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swicksy's review against another edition
4.0
Well researched, detailed and entertaining chronicle of Al Capone's rise to be the king of the Chicago underworld. Starting with his days partnered with Johnny Torio (part of HBO's BOARDWALK EMPIRE's storyline)it covers everything from the problems created by prohibition - well for the government as it created a criminal element that gripped the streets of Chicago - to the tax-evasion case against Capone spearheaded by Georg E.Q. Johnson that eventually brought him down, to his final days in prison - Alcatraz - to his deterioration and eventual death from a syphilis related cause.
The book also contains a fascinating look at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre which sent the government case against Capone into overdrive as President Hoover became obsessed with bringing him in as the leader of Prohibition crime. Capone probably had nothing to do with the Massacre at all which is detailed in the book, and one of the best parts. It also completely debunks any involvement that Elliot Ness and his "Untouchables" may have had in bringing in Capone - meaning virtually none - in a MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE-like reversal of "print the legend."
It's a fascinating read from a seemingly glamorous time in American history (that has inspired some of the best movies - just ask Warner Bros.) when mugs with heaters ruled the streets of Chicago.
I was also really amazing at how few innocent bystanders were hurt or killed during all these hits and gangster activities. The gangsters seemed set on taking out only those necessary. Today random crazies with guns who feel the need to shoot up schools or movie theaters are much more dangerous to the general public than these guys ever were.
The book also contains a fascinating look at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre which sent the government case against Capone into overdrive as President Hoover became obsessed with bringing him in as the leader of Prohibition crime. Capone probably had nothing to do with the Massacre at all which is detailed in the book, and one of the best parts. It also completely debunks any involvement that Elliot Ness and his "Untouchables" may have had in bringing in Capone - meaning virtually none - in a MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE-like reversal of "print the legend."
It's a fascinating read from a seemingly glamorous time in American history (that has inspired some of the best movies - just ask Warner Bros.) when mugs with heaters ruled the streets of Chicago.
I was also really amazing at how few innocent bystanders were hurt or killed during all these hits and gangster activities. The gangsters seemed set on taking out only those necessary. Today random crazies with guns who feel the need to shoot up schools or movie theaters are much more dangerous to the general public than these guys ever were.
dsbressette's review against another edition
3.0
Good book about the US in the 1920s, especially the gangster era in Chicago. The author does a good job of bringing Capone to life and dispelling some of the Capone myths. I enjoyed this book, although it dragged at times.
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
One thing has become clear to me after reading Eig's King a Life & now Get Capone, if Jonathan Eig wrote it, I'm going to read it. Eig does his research so well & so in depth & out of it comes stories that can both teach you (lots of things) & are entertaining. I did audio for both of Eig's books so far & they never disappoint. The narrator Dick Hill does an amazing job of keeping you hooked & using so many different voices to give each character a distinct personality. I didnt know a whole lot about Capone going into this, but I've learned so much. I recently read Brian Stannard's Alcatraz Ghost Story about another criminal from Capone's time & found that the two were actually in Alcatraz together. I loved this book & cannot wait to see what else Eig puts out in the future!
maxac32's review against another edition
4.0
The history of Al Capone and his syndicate is incredible. This book gives you the rare opportunity to see it from all angles. I loved every second of it. Think of it as the bible of Al Capone!
akshade's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting! I thought I knew who Al Capone was, but this gives you all sorts of insight and theories into the unknown.
rackety's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
This book is well-researched, thorough, and well-organized. I found the author's "clever" similes tiresome, but that was not my main issue with it, which is that the subtitle is really misleading. It does discuss the effort to prosecute Capone on tax charges, but I wouldn't call it a "plot," and there was no issue of "capturing" him as his whereabouts were only occasionally unknown. Even more to the point, the successful prosecution that put Capone in prison for most of the 1930s is just an organic part of what is really a biography of Capone, so the subtitle comes off as a dishonest marketing ploy. This is certainly a worthwhile biography, but if you are looking for a book-length focus on the tax case against him, that's not what this is.
bloodravenlib's review
4.0
Quick impressions. Good biography of Capone, but it really provides a lot more including a look at the times and the history of Chicago and the U.S. This is not the Capone most people may know from popular films and media. Eig does a lot of research and reveals a lot more.
