Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
In need of an editor, January 23, 2004
In eight pages of acknowledgements at the end of this book, Mr. Stewart fails to thank his editor. There are many thanks given to old friends, researchers, family, etc., but he must have forgotten his editor (or he must have forgotten to have one). I realize it isn't chic these days to spell or punctuate correctly, but as I read this mess, I couldn't help but feel duped. Mr. Stewart has a great deal of difficulty writing in complete sentences and he obviously never learned the old elementary school rule about commas: when it doubt, leave it out. Capitalization and the use of the apostrophe also give Mr. Stewart a great deal of difficulty. Page 40 is nearly incoherent, with such gems as, "American's considered the banks as the bad guys; after all they were the ones stealing from the people when the banks failed in 1933." and "By 1933, the Bureau's moral increased to 425 agents." At least he got the apostrophe correct in the last sentence, but it's difficult to tell what he means in either of them.
While Stewart claims to have done a great deal of research in order to write this book, perhaps he should have done the research and allowed someone with a better knowledge of the English language and the writing process do the writing. Also, Stewart constantly interjects his personal opinions, another example of bad writing and an annoyance that makes his "facts" suspect. But I could probably live with that if it were not for sentences such as, "Charley Arthur Floyd was Well-Known as Pretty Boy Floyd, the Robin Hood of Cookson Hills, and the Oklahoma bank robber. He was shot and killed by federal agents on October 22, 1934, Near East Liverpool, Ohio." While I believe Mr. Floyd's given name was "Charles," and that Tony Stewart probably didn't know him well enough to call him "Charlie," that doesn't bother me half as much as the strange capitalization and surplus commas.
I truly regret spending $24.56 on this book. If there are any "hidden truths" in these pages, it's difficult to tell what they are because the book is so poorly written.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Stay away from this book, January 16, 2003
This is a semi-literate, poorly written vanity publication that is not worth even the Amazon.com discounted price. It is rambling, with poorly organized, run-on paragraphs. It has a decided dictated but not read, first draft quality that makes for a painful read. As history, it is also dubious, relying on absolutely no footnotes, endotes or citations. And what's the "Hiddent Truth"? Stewart's thesis is that Dillinger and his ilk were not "cold-blooded" killers as characterized by the press and the FBI. No, being "cold-blooded" takes premeditation. Dillinger, et al., just killed when trying to escape from prison or the law or when shot at while robbing banks or kidnapping people. See, they really weren't so bad after all, just trying to make a living in the Depression. This is a vanity publication with no reason to be vain. Amazon.com should have have a warning when a book is self-published.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A disaster, September 11, 2003
This book is a disgrace.It is clear in the first few pages that it is not an accurate account of John Dillinger, his cohorts or the 1930s. When I purchased this book, I thought I was buying a historical analysis of the "Dillinger Days," where the author would present the facts and allow me to draw my own conclusions. Instead, what I got was a one-sided view of conspiracy theories. Even worse, the book is riddled with typos (i.e. the caption under the first picture of Dillinger), the language is simplistic (borderline insulting) and in the first three chaprters alone I counted more than 15 grammatical errors. What's more, the author purports to be a student of history, but not one footnote appears in the text after a supposed fact; leaving much of what's read open to a heavy and well-deserved dose skepticism. From page 1, the author proudly demonstrates a strong bias against the government which leads to - not an open discussion of facts - but to a long-winded tale of conspiracy theories which boggle the mind. Everything from orgies involving the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe; to claims that Hoover deliberatly shirked his responsibilities as FBI Director in exchange for tips on winning horse races. The book was not hailed by any major periodicle or book club, but not surprisngly, received much acclaim from fellow conspiracy theorists and anti-government types. Go figure. Anyone with an interest in history will be most dissapointed with this book. Be very skeptical of any reader who has given this book a "5 Star" rating.
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