American Gangster: And Other Tales of New York [Paperback]

Mark Jacobson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2007

In the 1970s, Frank Lucas was the king of the Harlem drug trade, bringing in over a million dollars a day. So many heroin addicts were buying from him on 116th Street that he claimed the Transit Authority changed the bus routes to avoid them. He lived a glamorous life, hobnobbing with athletes, musicians, and politicians, but Lucas was a ruthless gangster. He was notorious for using the coffins of dead GIs to smuggle heroin into the United States and, before being sentenced to seventy years in prison, he played a major role in the near death of New York City. InAmerican Gangster, Mark Jacobson's captivating account of the life of Frank Lucas (the basis for the forthcoming major motion picture) joins other tales of New York City from the past thirty years. The collection features a number of Jacobson's most famous essays, as well as previous unpublished work and recent articles on 9/11 conspiracy theorists, America's #1 escort, and Harlem's own Charles Rangel, the new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.American Gangsteris a vibrant, many-layered portrait of the most fascinating city in the world, by one of the most acclaimed journalists of our time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mark Jacobson is a living American Master. Read him and smile on your way to enlightenment." --Michael Daly, columnist, New York Daily News --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

MARK JACOBSON has been a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Esquire, and New York. He is the author of 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: A Semi-Dysfunctional Family Circumnavigates the Globe, Teenage Hipster in the Modern World, and the novels Gojiro and Everyone and No One. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; First Edition edition (October 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802143369
• ISBN-13: 978-0802143365
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wrong title, July 5, 2009

By 

Rjm Theunens (Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Gangster: And Other Tales of New York (Paperback)

The title of this book is misleading. Instead of "American Gangster: and other tales of New York", it should be "Tales of New York, and American Gangster". The story on Frank Lucas is rather short and superficial, even though it appears that the author was in a position to write a much more compelling story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bait and switch..., March 7, 2009

By 

Byngster "Norrdeke" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Gangster and Other Tales of New York (Audio CD)

I guess I was mistaken to assume that the body of this book would be about gangsters. I did read 'and other tales of New York' on the cover but 15% Lucas the drug kingpin and 85% 'tales'? The homage to Charlie Rangel and the 911 'truthers' were a bit much for a reader looking for an insight into the world of a real gangster(Rangel???). I feel shammed. I also noticed that the author chided Lucas for not owning up to the misery his drugs caused others, yet admitted to smoking drugs with the dealer during the interview. Sophist? They already have my money-save yours...

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Wide Variety of Off-Beat Characters, November 16, 2007

By 

T. Karr "mild-mannered accountant" (MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Gangster: And Other Tales of New York (Paperback)

"American Gangster" is a collection of Mark Jacobson articles depicting off-beat New York City characters. I bought this book because I wanted to know the "facts" about Frank Lucas, the subject of the "American Gangster" movie.

The Frank Lucas article, like many of the articles in this collection, focuses on describing and illustrating the character rather than giving a great number of facts. Frank Lucas from the article is more self-centered, conniving and crude than the slick Hollywood movie version.

The articles cover a wide variety of characters from the clientele of a cigar shop to 9/11 conspiracy theorists to the owner of a high-dollar escort service. Some of the characters are less than savory and some of them were not very interesting to me.

With the broad range of subjects presented in "American Gangster" there is a good chance there will be something of interest to just about any reader. There is also a good chance the reader will come across a few articles they would rather skip.