O Albany!: Improbable City of Political Wizards, Fearless Ethnics, Spectacular, Aristocrats, Splendid Nobodies, and Underrated Scoundrels

by William Kennedy

Kennedy's O Albany! is in part the non-fictional stories he covered in his novels, Legs and Billy Phelan's Greatest Game . Kennedy retells the exploits of the bootlegger Jack 'Legs' Diamond, the bungled 1933 kidnapping of John O'Connell, Jr., heir to the Albany Democratic machine and explores the Albany of his past, including its demographics and vanished neighborhoods.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, New York, Politics

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

William Joseph Kennedy is an American writer and journalist born and raised in Albany, New York. Many of his novels feature the interaction of members of the fictional Irish-American Phelan family, and make use of incidents of Albany's history and the supernatural.

Kennedy's works include The Ink Truck (1969), Legs (1975), Billy Phelan's Greatest Game (1978), Ironweed (1983, winner of 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; film, 1987), and Roscoe (2002).


See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_...

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing non-fiction book about the history of Albany from a Pulitzer prize winning fiction writer.

There are some very good vignettes of people from Albany and the prose itself is pretty good. However the organization of the book is terrible with timelines jumping backwards and forwards dozens of times. The level of extreme detail about all the different neighborhoods was usually uninteresting. There were also several short chapters on African-Americans, Jews and the Irish that had little substance. Mostly I think the book could have been a better read if the author had detailed the history chronologically.

I have to believe since Kennedy wrote many highly acclaimed fictional books set around Albany such as Ironweed, Legs, and Billy Phelan's Greatest Game that this non-fiction effort was essentially a regurgitation of facts that were gathered about Albany over the years as background for his other books.

I am more interested in the earlier periods of Albany and less so about the gangsters of the 20s and 30s and some of the politics of the era. But it became clear that these were the topics and periods that meant the most to the author. Finally, there was vey little information on the surrounding Hudson Valley region that would have made for a much more interesting book.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading but probably best read for research.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is “an Ode to Albany!” O Albany!' is a vivid and wonderfully written history of the city of Albany, New York. Part memoir, part history, author William Kennedy fluently intertwines his personal memories and anecdotes with an official history of this significant but largely unknown city. Even when describing some of the uglier aspects of the city, he writes with a sort of warm-hearted sentiment similar to a mother's defense of a beloved but wayward child. His observations are often humorous, and his writing style is smooth and enjoyable. Definitely a great book to read if you are interested at all in learning about Albany’s history! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[John Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

His novels are better but as someone moving to Albany in two days , good to read this.

[Aaron Puerzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weird and wonderful book. I read it for my thesis on Kennedy and his fiction, and his nonfiction delivered exactly as I'd hoped, mixing the mythical with the historical in a really interesting way. I'd recommend if you're drawn to the history of Albany, but also to someone who appreciates Kennedy's work and wants a look behind the curtain of what makes him tick.

[Karl Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mainly a history of Albany from 1850 - 1980, in large part told though interviews of people from all walks of life. Kennedy spoke to people from society's lower rungs all the way up through the 41-year Mayor and the boss of the local political machine. Is it comprehensive? No - and, to be fair to Kennedy, that would likely be impossible. He does try to cover each area of Albany (but not what today is considered the suburbs - Colonie, Menands, etc.) in some semblance of order, but even that's hard, as he tries to also present his interviews in a natural way, which leads to some jumping around, some flitting across decades, and some just outright hard reading.

