I read it, SC.
It was okay but a bit vague. The chapter on Frank Lucas was interesting because it lets you know that most of AMERICAN GANGSTER was fictionalized. It reads more like a collection of short non-fiction than a "tell-all."
Still, if you can pick up a copy that's been priced down, it's worth reading. Better yet, if your library has a copy, just borrow it.
I am close to finishing it this weekend, hopefully. I had heard of some of the bigger names but others were new to me. There was one guy in there called "Preacher" who was like a combination of the worst and most vicious movie gangsters you could imagine-only unfortunately real life. Preacher not only murdered, extorted and robbed some very scary people, he tortured and raped them as well. Real sicko. He frightened other stone killers.
Going a bit further back, nice chapters on Owney Madden, Dutch Schultz, Frank Matthews and Nicky Barnes.
It's worth picking up. I don't know if I'd pay full price but who does pay full price these days.
I finished "The Silent Don". As I didn't know very much about Santo Trafficante at all I was really interested in that story. I think that the author had most of the information I was really interested in in his other book "The Cigar City Mafia" which I haven't read yet. Santo seemingly managed to stay on top with very little muscle and a very amorphous Family structure. He did have a lot of links to other Families. What was intriguing about Santo is how much he stayed out of the spotlight.
