Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York

by C. Alexander Hortis

Forget what you think you know about the Mafia. After reading this book, even life-long mob aficionados will have a new perspective on organized crime.Informative, authoritative, and eye-opening, this is the first full-length book devoted exclusively to uncovering the hidden history of how the Mafia came to dominate organized crime in New York City during the 1930s through 1950s. Based on exhaustive research of archives and secret files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, author and attorney C. Alexander Hortis draws on the deepest collection of primary sources, many newly discovered, of any history of the modern mob.Shattering myths, Hortis reveals how Cosa Nostra actually obtained power at the inception. The author goes beyond conventional who-shot-who mob stories, providing answers to fresh questions such * Why did the Sicilian gangs come out on top of the criminal underworld? * Can economics explain how the Mafia families operated? * What was the Mafia's real role in the drug trade? * Why was Cosa Nostra involved in gay bars in New York since the 1930s? Drawing on an unprecedented array of primary sources, The Mob and the City is the most thorough and authentic history of the Mafia's rise to power in the early-to-mid twentieth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, American History, New York, Audiobook

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2014

About the author

"[A] fascinating look at the crime and what came after...the reader is rewarded by the increasingly bonkers trials and their fallout." -New York Times book review

"Hortis's fastidious historical detail makes this episode come to life.... Fans of Daniel Stashower will love this." -Publishers Weekly *STARRED* Review

Book trailer for The Witch of New York is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYoSB...

Reviews

[Will Meyerhofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best all-around history of the mafia I've ever encountered - it's compulsively readable and seems to delight in overturning myth after myth, all the while answering those nagging questions that never seemed to receive meaningful answers before - like, how did the mafia actually work as a business, and how did the "made men" live on a day to day basis? How did it rise to power - and why was it composed primarily of Italians, and not some other ethnic group? How did the mafia work with/relate to Jewish, Chinese and African-American gangsters (often, it turns out, they cooperated.) What really happened at that big mob conference in Apalachin and why did it matter? Why didn't Hoover and the FBI break up the mafia back in its heyday?

This book is filled with unexpected revelations, and it's written in an exciting, clear-cut style, so I was literally up half the night, unable to put it down. According to Hortis - a protege of James Jacobs, the NYU Law professor who is the top expert on all things Cosa Nostra - the mafia was run along the lines of a franchise business and - counter to their mythology and lies - made a good chunk of its profits from importing narcotics in bulk from Europe. Hortis explores the mob's control - for many decades - over NYC's gay bars. He delves into the lives of the mob defense lawyers, who often got sucked into becoming mobsters themselves, with interesting and often disastrous consequences. He talks about how the mob infiltrated unions during the 1930's, after losing immense profits from the repeal of Prohibition. He tackles the myth of the "omerta" and - across the boards - surprises you with his conclusions.

Yes, there are also plenty of bloody gangland assassinations and mob wars between "families" and delicious anecdotes and details on the mobsters themselves, in all their sociopathic glory. This is juicy stuff.

The Mob and the City is history at its best - fantastically thorough, ground-breaking research that revises everything we know about a fascinating subject, coupled with a terrific knack for story-telling. Trust me, even if you're not sure you're all that curious about the mafia... you'll get sucked in by the first chapter. You'll try to get away, but it'll keep pulling you back...

[Day Rusk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hate to do this, but after reading more than two-thirds of author C. Alexander Hortis’s book on the rise of the New York Mafia, I just had to give it up; there really was no point in continuing on. If you’re new to the history of the Mafia during the 20th Century, you may enjoy it, but I’d still encourage you to seek out other books on the subject in order to wet your feet.

