Augie's Secrets: The Minneapolis Mob and the King of the Hennepin Strip

by Neal Karlen

 There's an old Yiddish two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead. But two living people could keep a secret--as long as one of them was Augie.

Augie Ratner, the proprietor of Augie's Theater Lounge & Bar on Hennepin Avenue, was the unofficial mayor of Minneapolis's downtown strip in the 1940s and '50s. In a few blocks between the swanky clubs and restaurants on Eighth Street and the sleazy flophouses and bars of the Gateway District, the city's shakers-and-movers and shake-down artists mingled. Gangsters and celebrities, comedians and politicians, the rich and the famous and the infamous--all of them met at Augie' Jimmy Hoffa, Henny Youngman, Kid Cann, John Dillinger, Jack Dempsey, Peggy Lee, Groucho Marx, Lenny Bruce, and Gypsy Rose Lee. Augie Ratner knew everyone, and everyone knew and liked Augie, and they told him everything.

Mixing careful research with long suppressed family and community stories, Neal Karlen, Augie's great-nephew, tells the real story of the seamy underside of Minneapolis, where Jewish mobsters controlled the liquor trade, invented the point spread in sports betting, and ran national sports gambling operations. Even after Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey supposedly cleaned up the town, organized crime quietly flourished. And Augie was at the center, observing it all.

Neal Karlen has been a staff writer at  Newsweek,  a   Rolling Stone  Contributing Editor, and a regular contributor to the   The New York Times  and a score of of other national publications.   He is the author of eight books.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Book Club

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am always very interested in prohibition history, the 20's/30's "Public Enemy" era gangsters, and Minnesota history. So I was excited when my brother told me to read "Augie's Secrets" by Neal Karlen. However, I felt really bad when I had to tell my brother how awful it was.

This book about Augie, a "gangster" from Minneapolis is more just the ramblings of a relative of Augie who has no cohesive story telling ability. It's more like a bunch of name dropping and random facts and stories haphazardly thrown together and published. It doesn't follow any kind of formula and is FULL TO THE BRIM of Jewish slang, which is charming at first and then becomes horribly repetitive and annoying.

Being a Minnesotan I did enjoy a couple of the stories and when places were mentioned that I recognized or have been to. However, the randomness and Jewish slang and lack of actual story caused me to lose interest and found myself constantly entering "skimming mode".

I've read a lot of reviews and it seems like most other readers agree with me. Being a fan of history is one thing, but all stories need flow, and this one lacked that majorly.

I'm sure there are better MN gangster history books out there, I just need to know where to find a good one. Any recommendations anyone?

[Andy Marlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book, as I am very interested in the history of "the mob" in the Twin Cities. It is supposed to be a chronicle of the secrets held by the author's great uncle, Augie Ratner, who ran a number of speakeasies, bars and strip club on Minneapolis' Hennepin Avenue and knew all the colorful players in the local syndicate. Unfortunately, as author Neal Karlen points out early on, Augie kept his secrets to himself, so there is precious little of Augie himself in the book. Karlen does share some fascinating stories about the largely Jewish mobsters who ran the bootlegging, gambling and prostitution businesses in Minneapolis, and the politician whom they bought off in order to conduct that business. But this book could have used a real editor. There is no focus to any one chapter. Karlen seems to skip around at random, interrupting an interesting train of thought for some unrelated (but often interesting) tidbit. and he repeats the same thoughts three and four times. It's a slim volume (178 pages of actual text), and it would be much thinner without the recapitulations. Karlen claims to have be thinking about and working on the book for years before getting the Minnesota Historical Society Press to take it for publication, but it's hard to discern that from reading it. It seems hastily thrown together without a clear plan/goal in mind.

[Koren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew there was quite a mob presence in Minnesota in the early 1900's so I was interested to find out more about this but this book was not very informative. The author claims to be related to one of them but there is precious little background information on any of the characters or why they thought the way they did. I think it could have been a much better book if it was more personal. Most of the reviews for this book are between 1 and 3 stars. It is a short book at under 200 pages. If it was longer I probably wouldn't have stuck with it.

[Melisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the local mob history as a Minneapolis resident, but the book was repetitive and didn't really have secrets to tell. Still a quick read with some fun local color.

[Darrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars actually...a quick read for those interested in the history of Minneapolis, specifically the background of some if its' less savory characters. Be aware though that the title is misleading in that there are actually no secrets to be found within the pages. Nearly all of the information you'll read here has been related in previous publications, but that doesn't spoil the entertainment of discovering a small portion of the colorful, criminally checkered past of Minneapolis - and to an extent, St. Paul as well. The true stories, tall tales, facts and figures (those both known and speculative), historical dates and even a few apocryphal accounts shared among that crowd during those days, have found their way into the pages here.

The book is generally chronologically ordered, but, as some other reviewers have noted, the author has a tendency to loop back to previously mentioned bits and that repetitiveness bogs it down unnecessarily. Definitely deserves kudos though both for footnotes and sourcing the material present here. There are sections for Notes, Bibliography and an Index in the back of the book as well.

[NOTE: another reviewer here stated that the author used Susan Berman's book 'Easy Street' as source material without acknowledgement. That book is listed in the Bibliography and also appears frequently in the Notes section as well, which details the footnotes in each chapter]

[Teawench · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finally put a stop at page 128. This book is horrible. The author insists on using Yiddish & German words wherever he sees fit and it totally takes you out of the reading experience. If I want to learn either of those languages, I'm not going to do it by reading this book so knock it off! He also jumps around. A lot. He'll mention an event and say something like "... but I'll come back to that later" and then never does. Finally, whatever Augie's secrets were, they are not in this book. Sure, it's a small piece of history of Minneapolis but I don't think there's anything here that couldn't be found our from another source (disclaimer: I haven't read much, if anything on Minneapolis history so I could be wrong but I don't think I am) and certainly nothing that would be worthy of being called a 'secret'. I think the author was so enamoured by the fact that one of his past relatives possibly hung out with celebrities and gangsters made him think that just that fact would make for an interesting read. It doesn't.

[Mike Blumenfeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a first generation Minnesotan who shares a last name with Minnesota's most notorious Jewish gangster, when I first caught wind of this book, my desire to read it was off the charts. It didn't meet my expectations due to complete lack of flow and narrative. Writing is fine but it has little semblance of a book. Karlen is still making introductory comments several chapters in. The chapters are in essence stand-alone stories that would be reasonably interesting in local magazines, but put together under the same cover, they made no sense. Some passages I swear I read over and over. Augie's role in all this was poorly defined. He wasn't properly established as a player, a confidant, a gossip. Not a complete loss, because the true crime subject matter is so interesting, but given Neal Karlen's and the publisher's reputuation, I expected something more coherent and better edited.

[Stacey Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm glad I got this from the library and did not purchase. It literally reads like a first draft - full of awkward, rambling sentences and repititions, and so much filler (do we need to be told TWICE that Neal Karlen once lived in John Dillinger's former apartment?) I love reading about old Minneapolis in the pre-urban renewal Gateway District days, but somehow Neal Karlen manages to make a tale about the mob, strip clubs, gambling and vice into an incoherent snooze. Augie Ratner deserves better. And I know Neal Karlen is a better writer than this.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's OK if you want to learn about the mob in Minneapolis and St. Paul

[Mlhoganjr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Minneapolis is a city shaped by conmen. From the days when we elected Doc Ames as mayor, to being conned out of our streetcars by Kid Cann and Associates, all the way up to the R.T. Rybak/Ziggy Wilf collusion, we have a long history of falling for all sorts of shams. Organized crime played a part sometimes, and sometimes it didn't. Either way, the subject matter is interesting, even if only to a rather limited readership. Unfortunately, reading Augie's Secrets is like listening to an old man talk: sometimes there's a morsel of something interesting but you have to go through a lot of rambling and nonsense. There's something odd about Karlen's style in this book. It doesn't flow and it wanders on and off subject.