I can't imagine anyone not of the area or without a deep connection to it would find it interesting, and there were times it was hard slogging and I WAS interested in the topic, so it's definitely not a general recommendation. For those truly with the desire to get through it, persevere and you'll definitely learn a thing or two. For a transplant to the city like me, it was interesting to learn where the names of some of the things I see on a daily basis come from.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich, steamy portrait of Albany and its ethnic neighborhoods, providing a lot of material about the Capital City in its heyday, roughly from the Roaring 20s up to World War 2. People who have not lived in Albany may find it a bit disjointed. Also, as one might expect from a book written by a newspaperman, it centers on politics, with less attention to Albany's economy. Readers planning to visit Albany should schedule an hour or two at the city's Heritage Center, off North Pearl Street, for a broader interpretation of Albany's long history. This book also is a useful reference for those who enjoy Kennedy's several Albany-based novels such as "Ironweed" and "Legs."

[Bap · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Kennedy's Albany trilogy, Legs, Billy Phelan's Greatest Game and Ironweed is a paen to the Irish in Albany in the 20's and 30's. O'Albany is a non-fiction homage of Albany, the Irish, the political bosses, and neighborhoods before Rockefeller's depressing building of the massive and fascistic government center, highways, and other misguided urban renewal projects ripped the heart and soul out of the city.

[Zach Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me, 40 years after its publication and probably more than 15 since I first read it.

I remembered it as being a one-of-a-kind book, something that both couldn't be replicated for other cities and yet should be. I'm older now and see William Kennedy as less singular (in youth, there are only the Great Authors and everyone else). Which is to say they should make more books like this.

But this one matters to me especially because I went to college at SUNY and then went into newspaper journalism and so of course I was going to love this. And now, NOW, there is nostalgia on top of it. Time has given it the feel of a true life fever dream, and sure enough I started dreaming of Albany the night I opened the book.

I did have to push through some of the neighborhood chapters with their endless street names, so many of which don't exist anymore. But they are valuable because Kennedy is setting up a living map for you to travel across as you meet the people and the politicians he covers - and covers with matter-of-fact yet occasionally fantastical prose - in the remainder of the book.

It's all so sweet and so touching, yet never cloying. The whole book is a thoroughly-researched memory and I'm so glad it exists.

[Canyon Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have had a lot more conversation about the subaltern environment of political agents. Certainly, Albany had a machine, but it's mythos is so protected and protracted by Kennedy that I feel like, even though it's so central to the story of Albany, it's still unclear to me how it responded to popular sentiment. Still, the book was pretty interesting. Incredibly bold to make the third chapter a 20 page long paragraph, and I thought the second-to-last chapter being acknowledgements was pretty cool, and the last chapter did a good job of really summing up how much more there was to the story that somehow escaped. But again, Kennedy is talking about random people, not "the people" and the issues they faced. From the anthropological ethnic stuff was not really what I was looking for, but it's the closest Kennedy gets to telling their story.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to learn more about Albany history, but this started as reminiscences of the wealthy and powerful families there, then moved into a painfully hard to read stream of consciousness about the author's experiences growing up. I got a third of the way through the book, at which point there had been only two brief acknowledgements that black people existed in Albany. I was not as impressed by this as I thought I'd be, given its reputation.

[Kenneth]

Still sitting on my unread shelf years later after picking it up because I wrote a song or poem or something that featured Legs Diamond, but I don't think I ever cracked it open

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did but it was pretty dry. It had some interesting parts about Albany but most of it was memoir from what seemed like random people adjacent to Albany history and I could have done with less of that. It’s interesting to hear the history of different neighborhoods but that was about it for me.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a mess. I read a review that states that a "straightforward, chronological history" - you know, the kind that makes sense - would "waste Kennedy's storytelling talents"; So instead here's this, which seems like Kennedy sat down with a tape recorder, then took his rambling and slapped the whole thing into a book. I just couldn't follow this book at all; On one page we're in 1890, the next page it's 1916, the page after that World War I has just ended, and the page after that we're in 1865 and Lincoln is visiting. Frankly, I think Albany has an interesting enough history that starting at the beginning with the Dutch arriving would be worth reading (hey, don't laugh!) but I couldn't make heads or tails out of this disaster. I note on the cover leaf that portions of this book appeared in the Knickerbocker Press, and if this is just a bunch of newspaper columns thrown together - it would explain, if not excuse, the mash between the covers.
(Also, "Fearless Ethnics"???)