The promise of The Mob and The City was a new perspective or outlook on a history that is tired and well mined by other historians. The promise was made, but Hortis didn’t pull it off. For a good part of the book, to prove the history has been warped, he uses Bonanno crime family boss, Josephy Bonanno’s 1983 autobiography, A Man of Honor as an example. Bonanno wrote this book after being dissatisfied with Gay Talese’s 1971 book on the Bonanno Family, Honor Thy Father for which Bonanno participated by giving the author interviews. It is generally known by those of us who have read extensively on Mob history that Bonanno’s book is a bit of a whitewash; Bonanno painting the biased picture he wanted to paint – in essence furiously putting make-up on a pig, hoping we won’t notice it’s still a pig. So, referring to this book throughout The Mob and The City to make a point doesn’t get the job done.

I’ll admit I’m biased. This is an area of interest, but at the same time, I’m also somewhat opened minded. I enjoyed Jonathan Eig’s Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America’s Most Wanted Gangster, in which Eig posits that The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre had absolutely nothing to do with Al Capone, but was the result of something else. Here he makes a good argument; however I’m still inclined to give ole Scarface the credit there. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was the first criminal case that fully embraced, at that time, the new science of ballistics, and because of that, the guns used in the commission of that crime have been tied back to too many Capone associates.

But I digress. I went into The Mob and The City with a great deal of excitement, but found it lacking, both in information, as well as style and presentation. Many times I felt like I was reading a textbook, but not one with sufficient information and insight to correctly educate me. I value the effort by the author, but as far as I’m concerned, it was a swing and a miss.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mob and the City gives an overview of the New York Mafia from the late 1920s to the late 1950s. What makes this book different and what makes it stand out is the amount of research that went into making this work and its accuracy. He goes into details of the Castellammarese War and the 1957 Apalachin meeting that no one else has even touched. He did this by digging into the archival records in New York, Maryland and Washington, DC, and analyzed them like only a lawyer can. Beyond that, Hortis is a good writer. The book is a good read and his style keeps you interested. Once I started reading a chapter I was almost forced to continue to the end because of his storytelling skills. Hortis also went after several myths, like the Mafia's avoidance of drugs. He provides a long list of names that leaves the reader without having any doubt that the Mafia was deep in the drug trade. I believe Hortis's book would be an invaluable addition for the reader interested in Mafia and organized crime studies, True Crime, American History and New York History.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting take on the history of the Mafia in New York. I enjoyed reading this and I feel like I learned some things I didn't know before. This book claims to dispel a lot of "myths" that have been repeatedly told throughout the years about the Mafia. Whether or not any myths were actually dispelled is debatable in my opinion. I always just enjoy reading about all the old guys, hearing all the old stories, and discovering what they were all into. It's all very fascinating to me and I will definitely continue to read and learn as much about this topic as I possibly can!

[Patrick Macke · Rating 5 out of 5]

first rate history of the mafia in NYC ... a well-written myth-buster ... have not seen a clearer picture about how the five families came into existence, the roles they played and the business model that sustained them - and it could only have happened in NYC ... all the facts, complete with what's missing in similar books, namely, pictures, maps, tables, names

[Kathy Allard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I finished this months ago but was working my way slowly through the footnotes, which are of course not available on the audiobook and add a lot to the story.

When an author repeatedly tells the reader that his book is different than all the rest, in this case histories of the Mafia in New York City, how his book is the first to reveal the whole truth, is ground breaking, etc etc, naturally my reaction is going to be a defensive "oh yeah? Prove it." And it is true that the author used numerous primary sources that he had to dig up in academic archives, still I heard a lot of info that I already knew, and then a disproportionate amount of time was spent on one incident, the feds' bustup of the Apalachin Meeting in 1957, which bored me. So overall ... meh, but I'm thankful for those footnotes that lead to primary sources.

[Walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hortis proposes to write a revisionist history of the New York Mafia. His book is based on a plethora of primary sources and contrasting existing popular sources. Hortis takes particular aim at Joe Bonanno's autobiography as causing many of the popular misconceptions about the Mafia. He relies a bit more on the memoirs of Joe Valachi and Nicola Gentile; but only as axillary support for arguments based on legal documents and government documents.

