Customer Reviews

American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power (John MacRae Books)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I feel the same way about "American Mafia : A History of Its Rise to Power" as I did about Reppetto's other book "NYPD" (co-authored by James Lardner): while I found it interesting and well-written, I felt that it left too many gaps and that some of the areas covered were not covered enough. And like NYPD, the book seemed more like a collection of mob anecdotes than an investigation into the "History of Its Rise to Power". Reppetto is to be admired for trying to tackle such a long history, and to be fair, much of it is told in an engaging style. But it seems like too broad a subject, for any writer.

Perhaps if he had just focused on the early mob history, or the history of its real organizing in the 30s and 40s, or the history of its bold, brash decades of the 50s and 60s, he would have forced himself to be more focused and selective. Instead, the book feels watered down. On a positive note, as the other reviewers have mentioned, there is no glamorizing these criminals. They are often portrayed as the vicious and psychopathic parasites they were. The key role that Prohibition played is the strong point of this book, and Reppetto does a fantastic job on discussing that.

One last note, this book, like others, fails to emphasize one thing: the Italians did not invent organized crime. The New York neighborhood known as the Five Points was rife with gangs of Irish immigrants, and they, like the mob, worked hand-in-hand with the politicians and judges that were owned by the Democratic political machine known as Tammany Hall. Later, a generation of Jewish immigrants, with names like Zelig, Buchalter, and Rothstein would dominate the crime scene. Reppetto does an okay job of covering these issues, something other mob "historians" neglect. But the reasons WHY the Italian mob became so famous is sort of glossed over. Besides their extreme viciousness, there are two reasons that made the Italian crime world so famous that people think it was the only criminal organization: (1) it existed during an era of mass communication, like movies and radio, so their every atrocity was announced nationwide and it provided fascinating characters for movies; and (2) because it existed in a world of expanding personal communications (i.e., telephones) they could conduct their "business" more effectively and instantly, and keep things organized. Perhaps if Reppetto were to focus just on these elements of the Mafia, we would really have a true look at its rise to power.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

For anyone wishing an introduction to Mafia history in the United States this book is an excellent primer. Reppetto traces the rise of the American Mafia from late 19th century New Orleans to the heyday, just before the U.S. government started paying organized crime their due in attention and resources in the early '60's.
We are introduced to various luminaries of the underworld, their crimes and their fates (not surprisingly usually a violent death, exile or a prison cell). Reppetto's section on Lucky Luciano is particularly good.
Readers already familiar with the Mafia will find little new here. The book certainly doesn't rival Gus Russo's seminal book from 2002, "The Outfit" which provides far more depth, representing infinitely more research and scholarship.
Reppetto is unflinching in his exposure of police corruption in U.S. cities far and wide, but fails to put organized crime in its proper place within the tangled web they weaved within corporate America and the government. He also portrays far too flattering a portrait of J. Edgar Hoover, glossing over his motives for not pursuing the Mafia more aggressively.
It is as an intro to the Mafia for new readers that I give "American Mafia..." four stars, assuming they to be the book's primary audience. Those more familiar with the Mafia should be directed to Russo's book and others such as ones on Al Capone, Sam Giancanna, Meyer Lanksy and Arnold Rothstein.

Author Thomas Reppetto has provided us with an interesting history on the rise of the mafia in America, and the reasons for its demise from its once lofty perch. The man behind its beginnings was Johnny Torrio who transferred his operations from New York to Chicago in the early 1920's. The book concentrates mainly on the New York and Chicago areas, but does include Las Vegas and other areas as well. Certain thugs were removed from the scene due to various reasons such as Jim Colosimo who didn't adjust to the times (prohibition), Dion O'Bannion due to cheating on a business deal, Al Capone and Owney Madden due to bad publicity, Dutch Schultz due to reckless behavior, and others due to various mistakes such as maintaining a high profile. J. Edgar Hoover of the F.B.I. ignored any investigation of the mafia. Instead he concentrated on two bit hoodlums such as "Pretty Boy" Floyd, "Baby Face" Nelson, and John Dillinger who robbed banks during the 1930's. The first half of the 20th century saw the rise of the mafia while the second half of the century saw its fall. The Kefauver Committee began investigating organized crime in 1950 and the advent of television in urban areas brought interviews with mobsters such as Frank Costello to the forefront of the public. Although mobsters can find new fields in which to operate, today's organized crime is a shadow of what it once was. This book brings the names of the infamous back to life from the time of the beginnings of the 1920's through the removal of the New York mobsters in the 1980's. Even if you are familiar with the names of Luciano, Rothstein, Genovese, Giancana, and others you will find this a very interesting book to read. I would highly recommend it to you.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. Part of the strength of the book is also its weakness. Thomas Reppetto is a former detective, and brings in a law enforcement perspective to the history that a jounalist or historian probably couldn't achieve. The result is more insiders view of the various investigations into mob activity, and also the surprisingly strong relationship the American mafia had with local police departments and politicians. The downside is that the writing loses its focus for me at times, and I found it hard to keep track of the rather large cast of characters in the book from the way Reppetto tells his various storys.

