Tommy: The Gun That Changed America

by Karen Blumenthal, Maggi-Meg Reed (Narrator)

John Taliaferro Thompson had a mission: to develop a lightweight, fast-firing weapon that would help Americans win on the battlefield. His Thompson submachine gun could deliver a hundred bullets in a matter of seconds—but didn't find a market in the U.S. military. Instead, the Tommy gun became the weapon of choice for a generation of bootleggers and bank-robbing outlaws, and became a deadly American icon. Following a bloody decade—and eighty years before the mass shootings of our own time—Congress moved to take this weapon off the streets, igniting a national debate about gun control. Critically-acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal tells the fascinating story of this famous and deadly weapon— of the lives it changed, the debate it sparked, and the unprecedented response it inspired.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Crime, Audiobook, Historical, Middle Grade, Teen

4 pages, Audiobook

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

Karen Blumenthal is a critically acclaimed author of narrative nonfiction for young people, who is fascinated by controversial subjects and social change. Her books include Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different; Tommy: The Gun that Changed America; Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History, and Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX. Her books have won a Sibert Honor and a Jane Addams Children's Book award and have been a finalist for YALSA's Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award three times. She lives in Dallas, where Roe v. Wade originated. For more information, go to www.karenblumenthal.com.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never really thought that much about how guns were made through the years. This was a great story about one gun that seemed like it started it all. I love to learn, I especially love to learn history, and this was very educational and told in a way that made sense to me. I know nothing about guns and I could follow along well. If you want to learn the history of the Tommy Machine Gun, and some of those most famous people to use it, this is a great book to read.

I was able to listen to the audio through the audiobooksync program, and I do recommend it. The narration was great!

4.5 stars for the story, 5 for narration.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blumenthal created a very succinct, well-researched, easily-read narrative about the the invention of the Thompson submachine gun taking readers back to specific guns and their uses in war and on the streets before it's invention, who and why it was created, then how it affected history including the political and judicial landscape especially as it was born around the 1920s as Prohibition was taking hold and gangsters were running around cities.

There are plenty of useful and informative pictures alongside the text that's accessible and readable rather than a spewing of facts. With plenty of back matter its just as useful as a narrative nonfiction as a research text if needed not only about guns and warfare but specific time periods and about men like J. Edgar Hoover, Dillinger, or Al Capone.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

True rating: 2.5 stars - It was an average book

I thought that the author was using the book as a platform to subtly advocate for gun control, particularly later in the book. Nothing overt or bombastic..just subtle that was still a negative for me as that isn't what I thought I was signing up for when I checked this one out or what the title implies, so my rating suffered as a result.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Tommy” is a story of a gun about which most have heard but few know much about. This short book, 232 pages, footnotes and index included, tells its circuitous story. The test is liberally supplemented by photographs.

The invention of John Thompson, it followed the line of development from Gatling guns of the Civil War and Spanish American War and the M1911 .45 pistol. World War I stimulated firearm development leading to the Browning Automatic Rifle, the weight and recoil of which limited its effectiveness. Thompson’s vision was “a small machine gun, a gun that will fire fifty to one hundred rounds, so light that a man can drag it with him as he crawls on his belly from trench to trench and wipe out a whole company single-handed.” He set up Auto-Ordnance Corporation to manufacture his weapon. Design delays and the Armistice delayed commercial success. Without U. S. military orders, Thompson turned to police and foreign buyers, including the Irish Republican Army. Many came into the hands of gangsters who used them in their wars with other gangs and police. World War II finally saw the Thompson in its intended wartime use by American, French, British and Russian forces.

I found this book to be very interesting primarily due to its trapse though the legends of the underworld with appearances by Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde and the good guys like J. Edgar Hoover and Michael Collins. It truly was “The Gun That Changed America”. Enjoy reading how.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: TOMMY: THE GUN THAT CHANGED AMERICA by Karen Blumenthal, Roaring Brook, June 2015, 240p., ISBN: 978-1-62672-084-8

“Now as through this world I ramble
I see lots of funny men.
Some will rob you with a six gun
And some with a fountain pen.
But as through your life you travel
As through your life you roam
You won’t ever see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.”
-- Woody Guthrie, “Pretty Boy Floyd”

“From the time the Bill of Rights was adopted until the 1930s, none of the handful of gun lawsuits that made their way to the U.S. Supreme Court addressed whether the Second Amendment gave individuals a right to own firearms. From the earliest days, settlers had restricted some gun ownership, for instance, by trying to stop firearms trading with Native Americans and forbidding slaves to have guns. Such efforts, including the disarming of blacks during Reconstruction, underscored a reality throughout American history: Those with guns held political power and those without firearms clearly did not.”