The writing style is more in line with graduate school term papers rather than chapters in a book for popular consumption. There is a strong attempt to make the book academic, probably in the style of his mentor, James Jacobs. While Jacobs is a well-regarded expert on crime, his writing is dry and almost insufferable. Fortunately, Hortis finds some balance between academe and junk for the public.

Most of the book is not really revisionist history; but offering a new perspective. Using government studies of commerce and demographics, Hortis shows how racketeers exploited weaknesses in particular businesses. He stops short of prescribing necessary conditions for racketeer infiltration; but provides excellent case studies in waterfront racketeering, waste hauling, etc. Readers could probably learn the same information from other books; but Hortis packages everything together in a quick (and superbly-documented) book.

Hortis has a special place in his mind to debunk popular misconceptions of the mob, especially narcotics, Apalachin, and the Castellemarese War. Many of these myths have already been debunked in the scholarly literature - a la Informer Journal. However, Hortis packages everything, adds more detail, and delivers it to readers. More so than previous revisionist studies, Hortis relies on court records and government documents to support his assertions. His research, more than his writing, makes this book invaluable to all types of readers.

Overall, this is an impressive book that has a lot to offer. In a marketplace inundated with mass-produced, self-published junk on the mob, The Mob and the City offers excellent scholarship, good writing, and an easy writing style.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-researched book on the mafia's proliferation in NYC during the early to mid 1900's provides a great historical context that separates facts from myths. You will come away from this book gaining great insight into the brutal rise of Italian mobsters, and why they were able to flourish for decades. It does jump around a bit however, and left me wanting to read more. It's a very good read that won't disappoint.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hortis demolishes what we thought we knew about the Mob and builds a new history upon a solid foundation of exclusive documentary evidence and superb insight. The Mob and the City is essential reading for all who seek to truly understand the phenomenon of organized crime in America's most populous city.

[Erichyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

One-note. I've read it all before.

[Lennert Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read hundreds of books relating to the Italian Mafia in the United States, The mob and the City by C. Alexander Hortis turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not only gives the book a very accurate account of the rise of the New York Mafia from the 1920s up to the 1950s, the result of extensive research, Hortis actually managed to provide readers with plenty of information that can not be found in any of the already existing books dealing with the same subject. Always wondered about the extent of influence the New York mob had on the waterfront, in the narcotics trade and in New York City's nightlife? The Mob and the City has the answers!!

I would recommend The Mob and the City to anyone with an interest in the American Mafia or the shady side of NYC. This is just one of those rare books that deserves a prominent place on any bookshelf.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York" chronicles the New York Mafia from the 1920s, through the 1950s. Like others have mentioned. The research involved with writing this book was astounding. The last half of The Mob and The City" was literally taken over by the pages listing the extensive annotations and notes for those who wish to do further research. All in all this was a really good book. It starts out slow, but quickly gains steam and moves along nicely. Anyone who has a serious interest in the research of organized crime should read this book. After I was finished reading this book it kept me with wanting more. Needless to say I HIGHLY recommend that you read it if your into mafia related true crime books.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat different portrayal of the emergence of the Mafia as the dominant force in organized crime in the first half of the 20th century, Hortis views as a case of being in the right place at the right time. He realizes that as minorities of that era Italians and Jews had little opportunity open to them and those inclined to criminality whether by temperament or circumstance went that route. He eschews the usual portrayal of the mobsters of the 30's through the 50s as respecting the "code of silence" and rejecting drug dealing as untrue and cites examples and tables to dispute the conventional view. It's a book that will be of interest to readers who have an interest in that subject.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take all of the romanticism and myth-making out of The Godfather, and you have this book. It's written very much like a history text, and shows obvious research and scholarship. Geography, economics, sociology, ethnic studies and business converge to tell the story. Surprisingly, this doesn't turn the history of the Mafia into a dry, bloodless study - it makes its trajectory a rich and integral part of the American story.