Reppetto is a pretty engaging story teller, and the history is more a series of tales woven together over several decades. That may not qualify this book as a definitive history, but it is an enjoyable read.

This book is a very good introduction to the history of the Mafia in America. The bibliography and notes are extensive and impressive and the reader can be assured that the author knows his subject extremely well. A large chunk of the book is devoted to New York City but there is pages devoted to New Orleans, the Mafia in Hollywood, Chicago, and Detroit etc. A lot of material is covered in this book and some areas are only briefly explored but there are plenty of other books out there for the readers to delve further into areas that interest them.

The early years of the Italian Gangs in New York around 1899-1920 is covered well if it is brief, the ruthless, violent activities of Morello and Lupo the wolf and their sinister stable are explored and how the Police tried to crack down on these gangs. Lupo ends up spending plenty of years in jail (poor Lupo!).

The early years of the rise to power of the Mob in Chicago and New York is explained well, we are introduced to criminals like Johnny Torrio, who brilliantly exploited prohibition and set up the Mob in Chicago. The genesis of the New York Mob is also explained although the book tends to jump around at times as it tries to link people and events. Readers need to be patient as the author has sound logic for these jumps and it makes sense in the finish.

The book also deals with the mob fighters and racket breakers such as the competent and honest Chicago detective William Shoemaker, of course Eliot Ness and a special mention to the fearless and very able Elmer Irey the Dept of Treasury Intelligence Chief.

The mobs golden years from the 1920's to the 1970's are unrolled before the reader as the Mob seems to defy any effort to weaken it or shut it down. The criminal careers of Luciano, Costello, Genovese, Anastasia, Adonis and co along with many lesser players all get a mention. This book is by no means an extensive account more a brief overview, but it is a good start for any true crime buff and provides plenty of information and sources for the reader to explore further.

For anybody who wishes to explore deeper l suggest the excellent book "The Mob, 200 years of Organized Crime in New York' by Virgil Petersen, it is very dry but of full information about the Five point Gangs, Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed and of course the Mafia.

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This was a gift for someone who loved it and put it with their collection of American history

Readers interested in this genre should have this book in their collection. Rita Schiano, author "Painting The Invisible Man" Painting the Invisible Man

In this day and age, after all the books that have been written on the mafia, if you're going to attempt one you should at least have an interesting perspective. This book is flimsy, superficial and dull. Rarely has criminal activity seemed so boring. Try to read it along with "Five Families" by Selwynn Raab and you'll outsleep Rip Van Winkle.

Thomas Reppetto's American Mafia traces the rise of the Mob from the late 19th century to the 1950's Kefauver Hearings. According to Reppetto, the American Mafia didn't invent organized crime, but dominated because it was "tougher, smarter, and more daring" than rival gangs and the police.

At the dawn of 20th century the mob was nothing more than a few scattered Sicilian gangs in isolated city neighborhoods. When prohibition came along new opportunities arose. Bootlegging, with its huge profits, made the mob. By the time of the Depression, these once small gangs had consilidated their power, controlling cities and entire states. In the post-war years the mob emerged as a powerful national organization.

It's a familiar story with the standard rogue's gallery: Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and many others. Reppetto covers all the milestones, from the free-wheeling days of prohibition, to the penetration of labor unions and Hollywood in the 1930's, and on to the creation of modern Las Vegas in the 1940's.

Reppeto argues that the Mafia was a product of American society, "Particularly corrupt local politics." He points out that the mob was neither ethnically exclusive, consisting of Jews like Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky, and not as tightly controlled as some would believe. There was no top man in the mob. Instead, the Mafia is a loose association of regional organizations.

Men of Italian descent did dominate the syndicate, however. This is because they generally had a more business-like outlook, displaying exceptional organizational skills, and ruthless business instincts. They "built the mob along corporate lines," writes Reppetto.

He is also quick to note that the secret to the rise of the Mafia was its alliances with corrupt politicians. Starting with control of local ward officals, the mob eventually created a network of political influence that stretched all the way into the Truman White House.

American Mafia is an excellent introduction to the history of organized crime. It is well written and well paced. Reppetto has a light touch and easily jumps from one era to another with colorful portraits of the major players. Those familiar with the subject will find nothing new here. But, I highly recoommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about organized crime in America.