4 comments about Il Dottore: The Double Life of a Mafia Doctor.

1. Over the past 10 years, i have referred hundred of patients to "Elliot". He is an excellent cardiac surgeon and 5 years ago performed a five vessel bypass on me. And I am not even Italian. On a holiday no less 3 months after 911.
   Had I had my coronary arteries "cauterized " mentioned twice on page 230, I would not be in good shape. Catheterized is what is meant. Also, Simon Dack at Mt Sinai was not a surgeon. He was a cardiologist and actually the founder of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology"
   
   Reading the book is a bit like looking into a bowl of spaghetti in which each strand has a name. A tangleled web of Italian names intermingled and many slurped away eventually by the fork and spoon of Rudy. Would have liked more on Il Dottore and less on Mafia. I am surprised the book is not yet a movie.



2. Although I strongly disagree with Mr. Felber's characterization of the American Mafia, I must admit this was an interesting story. It is also an intriguing look at man's constant struggle with good and evil, through the lens of a supposed true story. If everyone where completely honest with themselves, we would have to admit to similar struggles in our lives, although certainly not at the level Dr. Litner encountered/embraced.
   
   The bottom line is that the American Mafia is no different from the cowardly criminal street gangs popular in South Central LA or other parts of the country. So if you can get past Mr. Felber's unabashed apologetics on behalf of these thugs (I did, despite my low opinion of them), you will enjoy an overall good read.



3. Il Dottore: The Double Life Of A Mafia Doctor by author and biographyer Ron Felber is the startlingly true story of a physician at Mount Sinai Hospital who provided health care services for Mafia kingpins including John Gotti and Joseph Bonanno. By day, he pursued a flourishing career as a respected cardiac surgeon; by night, he was a gambling and sex addict, drawn ever deeper into the high-stakes world of organized crime. His double life came to a head-on conflict in the mid 1980's when the government's star witness, Ralph Scopo, lay on the operating table. Directed by John Gotti to "make sure that only one of you comes out of the operating room breathing" on one hand, yet threatened with ruin by mayor Giuliani on the other, he had to make the choice of a lifetime between loyalty to La Cosa Nostra and adherence to the Hippocratic Oath. An exciting and suspenseful true story, more enthralling than fiction.



4. I've read a lot about the mafia, but reading Il Dottore by Ron Felber is like eating popcorn at a movie theater, you just can't stop. Elliot Litner's (Il Dottore) life is a roller coaster ride through a time when giants walked the streets of NYC: John Gotti, Carlo Gambino, Joe bonanno, Rudy Giuliani. The gang's all here, and they've never looked better.

No comments about The Man Who Didn't Fit In: How Canada's Most Wanted Outlaw Began His Life of Crime.

4 comments about Crash Out: The True Tale of a Hell's Kitchen Kid and the Bloodiest Escape in Sing Sing History.

1. Every April I Was At The Ceremony Near The Front Gate For CO Hartye And PO Fagan. Days I Worked From 1984 To 1999, My 15 Years As A CO At Sing Sing. The Book Was Excellent. I Knew Well The Authors Brother Ken, He Was A Sargeant When I First Arrived And An LT, The W/C or SS 9 When I Left. He Used To Call Me Flanagan And Was A Top Notch Guy. The Story Of The Background Of The Shopping Bag Gang, How It Was In The City, Just The Plain History Of It Kept Me Glued To This One. Having Been A Part Of The Facility For Such A Long Time And Being Able To Picture This All Helped Alot Too. If You've Ever Been A CO This Is A Must.



2. This book tells the tragic story of Whitey Riordan who was executed for murder after a murderous breakout from Sing Sing Prison in 1941, this book contends that he was not a killer and l agree with it. However the book is more than that it is a well researched and written historical book that brings to back to life for the reader a time, place and people and tells their story.
   