[Steven jb · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was well researched, and the author debunks some myths. The account seemed more like a series of hypotheses and disjointed articles rather than a continuous narrative, and so the reading was less enjoyable. Also, 45% of the content was references, notes, and index so the length of reading is about half of what I expected.

[Howard Spinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE BOOK that you need to read about the Mafia! It debunks all of the glamours of the Mob, and rightly shows how through the natural and unique growth of NYC industries, organized crime gained a foothold, and then with Prohibition, became a powerful syndicate. Reads like a novel!

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative but so poorly written with intros to multiple chapters stating "now let us look at...." I could not finish this book. Great topic that I hope another author tackles more successfully

[George Willey · Rating 2 out of 5]

definitely a lot of work went into gathering names and dates of events. little too much like a school book for my tastes

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

very boring. Almost torture

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"They captured New York City by becoming part of it."
Although parts of this book read like a film script, this is, as the author states, a meticulously researched authentic history. Hortis has drawn on primary sources including memoires, court records and internal papers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine.who shot who, and how and why the Cosa Nostra emerged and flourished in Gotham. And all conversations quoted are real.
Narration by I.J.Gunser is well performed, very much in the style of a newsreel commentary which seemed to fit well with the subject matter.

It is a fascinating history of the growing infiltration of the Italian mobsters in the first half of the twentieth century and continues by refuting certain myths about the mafia, such as a traditional ban on drug dealings and that to become a made man, first the hopeful candidate had to kill someone.The
narrative continues until the mob's 'terrible year' of 1957. It is all very interesting but could have been better structured to make it more reader friendly, plus the large numbers of names involved makes it difficult to easily absorb. There is, fortunately, a downloadable PDF which accompanied the audio.

A fascinating sociological peek into the growth of a crime domination, worth reading for an overview.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read my share of organized crime books and I'm sorry to say, this is among the worst I've read. The author talks down to the reader and maybe he wrote this for the people who aren't familiar at all with the Mafia. It also got old how he would take another writers work and try to find flaws in it.
Yes, we know the mafia sells drugs and when a Pathologist said 'Moretti had enough poison in him to kill 8 times over', we know he wasn't being literal and so on.
Very disappointing.

[Pinkpigg33 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book. The most difficult thing is all the names. If I was reading I wouldn't know how to pronounce, but listening it's hard to keep the m straight. It was interesting, but sometimes hard to follow. Definitely I will listen to again.

[Patrick Wikstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

extensive full-length history of the MOB primarily in the NYC area; mostly from the 30’s through the 50’s. Listened on Audible - Well narrated. I like this stuff and have read a lot about this topic. I always learn something and it was pleasant to listen to. 3***

[John Ulrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good breakdown that starts roughly around Lucky Luciano days and runs through each major event that happened over 60 years or so. It also goes into the Apalachin meeting. A great intro book about the history of the Mafia and the Life if you dont want to get bogged down with any one family..

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book of this which obviously does not have the footnotes. After rereading the book with these alot of it made more sense. I felt it was pretty good but some parts were quite long and other bits just briefly mentioned

[rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a compendium, so as a novice, I was pretty lost. Interesting bit about the gay bars, and how gays (or 'fairies') were common in the mafia. This also glossed over how they did crime and just said that crime was done, which bothered me. Maybe I need to read it again.

[Mark Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, well written. A review criticized his frequent use of Bonanno’s self-serving biography but the fact is that the author is constantly contradicting Bonanno and exposing his falsehoods, he uses the Bonanno book mainly for atmosphere.

[Luke Hassanzai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn good book. I think it requires some background on mob slang and dates but besides that it’s a fascinating insight on mob life in nyc and strips away inaccurate portrayals of the “honorable” gangster.

[Billy Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has never read any other books on this topic, I found it to be very informative. I'm not sure how it would fair for someone with distinct knowledge on the New York mafia, but for someone with none it was an excellent read.

[Frank Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

New take on mafia since the Godfather movie. Very insightful. ft