[Ryan Madland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had want to read this book for awhile now as I'm really interested in history as well as Mob/Mafia related history. This book details some of the life of Minneapolis' own Augie Ratner.

Augie opened up his own speakeasy and was really adored by the people and gang members that were patrons of it. Augie was well liked and trusted which allowed him to maintain this business. During those times he encountered some of the most dangerous men in the business, but went unscathed, again because he could be trusted.

Being from Minnesota, I enjoyed reading about Augie and the mob history here in the Twin Cities, but you don't have to be from here, to enjoy this one. I definitely recommend this one.

[Greg Giles · Rating 2 out of 5]

The tone is kind of like listening to a guy who has just cracked open a beer around the campfire. Breezy, informal, and somewhat looping.

That said, the author is trying a bit too hard. This isn't really a biography of Augie Ratner. It's a book about a part of the underbelly of Minneapolis in the middle of the last century. Various anecdotes and stories are introduced by way of "just like Augie would have done," or "a couple of blocks from Augie's place" by way of connecting it to the narrative.

It's an interesting read about an interesting time in Minneapolis' history, but it's not quite biography and not quite history.

[Judy Moe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book as I like historical books about Minneapolis/Minnesota. However, it was difficult for me to stay engaged with the story. Though the material was very interesting, the book did not flow for me. The story lacked cohesiveness. It felt like the reader was in a room with the characters, everyone talking at once. I am disappointed that the writing style kept me from enjoying the book. There is much historical intrigue regarding the little talked about Mob in Minnesota. It is unfortunate that this book was not able to keep me entertained.

[Pat Maher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Augies' Secrets remain largely that, Secret. No real secret information shared. Author did lots of research about the period of prohibition and bootlegging in Minneapolis based on other sources of public information, memoirs, auto-biographies, etc. Seems an effort to "whitewash" the image of his great uncle as a wonderful guy, regardless of his connections to theJ jewish mob that ran the liquor business in the Twin Cities at the time.

[Darrell Gerber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting topic about the mob and Jewish history in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, there is very little structure or cohesiveness to the story telling. It feels like a random recollection of anecdotes. Yet, how much of it even came from Augie? The author states that Augie had a lot of secrets but never told any of them. Most of the book is based upon research and newspaper articles of the time.

[Kire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grandpa Abe Simpson could have written a more coherent book on the history of Springfield. This book jumped from place to place with no sense of direction or purpose. The writing was terrible and the humor decidedly unfunny. A truly disappointing read on a topic that has sadly not received enough attention.

[Jessica Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot make myself finish this book.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Some interesting things but not much. Glad it was short read.

[Karen Kozak · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited to read about local history, but this book was so disjointed with little substance. I realized life it too short to force my way through it and this is a DNF for me.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been great as stories shared in a bar. As a book it desperately needed strong editing.

[Rob Amundson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing!

Great stories about Minneapolis gangster history, Kid Cann Blumenfeld, Minneapolis' kingpin, and Hennepin Ave in the early 20th century.

Writing style is an attempt at first person, not perfect, and lots of Jewish / Yiddish slang / jargon that both adds, and subtracts, from the quality of the book in ways that you'll love, hate or both depending on the day...

A couple more edits by a great editor and this could be a 5.

Could be turned into a movie.

Augments Macabee's Dillinger Slept Here and Mahoney's Secret Partners for a good foundation on Twin Cities, MN gangster / public enemy era history.

[James Kenline · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s a reason why Augie’s Secrets seem like tall tales. Neal's Grandmother was not Augie's sister. Augie's Widow, Betty Ratner, wrote a scathing review of the Strib's review of this book. The Strib published it as the letter of the day.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/le...