   The book is divided into three parts, part one tells the story of the lives of Whitey and the Shopping Bag Gang and gives a good overall perspective of life in Hells Kitchen of New York in the early 20th century. It even delves back to the history of the area pre Hells Kitchen to colonial times, with running streams and meadows and later farms. Whitey's family like many endured hard times and did as best as they could to survive. Whitey's gradual descent into a life of crime is well documented as are the lives of his fellow criminals.
   
   Part two deals with Whiteys time in Sing Sing prison and contains some details of the day to day operations of the jail and its interaction with the town of Ossining where it is located. Some history of Sing Sing prison, including the reforms of Warden Lawes is also described. It was a tough place to survive and prison staff were liable to deliver a boot or a fist to keep order. Also described is the pre breakout time and the planning and circumstances that gave rise to the break out.
   
   Part three deals with the breakout and what a botched, bloody and pointless breakout it was, innocent, decent people killed and one escapee killed though his own stupidity and the other two caught within 24 hours. This is a well written informative book and is ideal for the true crime history fan.



3. Author David Goewey has given us a detailed account of members of the so-called Shopping Bag Gang that prowled the Hell's Kitchen area on the west side of Manhattan during the 1930's. The book is divided into three sections. The first section is devoted to the heyday of the Shopping Bag gang and their antics. Part two tells us about the environment of Sing Sing prison under the revolutionary rule under Warden Lewis Lawes who was often accused of running a prison focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Lawes lasted longer than any other warden of the institution (over 20 years) and had his watch marred by this one breakout in 1941 which unfortunately killed two guards. Part three is devoted to the escape, capture, and execution of two members involved in the escape. I found part three to be especially riviting to read and very well done. Prisoners often feared the sound of bloodhounds coming after them and what the dogs would do to them when confrontations arose. In reality the dogs would playfully jump on the individual, slobber their faces with their tongue, and wag their tail. Mention of how the term "third degree" came into use is told when people applying for a higher position in the Masons would face severe questioning by other members. This, in turn, was applied to suspects, or in this case by escaped convicts, who were often physically beaten by authorities to extract confessions. I did find a minor error on page 188 which is really unrelated to the story. The author mentions the Washington Senators beating the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game. The Baltimore Orioles didn't join the major leagues until 1954 when they moved from St. Louis. The game the author refers to had to be Washington defeating the St. Louis Browns, not the Baltimore Orioles. Despite this the book rates a strong five stars.



4. I loved this book. It is a gripping tale and Goeway does a great job of telling the story.He captures the desperation of the prisoners at the same time that he manages to evoke an important period in American history. Thank you, David Goeway!

4 comments about Paper Fan: The Hunt for Triad Gangster Steven Wong.

1. This book needed a strong editor. We get too much of the writer's thoughts, his interaction with people, and his supposedly brilliant investigative work. Information that should be summarized in a paragraph become pages long. Cut the fat and stick to the story: why is Steven so dangerous, what crimes did he commit, how did he escape, where is he now?
   
   If you need to know more about Asian crime, I guess you should buy this. Otherwise, there are much better books.



2. While I found the subject matter of this book fascinating, I was disgusted with the man who wrote it. Written with cockiness, subtle racist ovetones and overall bad attitude, he made the book almost unreadable. He is constantly building himself up as some kind of tough guy who is smarter than the criminals who he bashes in this book. If he's so smart how come he still hasn't found Steven Wong? It is clear that deep down he wants desperatly to be like these gangsters, he just doesn't have the guts. He acts like he launched this whole campaign on a moral level, but really it's all about a story and fame for Terry Gould. He is a coward. What I found especially offensive was his depiction of Asian women. My wife is Asian so I was personally offended. He constantly feeds into the stereotype that all Asian women are prostitutes, referring to the gangsters' girls as "tarts" and describing the poor Filipino girls who approached him as "a plague". Clearly this guy has no concept of what it's like to grow up with nothing, having to do things you'd rather not do to survive. He tells his pathetic sob story of how he got beat up once, his mother's friend was raped and he was a witness to violence as a kid. Boo hoo. I used to get beat up every day until I decided to start fighting back like a man. I know plenty of people who've been through all those terrible things and more. Terry Gould is a typical cocky New Yorker who thinks he's better than everyone. In reality, he is a scared, cowardly wannabe-gangster, wannabe-cop and worst of all a wannabe-snitch. I hope he never finds Steven Wong, rather I hope Wong and his friends find him.



