Comparisons/contrasts between him and John Wayne Gacy are interesting, as it highlights the difference between American and Soviet sociology. After Gacy was caught for his first offense back in the 60's, he served his time and was released, presumably cured (alas it was not to be). Chikatilo was known for fondling the girls at the school he taught and once was caught assaulting a 14-year old in a lake, grabbing at her, yet nothing was done about his behaviour--it was just seen as one of his odd quirks(!)

   The conclusion was that Chikatilo was three personalities in one. One was the ordinary family man, the other was the rapist/murderer, and the third was the one who acted insane when put on trial for his heinous crimes. The authors do a good job in maintaining the chronology and gathering of information, painting an effective portrait of Chikatilo, and using narrative reconstructions of two killings in gruesome detail, yet the lack of bibliography and sources makes the book somewhat questionable.




3. I was absolutly spell-bound by this book.Very well written.This book however is not for amatuer readers.Delves deeply into the whys and hows of this wickedly sick individual.Definatly not a bed time story.5 plus stars.



4. This book is not for the timid. However, if you truely want to get into the mind of a serial killer, this is the book for you. Of all the books I have read on the subject, this offered the most insight into the mind of the actual killer. From the moment I picked it up, I could not put it down.

5 comments about The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr..

1. Being from Tampa I've been looking all over for info on the 400 pound elephant in this town. People still whisper his name around here as if he's going to come back from the grave and seek revenge on them. My parents used to tell me stories about him and his family's activities in our "hood"(it sure as hell wasn't happening in his neighborhood). Hell, he's buried less than a mile from where I live, along with majority of his "family members". So let's just say his presence still seems to loom over Tampa. But the old guard of Tampa just tries to forget the past, especially "his" past. Finally, this author comes with some juicy details from the exploits of Santo Trafficante Jr. Everything from his father's start, Santo Sr., to Cuba, to Appalachian, to La Stella, Bay of Pigs, Hoffa, all the way to JFK. Not to mention Donnie Brasco. This book was a huge bounce back from CIGAR CITY MAFIA, and will not dissappoint. GREAT JOB SCOTT!! Now give us something on Charlie Wall or Primo Lazzara. Hell, I'll buy it.



2. "The Silent Don" is the story of Santo Trafficante, longtime Mafia boss of South Florida. SD provides an endless parade of mafiadom, crime personalities and corrupt officials. Author Deitche has certainly done his homework. Like a good reporter, the author buttresses his text with piles of references and footnotes, almost to the point of overkill. SD touches many the many bases of Trafficante's line of work, but two chapters stand out: 1) Chapter 6 deals with the "good old days" in Havana before Fidel Castro overthrew the place, closed the casinos and kicked the mob out. What a fun, free wheeling, anything goes place Havana must have been-and how profitable for the bosses like ST. One wishes this fascinating sector had been longer. 2) Chapter 15 takes us to, if not down, the slippery slope of the JFK assassination and the Mob's involvement with that treacherous act. Did Trafficante REALLY confess his role in the JFK murder to his lawyer? Deitche suggests so. Or, as the author also hints, was Carlos Marcello, Mafia boss of New Orleans, behind the JFK hit? Marcello controlled Dallas in those days. Perhaps it was that eponymous bunch of "rogue" CIA agents harboring grudges from the Bay of Pigs fiasco? Again, one wishes for more concrete evidence, however fascinating the speculation. The final call on SD makes a 5 star rating impossible. Deitche would have served his readers better had he narrowed the scope of the text rather than covering so many of ST's criminal activities. Also, the typesetting is wearying: Paragraphs need to be better spaced. Physical layout is a problem here and the footnoting is awkward. Do we need 536 of them in a 229 page book? A good stern editor with a sharp blue pencil could have tidied up the text, but those guys were laid off years ago! That kvetching aside, SD remains an entertaining 4 star story. This is only a first edition; perhaps future printings can address the housekeeping issues. That might nudge "Silent Don" up into the 5 star category.