[E. C. Koch · Rating 1 out of 5]

At no point did this book know what it wanted to be, where it was going, or what time it was. Kennedy shifts so quickly (and without warning) from history to memoir, from politics to humor, from century to century, that the spell never takes over and you're stuck just looking at words. I mean it's as if he intentionally eschews any organizational techniques here. I think that I wanted this to be a history of the city, but really what I got was a collection of memories; a people's history written by one man. And yet there are flourishes of brilliant writing that remind the reader that Kennedy is a fiction-writer first and an historian not at all. But besides those few pearls, I'm not sure what I've taken away from this, I don't really feel like I know Albany that much better. And what the fuck is with the subtitular clause "Fearless Ethnics"? I don't know, maybe it's not worth bringing this book into the 21st century. Yeah, let's leave it behind us. Far, far behind.

[Kathryn]

oh my, I forgot that I am actually still reading this book... I found it in the car today, piled underneath some diapers (clean, of course...) Lets just say, I'm working my way through slowly. I dont know why I bother. Probably some sort of misplaced obligation to read books about my home town. But the funny thing is, Kennedy's writing is so arcane and unavailable, I can't for the life of me, figure out the where the precise neighborhoods he's talking about actually are! His maps are shit, and that exacerbates the problem. But perhaps this also signifies my utter geographic cluelessness with the place where Ive spent the bulk of my life (very akin to Justin's inability to understand the difference between US 60 and the Loop 101). I'll let you know when I finish it, if I ever finish it...

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

For many William Kennedy is considered almost a mythical author, who has been able to bring history alive through his books like Ironweed and O Albany! While I too have greatly enjoyed his books, he is not without faults. While some authors handle footnotes well, I understand they can be a bit distracting when used in books for popular culture. That said there is no excuse in a non-fiction book not to have a bibliography. In addition William Kennedy’s fails to provide notes of thanks to any of the people who helped him in his research. It is sad that Kennedy has so little regard to those who came before him, to those who helped him and to those who might want to learn from what he has written. I hope authors take note that humility is a positive character trait.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may not really care about the history of Albany (I didn't) but if you have enjoyed the author's novels you will probably like this lively account of Kennedy's personal past as well as the historical and political past and present. That is, at the time of publication of course. Kennedy's prose is always entertaining as is his obvious affection for the city and all its foibles. The hugely corrupt city and county politics are truly astounding to consider. But New York's capital perseveres and still seems to produce scoundrels to an astonishing degree.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 1983. It took a while to train my mind that the "now" the author mentions was 30 years ago. In that respect, it is very dated. There were some parts where it dragged, getting bogged down in specific people from the author's past. But it was for the most part, interesting and I did learn some things about Albany. If you realize you don't have to read every single word (and thus feel bogged down), it is a decent read.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished it on the second try.

This time I read it in very small bites, one story - even smaller than one chapter at a time. That made it more digestible.

I'm glad I read it because of the many vignettes that I can relate to, but unless you like the style or unless you're a local it can be a struggle.

[Jp j · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of Albany, NY by a man who lives there and loves it. Full of characters of types who are fast vanishing. He also wrote Ironweed which became a movie with Meryl Streep and, maybe, Jack Nicholson.

[Ezra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read a couple of chapters. While I'd love to learn more about this tortured city, seeing the city's history through his eyes is slow going and dull. Perhaps he's just color blind.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it.The beginning was good,but then i totally lost interest.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great stories about the history of Albany. I would've loved to see a couple of citations in there, though, if only to give the illusion of fact.

[JFN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining. Informative. Transportive. Valuable. Beautiful.

[Daniel J. Rowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little dated now, but still an interesting read. It's fun to experience Kennedy's appreciation for his crazy town along with him.