3. Terry Gould came to my school and discuss his book and the gave us in insight of the Triads and Kwan Kung. Just as he did when he came to the school, his book gives great information of how the Triads were created and why they chose the God Kwan Kung. Many more intresting facts he provides in his book. It is intresting and difficult to put down.



4. While Steven Wong the Triad Gangster rose through the ranks in Vancouver's Gangland, I was a Vancouver cop who had many dealings with him. I probably knew Wong, and of his activities, more so than anyone in the Vancouver Police Department, other than a handfull of other cops who might be inclined to say the same thing. I was a cop who used Wong to my own end, while Wong used me to his. I still don't know who, if anyone, came out on top.
   Due to my personal knowledge of Wong and his Red Eagles, his rivals the Viet Ching, Jung Ching and Lotus Gangs, plus their victims etc., I feel competant to say, "In writing Paper Fan, Terry Gould did an excellent job describing Wong and the events of the day." Terry knows his stuff, and he tells his story extremely well. It is not often one can learn such an immense amount of true information while at the same time be entertained. The book reads like a novel.

1 comments about FBI, CIA, the Mob, and Treachery.

1. this book should shake lethargic Americans right out of their lethargy, from coast to coast. Hey, we have a drug problem -- here is evidence that it's the CIA that's been importing the drugs and/or covering it all up for decades. Our police and government agencies are going after the little guys -- dealing in hundreds of dollars. Meanwhile, the real drug abusers, sellers, and launderers are making millions and going scot free. One man, Richard Taus, learned about it and attempted to get something done. They have stashed him away in Dannemora Prison for eighty years to keep his story away from YOU... PLEASE -- read this book!

5 comments about Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father's Counterfeit Life.

1. It shows the reality of the depression and how americans were never the richest nation. It reminds us of our roots as well as a warning message about our values while it is also often humorous.



2. A brilliant book that captures the essence that both good and evil exist in a single person. A criminal and con-artist who is an enemy to victims is a loving father and husband away from that life. It has the same complexity of character that Rikki Lee Travolta used to dissect the actor's life as both nepotistic and self-aggrandizing but counterbalanced with fear and insecurity in his book "My Fractured Life." Jennifer Vogel's dissection of the real man behind the conman is just as moving and equally as poignant. A highly recommended book.



3. Gorgeously written, highly compelling. Jennifer Vogel is a deeply complex woman who understood her deeply complex father in a mystical way. This book is riveting. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. One of the best memoirs I've ever read, right up there with ANGELA'S ASHES and CHANGE ME INTO ZEUS' DAUGHTER.



4. What I thought would be a kind of cute, whimsical tale about a lovable rogue and his gifted but troubled daughter turned out to be the most compelling story I've ever read about the complex and often conflicted relationships between parents and children. The author is an extremely talented writer who is not the least bit afraid of exploring those internal areas that are sometimes better off ignored. I laud her for sharing so much of herself and her family, and only hope that writing this book was as cathartic for her as reading it was for me. It is rare that a book has such a profound effect on me, but this one blew me away.



5. Jennifer Vogel's dad was not like other dads. Sure he loved Jennifer and her siblings, remembered birthdays, took them fishing and on vacations. But John Vogel was a criminal, a conman and a crook. In FLIM-FLAM MAN Jennifer Vogel shares the story of her complicated relationship with her father --- his life of crime and secrecy, his affection for her and his bloody death at the end of a police chase almost a decade ago.