Full review on my blog later.
Full review on my blog later.
the1trueolivia's review against another edition
5.0
Very thoroughly researched. A glimpse at the man behind the myths as well as context into the political settings of the time.
toitoine's review against another edition
5.0
A highly readable biography debunking many myths about the most famous gangster in US history. Although it focuses on the events leading to Capone's arrest, it also gives some context on his personal life (which we actually did not know much about) and life in Chicago.
Much has been said about Scarface's infamous career and trials but Jonathan Eig brings some interesting opinions on certain topics that were left out of many biographies (not all) before: was Capone's actually involved in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? Were there special instructions from President Hoover to put him in jail no matter the cost? Did Eliot Ness have any actual influence in the investigation and the eventual trial?
Highly recommended for those looking for a straightforward biography of Al Capone.
Much has been said about Scarface's infamous career and trials but Jonathan Eig brings some interesting opinions on certain topics that were left out of many biographies (not all) before: was Capone's actually involved in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? Were there special instructions from President Hoover to put him in jail no matter the cost? Did Eliot Ness have any actual influence in the investigation and the eventual trial?
Highly recommended for those looking for a straightforward biography of Al Capone.
ericwelch's review
4.0
Audiobook: By age 28, Capone was virtually “King” of Chicago. He had orchestrated the reelection of Big Bill Thompson, a lunatic so weird that he would debate animals in cages, in 1927. Thompson is considered the most unethical Mayor in Chicago history and was the last Republican to win election to that office. He ran on a platform of shutting down police raids on the ordinary citizen and had full support of the criminal element. “When I’m elected we will not only reopen places these people have closed,but we’ll open ten thousand new ones…. No copper will invade your home and fan your mattress for a hip flask.” By that time the police had become much more hated than the gangsters. Rather than go after the big guys (who were paying them graft) the cops made arrests by invading people’s homes and arresting anyone with a minute amount of alcohol. Corruption was endemic. (I suspect there is similar if less obvious corruption from the war on drugs.) There was just too much money to be made. The Volstead Act was celebrated, especially by the crooks.
No one was ever quite sure just how much Capone’s empire took in, but reasonable estimates place it close to $1.5 billion a year in today’s money. The intricate web of speakeasies, prostitution, gambling, and every other imaginable criminal enterprise all paid Capone. He was smart, however, in that he was lavish with payoffs to cops and politicians and never was envious of others in his organization being ostentatious with their wealth. For himself, he was not. His sole extravagances were gambling, fine suits, and a seven-ton Cadillac, heavily reinforced so has to make it impervious to bullets. Other than that he lived a modest lifestyle.
It was the passage of the 16th amendment that probably got Capone. Aside from the fact that constant gang warfare and street shootings were having an impact on the rich by driving up insurance premiums and reducing their income of the wealthy; now gangsters were required to report their income. Manny Sullivan had argued in court that reporting income on illegal activities was tantamount to self-incrimination (United States v Sullivan, 1927) and thus a violation of the 5th amendment. He lost unanimously and tax fraud investigations were conducted by postal inspectors, famous for their honesty and integrity. No one dared violate the postal regulations because they were sure to be caught and convicted. President Hoover had declared that the rule of law would prevail and it was reported that every day he would ask his associates if Capone was in jail yet. Hoover, in his inimitable way suggested that everyone just stop drinking and that would ruin the crooks. Well, we know how well abstinence theory works.
The stock market crash (It’s just a depression, not a panic, said Hoover) affected Capone little. He had refused to participate in the stock market, arguing he was a piker compared to the crooks on Wall Street and given the activities of the media and brokers to hype stocks (“hey, they will only go up, be sure to hang on to them, and what a great time to buy” while they were selling,) he had a point.
