surviving hollywood electronic revolution

books:

The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. the Mob

14 reviews
Dennis Griffin

Huntington Press, 2006

If you love Las Vegas history
This is the book that explains in wonderful detail, how the Mob came to control Las Vegas and what they did to lose it so quickly. it also tells the tale of the Law Enforcement coming of age at the same time. Its growth problems and going from a small town to being a big city and dealing with the big city problems it had caused. No real telling of Las vegas history would ever be complete ...

The Royal Mob

5 reviews
Theresa Sherman

PublishAmerica, 2008

Thoroughly entertaining and very well written
I don't usually like "historical fiction". Usually the authors take too many liberties with the people they are writing about and probably without even trying hard distort the truth. However, this book is not like that at all. Theresa Sherman has done considerable research and has put together a lovely book about the Hessian sisters, granddaughters of Queen Victoria and daughters of Princess ...

Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets: Surviving the Public Spectacle in Finance and Politics (Agora Series)

83 reviews
William Bonner, Lila Rajiva

Wiley, 2007

Ignorance is bliss; pursuing truth carries the risk that revelations will not be pleasant.
Mobs, Messiahs and Markets doesn't take an in depth look at just one aspect of public life. Instead, it provides the reader with a variety of topics that stimulate questions about why we do or don't do what we do. I don't care to read about historical do-gooders so the first chapter was worrisome, don't worry! I'm glad Bonner and Rajiva touch on so many subjects, not just a few. The powerful ...

Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution

24 reviews
Howard Rheingold

Basic Books, 2003

Remote Control To The World
How many of you recall that EF Hutton commercial that started off by saying, "When EF Hutton talks, people listen". The same thought can be applied to Howard Rheingold. Rheingold is veteran technology watcher and well-publised futurist. He has identified yet another transformative technology. In 'Smart Mobs' he describes in vivid detail how large, geographically dispersed groups connected only ...

The State Line Mob: A True Story of Murder and Intrigue

15 reviews
W. R. Morris

Thomas Nelson, 2001

Still walked tall
W.R. Morris was Buford Pusser's authorized biographer, he wrote the best selling "The Twelth of August" however in 1973 he told People Magazine, "Buford can be a really nice guy one day and the next day he's barely civilized. I thread delecitly in the book." Did Pusser and Morris have a falling out or did Morris' research cause him to have a change of oppinion on the hero? Regardless, this ...

Son of the Mob

95 reviews
Gordon Korman

Hyperion Book CH, 2004

Son of the mob - A great book
Vince Luca is the son of one of New York's top mob bosses. His Father's name is Anthony Luca, they call there business the "Vending Machine Business." Although the mob life offers many riches, Vince does not want anything to do with it. One way or another it gets into his life. For example when Vince was on a date he went to pop the trunk open and found a beaten up man in his trunk. A second ...

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob

8 reviews
Matt Birkbeck

Amistad, 2008

Decontructing Sammy: A "must read" book
Matt Birkbeck writes powerfully in Decontructing Sammy of the tragic life and legacy of Sammy Davis, Jr. It is a heartbreaking "must read" book for every Sammy Davis fan, and anyone who thinks that achieving stardom is all it's cracked up to be. Birkbeck brings us a great story, tightly wound and beautiful spun. Leaving broken hearts around every corner of his life and death, Sammy Davis was ...

Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle (Son of the Mob)

8 reviews
Gordon Korman

Hyperion Book CH, 2006

Book Review of Son of the Mob Hollywood Hustle
What would someone do if they thought they were finally away from the mob but then it suddenly came back into their life? Vince Luca faced this in the fantastic book Son of the Mob Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Karman. At first Vince goes off to college happy to get away from the mob which is his father's business. His roommate, Trey, is the son of a congressman. As things go on Vince's ...

When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Murder, Mayhem and Money

17 reviews
Steve Fischer

Berkline Press, 2005

A fun, behind-the-scenes view of how Vegas was built.
While you can take many of these Las Vegas mob stories with a grain of salt, Steve Fischer nonetheless delivers them in such a way that they simply must be believed, if only for the nostalgic romance of them. Even if some of the more colorful accounts are embellished a bit (and I have no proof that they are, but the cynic in me can't help but think so), the audio version of this book has been a ...

Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution

38 reviews
T. J. English

William Morrow, 2008

An unexpected gem.
I picked this book up in a situation where very little was available to me. It looked interesting, but wasn't something I'd have picked out from a larger selection. I'm really happy my selection was limited. It's great when a good author with solid research skills finds an undertold story and brings it to life. Such is the case with Havana Nocturne. English really brings to life the glory ...

Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia

6 reviews
Thomas Reppetto

Henry Holt and Co., 2006

How the Mighty Are Fallen
In his _New Yorker_ essay "A Look at Organized Crime" from thirty years ago, Woody Allen had fun with gangster nicknames, including Thomas (The Butcher) Covello, Ciro (The Tailor) Santucci, Albert (The Logical Positivist) Corillo, Dominick (The Herpetologist) Mione, or Little Petey (Big Petey) Ross. I could not help thinking back on this silliness when reading _Bringing Down the Mob: The War ...

Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob | Until the Day I Died
Gary "Gunz" Govich

iUniverse, Inc., 2008

Career Criminal, My Life in the Russian Mob | Until the Day I Died is a based on true events, tell-all memoir of a master lawbreaker and a world still heavily shrouded in mystery. A first generation immigrant, I was born into the mafiya . I had no other way. Throughout my tenure as Bratan, I commanded a crew of dastardly villains that knew not virtue and for whom truth was always unclean . They were deadly as they were brilliant. ...

Mob Lawyer

5 reviews
Frank Ragano

Random House Value Publishing, 1996

From his son.
I was overwhelmed by the reviews, both positive and negative. The book only reveals some of the highlights of my father's career. It captures the essence of what really transpired between Hoffa, Trafficante, and Marcello. He was in an unusual position to be able to represent all three of these men at once. According to my father, it was "tantamount to being counsel for General Motors." The book ...

The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds

8 reviews
Robert Rudolph

Rutgers University Press, 1995

A REAL MOB HIT
Forget about "The Sopranos" - this is the real thing -- The New Jersey mob at its gritty and funny best. I've read a lot of "true" crime stories, but this one had me turning pages with all the anticipation of a suspense novel -- while laughing at the real-life antics of "The Boys." It's a treat to read.

Mob Cops

5 reviews
Greg B. Smith

Berkley, 2006

Great Book
I was (no pun intended) blown away by Mob Cops. Smith's writing, pace, and character development makes the book transcends the genre. The book provides an amazing, in depth portrait of humanity (granted, in many cases, of its lowest form), with stunning detail, arch humor, and behind the scenes knowledge of the inner workings of the mob, NYPD, and FBI. Once again, a great book. I coudn't put ...

Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob

54 reviews
Kevin Weeks, Phyllis Karas

Harper Paperbacks, 2007

5 stars or you too could be on Weeks "List"
That's the kind of guy Kevin Weeks comes off as,a plain and simple bully,but at least honest.The book is full of one-sided accounts of people Weeks brutally beat up or murdered,where he acted as judge,jury,and executioner.His defense,they were all "players" and pretty much asked for it.Yet some of these victims come off as extreme "fringe" players like the girl they murdered for "stripping" and ...

Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family

17 reviews
George Anastasia

Camino Books, 2003

Mob reality
An all-time great work of storytelling and journalism. "Blood and Honor" follows the career of Nicky Scarfo from his rise in the Atlantic City of the 1970s to his life sentence in the '80s. Anastasia clearly has good sources in high and low places. As a writer, he produces a fast flow. The real-life characters (especially Bruno and Scarfo) are drawn fully -- or at least well as you can do with ...

Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob

10 reviews
Lee Siegel

Spiegel & Grau, 2008

The Great Digital Unwashed
This book, as the title suggests, is about the negative and destructive aspects of the Internet. Many of us, even true believers, have always felt instinctively that it was not all good. From the outset it should be noted that cultural critic Lee Siegel is keenly aware of its power. He writes that "the Internet is possibly the most radical transformation of private and public life in the ...

Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob

191 reviews
Dick Lehr, Gerard O'neill

Harper Paperbacks, 2001

Frightening account of corruption
Black Mass is an unbelievable account of the illicit relationship between two Irish mobsters from South Boston (Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi) and their FBI handlers (John Connolly and John Morris). The book begins with background on South Boston and the "us against them" mentality of the residents. As a young boy, John Connolly looked up to and admired Whitey Bulger, a local gangster, ...

Mob Over Miami

22 reviews
Michele R. McPhee

Onyx, 2002

Great, well-written Mob Story
"Mob Over Miami" details the rise and fall of one Chris Paciello, who, through a combination of luck, toughness, street-smarts, and charisma, became a major player in South Florida's nightclub scene after he left New York. I hesitate to divulge anything else, for this book is such a great read I wouldn't want to give anything away. I will state, however, that, in my opinion, the author, ...

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