Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams (Hardcover)

by Rich Cohen (Author) "THEY ARRIVE IN German and Italian sports cars..." (more)
Key Phrases: espresso drinker, kill car, dead gangster, New York, Meyer Lansky, Abe Reles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
When we think gangster, hood, or wiseguy, we often associate these characters with such names as Capone, Luciano, or even Corleone. However, when organized crime reared its ugly head in the late 1920s in Brooklyn, at the foundation were men like Meyer Lansky and Ben Siegel--both Jews. Rich Cohen's romantic account of Jewish gangsters, Tough Jews, brings to life the story of Jewish involvement in the world of organized crime.

Cohen persuasively achieves his objective by recounting the stories he heard from his father, who grew up with his friends (including broadcaster Larry King) at the end of the gangster era in Brooklyn, finding heroes in men like "Kid Twist" Reles and Bugsy Goldstein. The intriguing tales Cohen heard, although slightly embellished over time, offer a rare glimpse into a world that can barely be related to today's generation of Jews living in America. These Jews went to prison for committing violent felonies, not white-collar crimes, and got the chair for it. Inspired by their stories, Cohen went on to conduct extensive research through old journals, police records, and court reports to uncover the real stories behind the tales he heard as a boy.

Cohen warmly discusses his father's fascination with these powerful, charismatic figures, and openly envies his experiences at a time before Jewish people lived under the debilitating shadow of the Holocaust. In addition, Cohen shows compassion for the need of his father's generation to look up to "someone who gives them the illusion of strength." --Jeremy Storey

From Library Journal
Journalist Cohen on Jewish organized crime in 20th-century America.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (April 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684831155
• ISBN-13: 978-0684831152
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #636,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great history, not great human interest, April 26, 2005

By	D. Greenberg (Suwanee, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Tough Jews : Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams (Paperback)

The book does what the title implies. It sheds light on an often neglected aspect of the Jewish-American immigrant story and shows early 20th century mobster culture was much more inclusive than it is often portrayed.
The author tries to create the background by paying homageto his dad and his friends (great pictures of a young Larry King with normal shoulders), law abiding aggressive business men who grew up with the legends of Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky, emulating them like kids playing army. But in the end, the metaphor falls flat. The gangsters had no more impact on how their lives turned out than did their Brooklyn Dodger heroes.
The writing style often diverges into a very personal, chatty conversational style, an off-stage commentary on the historical goings-on. A little too colloquial for the subject matter, the asides were like a fleeting stomach ache amidst a great meal.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great stories badly told., January 21, 2000

By	Alexander C. Meske (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tough Jews : Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams (Paperback)

_Tough_Jews_, an apocryphal account of the Jewish gangsters based in Brooklyn in the 20's and 30's is an entertaining piece of light reading and a fascinating glimpse into the rationalization process.

This could best be described as a cathartic history of Jewish gangsters. Cohen's frequent fawning over the Brooklyn mob of old, to tell you the truth, could be quite ridiculous. His adulation of Murder Inc. often spilled over into out and out hero worship. The author's frequent rationalizations for his adoration, however, are rather interesting for understanding the glamour of current-day gangs in poor neighborhoods.

I completely fail to understand the reason for the last chapter, which boils down the author telling the reader, "My dad can beat up your dad," and, "I know Larry King." The even less substantive epilogue does nothing aside from defend the validity of the work.

However, despite the scattershot, intrusive method of the author, the stories do themselves justice. The characters, history and anecdotes of the gangsters were a fun, light read.

This book is not designed for any significantly deep understanding of either criminals or criminology. I suppose it could be best described as a combination of "Dick and Jane" primer to the true crime genre and a bizarre, misguided attempt at inspirational literature for people not happy about being Jewish. I recommend either buying it in paperback form or just borrowing it from the library, as it is worth one read, but no more.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thought-Provoking, Enjoyable, Uneven Read, August 21, 1999

By A Customer

Cohen's personalization of the subject makes the book's flaws easier to bear. I enjoyed his insights and deep emotional connection to the infamous characters whose exploits he describes.

Sometimes, Cohen's writing is just short of poetry, with beautiful passages challenging the reader to think deeply about the paradox of the Jewish Criminal. At other times, the book is so disjointed that I found myself having to reread passages to understand the transitions. I wonder about the editing process and why transitional material from section to section is so weak in an otherwise prosaic work.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of this book for me, as the daughter of a "connected" Jewish mobster, and the niece of a known Jewish syndicate member, is the feeling I get that Cohen is trying to convince the reader that a tough Jew is reality. There's a disturbing bit of what seems like self-hatred in that Cohen refers several times to the Holocaust as though the slaughter of Jews was a sign of Jewish weakness. I don't agree with this in the least and find that it brings a contradictory and apologetic feel to the book.

Definitely worth a read, but I wish it had been edited better.