3. certainly worth reading if you like digging a bit deeper into the Mafia literature. Trafficante usually figures as a minor character in other books, so I was glad to learn more about him. I wouldn't call this a great read, though. There are a number of references to "Mob Lawyer," Selwynn Raab's biography of Ragano, Trafficante's lawyer. Haven't read that yet, but have read Raab's "Five Families," which I can highly recommend as being very well-written & informative. Most bothersome to me about "Silent Don" was the index - the page references were off on every single entry - and I checked dozens. There was some regularity to the discrepancy, but it was a real pain to work around.



4. For those who don't know, Santo Trafficante, Jr., was the Mob boss of the Tampa, Florida area from at least the late 50s to his death in the 1980s, and he may have had some sort of connection with JFK's assassination. Scott Deitche does a marvelous job of giving us his background and details about his life, as well as other incidents in the Tampa crime family during his reign.
   
   Deitche's second book is very impressive. He has shown tremendous growth and uses a wealth of primary sources, including oral interviews of living relatives of deceased mobsters. For the researcher, the endnotes are greatly appreciated. As far as writing style, it's almost academic compared to the informal style of his first book. So if you want to know what went on in the field of Florida organized crime in the second half of the twentieth century, this is the book for you. If you are just interested in true crime, this is also for you. And for those interested in Tampa or Florida history, I think you will enjoy it too.



5. First, this book is very well written compared to "Cigar City Mafia" which was also informative but was hard to read due to writing style. This one provided much info in an area where I grew up so I found it fascinating.

5 comments about The General: Irish Mob Boss.

1. i highly recommend the book.the author gives us a rare insight into not only his most succesful hiests($-wise).he describes cahill lesser known crimes also which provides the motive & method,being that the most enjoyable aspect is not the climax of a hiest but it's the PROCESS from start(PLANNING)to the finish (GETTING AWAY & UNPENATRABLE ALIBI).cahill is unconventualable in all aspects of his life,marriage,lifestyle,work(M.O.),etc. which keeps the law from anticipating his next move.the police incomptency is what made cahill a CRIMINAL MASTERMIND.funny,intriuing,inciteful are just a few descriptions that make the book enjoyable.



2. The General was a great read. It did Martin Cahill justice which is the only time he probably got any. Williams showed us the Cahill that only those close to him saw. A real eye opener. Thank you, Mr. Williams.



3. Martin Cahill, a/k/a "The General," was perhaps Ireland's most notorious gangster, a genius criminal who stole millions (in artwork, jewelry and cash) right out from under the noses of the Garda S?och?na(Irish Police.)
   
   Paul Williams, quite adeptly, tells the humorous but ultimately tragic tale of a remorseless thief with a penchant for rather unorthodox sexual activity (he lived and fathered children with both his wife and her sister.) Like the best (or worst) gangsters and criminals memorialized in books and movies, The General's daring, outrageous behavior and wit made him a charming and sometimes even sympathetic subject. But, Williams walks the line between glorifying Cahill and showing him for what he really was, a thief whose sins caught up with him.



4. Paul Williams writes about the life of Martin "the General" Cahill in a way that almost makes Cahill lovable, a late-20th century Robin Hood almost, yet is able to balance this image (that Cahill himself tried to propagate) with the fact that he was a career criminal, even to the point that he would report regularly to receive the dole while making millions illegally. Williams writes of what is known that Cahill did, what Cahill was accused of doing, what Cahill said that he did and was, and what Dubliners said that he did and was. Williams was a reporter throughout the career of the General, and so presents a journalistic tale of Martin Cahill's life that is really a captivating read.



5. I have seen the movie and i think it's great but reading the book was totally different. In the book you get to see the two sides of the notorious Martin Cahill. Some people thought he was the modern robbinhood, and others a dangerous criminal. Paul Williams brilliantly gives you the inside story in it's true form, excellent book.