   Estranged from her father for years when he died, Vogel's guilt and sadness fuel this memoir. And so does her love for him and her understanding of his outlaw ways. She tries to get closer to him by examining his childhood (his father was absent and his mother emotionally distant) and his other relationships. Still, this is not a family history in the traditional sense. Vogel gives the reader sketches, impressions of her family more so than details and facts. The result is emotional, fascinating and quite personal.

   Vogel's parents divorced when she was a child. Her mother, left to raise three children alone, was the disciplinarian. Her father's mystique grew. The children spent summers with him, driving in his fancy Cadillacs, spending time at his cabin, entertaining guests and having fun. But over the years Vogel pieced together truths about her father. Her mother told her early on that he was delinquent in his child support. To Vogel, his gifts and personality seemed to make up for this somehow. Yet how was she to balance out his other crimes such as arson? And how was she to make sense of the fact that her father had served prison time as a young man for a violent crime? Or what about his justification to rob a corporate retail chain for sociopolitical reasons by creating and passing counterfeit money? Or the armed bank robberies? How could his rap sheet sum up the creative and eccentric man she knew and loved?

   It is not just Vogel's father's faults that are laid bare. Jennifer Vogel exposes herself as well. Despite his shortcomings, or perhaps because of them, Vogel felt a propinquity with her father's life of crime; she understood the need to subvert the system and had a distrust of authority. She eventually channels those tendencies in a way her father was never able to, and as she grew up she steered clear of the choices and mistakes her father made.

   Moving between childhood scenes and 1995, the year her father was on the run from the FBI and Federal Marshals, Vogel tells the tale of her family with honesty and even humor. At first glance this appears to be a family unlike most, but she proves they share much in common with families across America. FLIM-FLAM MAN is the poignant story of a challenging father-daughter relationship. It is also about the struggle for the American dream: in John Vogel there was a not uncommon sense of alienation coupled with the not uncommon sense of entitlement. Here we read about a man who makes disastrous and dangerous choices his entire life, yet is also a loving and charming father. It is easy to understand why Vogel is so conflicted about him.

   This is not exactly a book about forgiveness or recovery or anything quite as simple as that. Jennifer Vogel's short book is emotionally complicated but a joy to read. Both the joy and the complication seems a fitting tribute to the man presented in its pages: a loving and lovable father, and a career criminal. FLIM-FLAM MAN is a moving, interesting and highly recommended debut.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

No comments about My id ... Ignant & Dissfunkshunal!: Life in the Yahweh Cult and the Witness Protection Program.

No comments about Seven Versions of an Australian Badland.

1 comments about The Death of Old Man Rice: A True Story of Criminal Justice in America.

1. just see how the crimal justice system doesnt work unless you've got a ton of money and can buy your way out this guy had to pay a price...death.

5 comments about Accardo: The Genuine Godfather.

1. This book was much better than i first assumed it would be. Tony Accardo's exploits are well documented from early in his mob career all the way to his death. But Roemer,the author, tends to get in the way a little bit. He is the FBI agent that was after this guy, so he was fully aware of the vicious nature of Accardo and the Outfit as a whole. Yet he talks about Accardo as if he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Far too much praising of Accardo and self-promotion for my taste. But that aside, there isn't a boring moment in this book. It also clearly shows that Chicago held more power than all the east coast families combined. Overall, a very good read, if you can put up with the author.



2. Retired FBI Agent William Roemer (1926-1996) takes an interesting look at one of Chicago's most infamous mob bosses. Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo (1906-1992) was a player in the syndicate from the prohibition-era 1920's until his death more than six decades later. Once complimented as "a real Joe Batters" by Al Capone for having killed another mobster with a baseball bat, Accardo had a mix of toughness, brains, and closed-mouthed brawn. As the author shows, these characteristics helped him rise through the syndicate ranks and avoid the downfalls (imprisonment, early death) of many associates. Accardo ran or helped rule the Chicago syndicate as boss, consiglieri, and finally as elder statesman. Readers also get a look at the Chicago mob and its many sources of illegal activities. The author regards his subject with a mix of distaste and respect, as did so many others in and out of law enforcement.
   