One hindrance to any Capone prosecution was that he didn’t keep any books. So the details necessary to get him had to come from the inside. That insider was Eddy O’Hare. Eddy had managed to get the rights to the electric rabbit that revolutionized dog racing. Recognizing he was better off colluding with Capone than competing with him in dog racing, they formed a partnership. Frank had a son, Butch, who desperately wanted to fly airplanes. Apparently he was a loveable kid and the apple of his father’s eye so Eddy made a deal with Frank Wilson, the most active of the prosecutors (Eliot Ness and the “untouchables” should have been called “the inactives” according to Eig) to help Butch get into the Naval Academy. As everyone knows who flies through O’Hare airport in Chicago, Butch was killed during the war in 1943 after becoming the Navy’s first ace. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lots of detail about shootings and the role of the “Tommy” gun, the staccato sound of which apparently became familiar background noise for Chicagoans. Not to mention how the new science of ballistics was used in the investigation of the St. Valentine's Day massacre. I found the early parts of the book to be quite superficial, but it definitely became more interesting as the decade progressed..
Anyone complaining about corruption today needs to do some reading about the early 20th century. Prohibition, much like our current drug laws, created multiple scenarios for graft, murder, and political decadence. We obviously learned nothing from prohibition, but then we don’t have machine guns going off in the streets constantly, either. Oh, wait.
No one was ever quite sure just how much Capone’s empire took in, but reasonable estimates place it close to $1.5 billion a year in today’s money. The intricate web of speakeasies, prostitution, gambling, and every other imaginable criminal enterprise all paid Capone. He was smart, however, in that he was lavish with payoffs to cops and politicians and never was envious of others in his organization being ostentatious with their wealth. For himself, he was not. His sole extravagances were gambling, fine suits, and a seven-ton Cadillac, heavily reinforced so has to make it impervious to bullets. Other than that he lived a modest lifestyle.
It was the passage of the 16th amendment that probably got Capone. Aside from the fact that constant gang warfare and street shootings were having an impact on the rich by driving up insurance premiums and reducing their income of the wealthy; now gangsters were required to report their income. Manny Sullivan had argued in court that reporting income on illegal activities was tantamount to self-incrimination (United States v Sullivan, 1927) and thus a violation of the 5th amendment. He lost unanimously and tax fraud investigations were conducted by postal inspectors, famous for their honesty and integrity. No one dared violate the postal regulations because they were sure to be caught and convicted. President Hoover had declared that the rule of law would prevail and it was reported that every day he would ask his associates if Capone was in jail yet. Hoover, in his inimitable way suggested that everyone just stop drinking and that would ruin the crooks. Well, we know how well abstinence theory works.
The stock market crash (It’s just a depression, not a panic, said Hoover) affected Capone little. He had refused to participate in the stock market, arguing he was a piker compared to the crooks on Wall Street and given the activities of the media and brokers to hype stocks (“hey, they will only go up, be sure to hang on to them, and what a great time to buy” while they were selling,) he had a point.
One hindrance to any Capone prosecution was that he didn’t keep any books. So the details necessary to get him had to come from the inside. That insider was Eddy O’Hare. Eddy had managed to get the rights to the electric rabbit that revolutionized dog racing. Recognizing he was better off colluding with Capone than competing with him in dog racing, they formed a partnership. Frank had a son, Butch, who desperately wanted to fly airplanes. Apparently he was a loveable kid and the apple of his father’s eye so Eddy made a deal with Frank Wilson, the most active of the prosecutors (Eliot Ness and the “untouchables” should have been called “the inactives” according to Eig) to help Butch get into the Naval Academy. As everyone knows who flies through O’Hare airport in Chicago, Butch was killed during the war in 1943 after becoming the Navy’s first ace. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lots of detail about shootings and the role of the “Tommy” gun, the staccato sound of which apparently became familiar background noise for Chicagoans. Not to mention how the new science of ballistics was used in the investigation of the St. Valentine's Day massacre. I found the early parts of the book to be quite superficial, but it definitely became more interesting as the decade progressed..
Anyone complaining about corruption today needs to do some reading about the early 20th century. Prohibition, much like our current drug laws, created multiple scenarios for graft, murder, and political decadence. We obviously learned nothing from prohibition, but then we don’t have machine guns going off in the streets constantly, either. Oh, wait.
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