Karlen's sources are the internet and a few books. He quotes Susan Berman's book Easy Street, extensively, and without credit.(Susan's book is of dubious accuracy as well.) Other sources were Paul Maccabee's article in Minn Monthly, an article in the MPLS Star Tribune about bookie Maxie Weisberg(with some added embellishments), an an interview with a nephew of a suburban St Paul bar owner who received offers, threats and a beating from Fergie’s enforcers,Jack Apple being one of them(Karlen changes the story by omitting the story teller and claiming that Kid Cann murdered the bar owner personally ), and most impressively, the paragraph detailing Willie Alderman's nickname is a slightly rewritten version of an entry in the 2005 BOOK OF LISTS.(the editors of the book of lists seem to have had some fun with the gangster nicknames.) The editors apparently were Augie’s kinfolk as well, because they heard the same story

[Xurando · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew up in Minneapolis in the 50's and 60's and have vivid memories of some of the events and people described in this book. When a friend recommended Augie's Secrets I bought it immediately.

This is one of the most unreadable books I have ever encountered. I put it down and don't intend to go back to it. Here's a spoiler, there are no secrets in this book. Although somewhat linear in nature, the book never gets to the point. I kept waiting for something to happen and it never did. If you want to read about Minneapolis history, prohibition or Minneapolis gangsters there are other better books on the subject.

Don't waste your time on this one.

[Caroline Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, but fascinating history. I really knew nothing about the Minneapolis mob. My mom grew up in Minneapolis, born in the 30's and hit adulthood in the 50's. She would have been familiar with some of these characters. She didn't want to say much when I asked--wonder what that's about. Anyhow, I had no idea of the level of corruption in the city and the police force. Methinks it explains some of the current dysfunction in our police department today. Didn't know Sid Hartman was such a mob hanger-on either. I recommend this book.

[Gregory Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One reviewer here called this book repetitive, I would be inclined to agree, though very interesting story involving the Minneapolis mob and well written. It reads like a Damon Runyon story but one needs to get half way through to read what Augie's secret was.

It's hard to tell if some of the little stories are substantiated or not. For example the story that Peggy Lee (then Norma Deloris Egstrom) rolled into Minneapolis from North Dakota, broke and hungry, when she meets Augie.

Who knows, but it's a good read overall.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this might have been more interesting if you'd lived here all your life. Granted, I occasionally walk by Augie's on Hennepin Ave but I don't know where most of the places they talked about were actually located. I didn't feel like we got to know Augie and the focus was so broad that none of the gangsters were particularly revealed either. I would be interested in knowing more about the notorious St Paul gangsters tho... Could be an interest ing book club discussion and if we go on a tour, that would be great too!

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the focus on the Twin Cities mob scene, but the content is a bit light. Also, details are repeated almost verbatim several times. The book would've helped from a little more editing and reads like a collection of independent essays...not a book really, more a pamphlet, but a good quick read.

I appreciate that details outside the twin cities aren't referenced to much. The scope really was on the Twin Cities.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written story of a time when the Jewish mob meant something in both the Twin Cities and the rest of the nation as well. It is full of a fascinating cast of characters, all the more interesting because they were all real people. In the center of it is Augie, a retired boxer, turned strip joint owner, who everyone told everything, and who in exchange knew when to not say anything at all.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who knew some of the characters and/or spent time on Hennepin Avenue in old Minneapolis of the 30s to 50s, this should be a wonderful walk down memory lane. I have only vague childhood memories of that city, none on the Hennepin Avenue strip. The closest we came was taking a look at Moby Dick's, a Hennepin Ave. institution of a later time. History preserved in a short volume with lots of names and connections.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It only gets three stars because the Minneapolis history of Jewish gangsters was interesting. Aside from that, it was poorly written and repetitive - it felt like the author was trying to take a limited amount of material and stretch it out into a book. It's not a good sign when the most engaging part was the chapter section that had long sections of verbatim quotes from Minneapolis Tribune articles.