Gangsterland: A Tour Through the Dark Heart of Jazz-Age New York City

by David Pietrusza

HONORED AS THE INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD'S DISTINGUISHED FAVORITE IN THE TRUE CRIME CATEGORY (2024).

WELCOME TO JAZZ-AGE MANHATTAN'S KALEIDOSCOPIC UNDERWORLD.

A site by site, crime by crime, outlaw by outlaw walking tour through the seedy underbelly of Roaring Twenties Manhattan—where gamblers and gangsters, crooks and cops, showgirls and speakeasies ruled the day and, always, the night.

In Gangsterland, historian David Pietrusza tours the Big Apple's rotten core. The Roaring Twenties blaze and sparkle with Times Square's bright lights and showgirls, but its dark shadows mask a web of notorious gangsters ruling New York City. At the heart of this wickedness nests a "Prince of Darkness," Arnold Rothstein, the kingpin most noted for fixing baseball's infamous 1919 World Series, who also bankrolled high-stakes gambling dens, speakeasies, trigger-happy bootleggers, and even a record setting Broadway show.

Sharing center stage are con artists Nicky Arnstein and "Dapper Don" Collins; crooked cop Lt. Charles Becker; politicians Mayor "Gentleman Jimmy" Walker and "Big Tim" Sullivan; master drug smugglers George Uffner and Sidney Stajer; murderous racketeers Lucky Luciano and Legs Diamon; show biz legends Flo Ziegfeld, Fanny Brice, and Texas Guinan; and many more. As Pietrusza prowls city boulevards and back alleys, exposing Tammany Hall, sports, Broadway, and Wall Street, jewels are fenced, bullets fly, and unmarked bills buy bribes and silence.

Readers get up close and personal with this rogues' gallery but better check their wallets before they leave.

Genres: Crime, Nonfiction

476 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

David Pietrusza has produced a number of critically-acclaimed works concerning 20th century American history.

His book "1960: LBJ vs JFK vs Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies" was named by ForeWord Magazine as among the best political biographies.

Pietrusza's "1920: The Year of the Six Presidents" received a Kirkus starred review, was honored as a Kirkus "Best Books of 2007" title, and was named an alternate selection of the History Book Club. Historian Richard Norton Smith has listed "1920: The Year of the Six Presidents" as being among the best studies of presidential campaigns.

Pietrusza's biography of Arnold Rothstein entitled "Rothstein: The Life, Times & Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series" was a finalist for the 2003 Edgar Award. Rothstein's audio version won an AUDIOFILE Earphones Award.

Pietrusza's "Judge and Jury, his biography of baseball's first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis," received the 1998 CASEY Award and was also a Finalist for the 1998 Seymour Medal and nominated for the NASSH Book Award.

Pietrusza collaborated with baseball legend Ted Williams on an autobiography called "Ted Williams: My Life in Pictures."

Pietrusza served as president (1993-97) of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and as editor-in-chief of the publishing company Total Sports. He has been interviewed on NPR, MSNBC, C-SPAN, ESPN, the Fox News Channel, EBRU-TV, and the Fox Sports Channel. He has produced and written the PBS-affiliate documentary, "Local Heroes."

Pietrusza holds a master's degrees in history from the University at Albany and has served on the City Council in Amsterdam, New York. He has served as public information officer for the NYS Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform and the NYS Office of the Medicaid Inspector General."

Reviews

[Jess Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listy

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I wasn't expecting it to be a big list of people and places. 3 stars because there were some points I found interesting and paused to find another podcast or book covering the specific topics. I enjoyed reading about the females involved.

[Shanon Whitfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written enjoyed book