The Mob and the City
The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York
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The Mob and the City
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Narrated by:
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LJ Ganser
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Written by:
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C. Alexander Hortis
About this listen
Forget what you think you know about the Mafia. After listening to this book, even life-long mob aficionados will have a new perspective on organized crime.
Informative, authoritative, and eye-opening, this is the first full-length book devoted exclusively to uncovering the hidden history of how the Mafia came to dominate organized crime in New York City during the 1930s through 1950s. Based on exhaustive research of archives and secret files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, author and attorney C. Alexander Hortis draws on the deepest collection of primary sources, many newly discovered, of any history of the modern mob.
Shattering myths, Hortis reveals how Cosa Nostra actually obtained power at the inception. The author goes beyond conventional who-shot-who mob stories, providing answers to fresh questions such as:
- Why did the Sicilian gangs come out on top of the criminal underworld?
- Can economics explain how the Mafia families operated?
- What was the Mafia's real role in the drug trade?
- Why was Cosa Nostra involved in gay bars in New York since the 1930s?
Drawing on an unprecedented array of primary sources, The Mob and the City is the most thorough and authentic history of the Mafia's rise to power in the early-to-mid 20th century.
©2014 C. Alexander Hortis (P)2014 Audible Inc.What listeners say about The Mob and the City
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-06-20
A good difference
I enjoyed this listen. Different from other mob books. Seemed more truthfully and accurate.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2021-12-24
Ideal for "Casual" Mafia Afficianados
If you are a scholar or obsessed with the history of the Mob in New York you should download Selwyn Raab's incredibly detailed 'Five Families' (also available on Audible) instead of this one.. but if you're looking for a quicker-paced but eminently readable exposé, this audiobook is perfect for you. C. Alexander Hortis's structure reads like a course syllabus at NYU, the writing is a little weak but passable, and he liberally sprinkles the text with quotes from famous gangsters and contemporaries.
The appended PDF that comes with this recording is also highly appreciated. The facts & figures enrich the book considerably. Audible Studios Inc. is owed some thanks.
The producers also did a fine job casting LJ Ganser to read the book. His performance is unspectacular.. but professional. His diction, cadence, timbre, and tone are notable, but Ganser's authentic-sounding pronunciations of Italian names and phrases (of which there are many) are particularly commendable. To be clear, he takes injudicious deep breaths and reads too slowly (1.15X is the optimal playback rate imo), but Ganser's narration is generally more than acceptable.
This book rates a solid 9 stars out of 10 (recognizing that it stops telling the Mafia story in the 50s). There are a *ton* of names and dates, but Hortis generally provides a consumable book. If you can get it for free (as I did with my Audible membership) it is certainly worth your time. Even if they asked for money for it, however, 'The Mob And The City' would be worth it for casual listeners fascinated with the early history of organized crime.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2022-06-26
A good primer on the mob
Provides a good overview of the mob, how it worked, the individuals involved, and so on. Probably not deep enough for mob geeks, though it supposedly has new information, it was great for me, as I never could wrap my head around the whole scene. I especially liked how the author liken the mob ‘families’ to franchises… this analogy worked for me.
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1 person found this helpful