   Roemer's books are very readable, but they suffer from a few doubtful claims and flirtations with the facts, not to mention some self-boasting by the author. Still, his easy-reading narratives on the Chicago mob are worth a look.



3. Incredible. Here we have a retired FBI agent writing about a thug who he claims is the best godfather ever. He writes so admiringly about Tony Accardo that I really believe he wanted to give Joe Batters a foot massage, back rub and ticker-tape parade. I had to put the book down before I puked. True, the writer covers a lot of ground in his homage to this killer-thug and parasite, but it's all wasted by his glorification of a criminal.



4. I find it amusing that every gangster biographer wants to elevate his subject to the level of being the most important figure ever in the history or organized crime. But one would expect a certain level of objectivity from a former FBI agent, even one who self-promoted himself for years as Chicago's number one Mob-buster. Roemer's admiration for adversary Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo is understandable in a way. Clearly one of the most untouchable mobsters of all time (though it is not true that he never spent a night in jail), Accardo's seventy year criminal career with no standing convictions shows he was no dumb hood. All the same, Roemer goes out of his way to inject Accardo into everything that ever happened in Chicago. His account of the Prohibition years is so far off the mark it's hilarious. He has Tony Accardo saving Capone from Hymie Weiss in the Hawthorne attack, which contemporary accounts credit to Frank Rio. He places Tony in New York with Jack McGurn, Anselmi and Scalise, and "a guy named Rio Burke" as the hitters of Frankie Yale in that city's first Tommygun killing. Strange, as I met the late Rio Burke and SHE never once mentioned handling a machine gun though she was a friend of Al Capone. Tony, McGurn, Anselmi and Scalise and "possibly Fred Burke" (in whose Michigan hideout the machine guns were found) are claimed to have been the St. Valentine's Day Massacre gunmen, on the basis of some bugged conversations Roemer claims to have heard years later and vaguely alludes to. More credible suspects, such as Gus Winkeler, who later ran Moran's former North Side territory for Capone and was highly publicized in the early Thirties, and Raymond "Crane-Neck" Nugent, who was once arrested at Capone's Miami estate, are dismissed as insignificant nobodies on the bare fringe of the Capone mob. Roemer goes on to have Accardo accompany Capone to the famous Atlantic City Mob convention, again at the expense of number one bodyguard Frank Rio, and conveniently oversteps the Philadelphia arrest and conviction of Capone and RIO by moving the meeting ahead one year to 1930. I find it amazing that a guy like Roemer could spend all that time investigating the Chicago Mob and display such little knowledge of its early years. No wonder the FBI took so long in catching up with organized crime! Roemer should have either stuck with the Fifties/Sixties time-frame he knew firsthand or else done some competent research on the pre-World War II era. As for the claim that Accardo had "more brains before breakfast than Al Capone had all day," well, like I said earlier, Tony's successful life in crime is impressive, and owes much to his low-key style but one doesn't need to distort history to emphasize this. And, when it all comes down to it, Capone was the guy who built the Chicago Mob and the guy who brought Accardo up through the ranks as well. Successful as he was, Tony was only following in Al's footsteps like so many others.



5. Finally there is a book about the man that was the driving force behind the Chicago Outfit.While Sam Giancana has the fame and if often credited as being the Outfit's boss in the 60's, little is there any mention of the man who put him there.This is a great overall book with plenty of history on the man who the law couldn't lay a hand on.If ever there was a "successful gangster" it was Accardo, and this book explains why.This is also a great book to famialize yourself with Chicago's major organized players from Al Capone down to Joe "The Clown" Lombardo.