My grandparents, who lived through Prohibition and raised their children during the Great Depression, told us stories about the days of Al Capone, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Saturday Night Massacre.

Today’s kids don’t have similar live connections to those times. For them, TOMMY: THE GUN THAT CHANGED AMERICA provides a fascinating and colorful look at the most notorious gangsters in U.S. history. This “true crime” facet of Karen Blumenthal’s latest history book will spark the interest of and entertain many young readers. Other readers will be engaged by the many social and political issues surrounding the manufacture, marketing, and sale of firearms in a free enterprise system.

Readers of this book might find themselves considering whether the Second Amendment (the right to keep and bear arms) is as important as the First Amendment (freedom of speech) as gun proponents argue. Or is it as bogus and antiquated as Biblical verses that are cited to marginalize women and condemn gays?

What’s a Tommy gun? Check out the music video for Fergie’s “Glamorous” (featuring Ludacris) for an eyeful.

What’s the big deal about Tommy guns? Well, they were developed by John Thompson, a former Army officer who was an expert in weaponry. Thompson hoped to make a fortune selling the high-powered weapons to the military. When that didn’t work out, he found middlemen who peddled them to the Irish Republican Army and other revolutionaries, to companies that didn’t want to put up with their workers going out on strike, and to gangsters intent on killing one another. The Tommy gun’s ability to fire many bullets in mere seconds made for some lively--and deadly--times in America.

Blumenthal’s tale includes stories about J. Edgar Hoover and the early days of the federal agency that became the FBI. She chronicles the many attempts to restrict sales of various firearms and the rise of the National Rifle Association. Bringing us to the present, the author quotes President Obama speaking about all the teens being shot to death in his hometown of Chicago.

Is there anywhere else in the world where guns and gun play are so romanticized as they are in the U.S.? It scares the hell out of me to know that millions of preschoolers are practicing killing people every day in violent video games. What leads parents to teach and support such desensitizing and antisocial behavior? A careful read of TOMMY supplies an arsenal of facts about the way that a culture of weaponry developed in America.

Returning to the Woody Guthrie song, Karen Blumenthal’s TOMMY and Sheila Bair’s THE BULLIE$ OF WALL STREET might make odd but interesting literary bedfellows.

Richie Partington, MLIS
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[Owen Norcross · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, It may get off topic, it may sound left, but it does to make a historical story about Vito's choice of weapon.
Note to right the ending may sound left to you but it is true.

[Amy Formanski Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-researched and highly readable nonfiction book connects the dots between the Tommy gun’s World War I-era origins, gangster culture of the 1920’s and 1930’s, the launch of the FBI and the current gun law debates. The detailed exploits of famous mobsters like Al Capone, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and others add massive kid appeal, but hopefully readers will absorb the message that John Thompson created this weapon with the noble intent of assisting his fellow military officers on the battlefield, not to glorify criminals.

As the Tommy gun made its way into the wrong hands during Prohibition and the Great Depression, J. Edgar Hoover and the newly-formed FBI chased gangsters around the country and botched many attempts to capture them. Eventually most of the big named were killed or thrown in jail, but obviously gun violence still weighs heavily on the minds of Americans, no matter how they feel about the Second Amendment. Blumenthal ends with an epilogue that mentions recent mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut that fueled intense new discussions about gun laws. She offers no easy answers about “finding the right balance between individual freedom and community safety,” only open-ended questions. She concludes: “This is the challenge that persists: How to effectively address the consequences of powerful weapons in the wrong hands. That’s the complex legacy of the Tommy gun that still reverberates today.” This compelling book should give young readers plenty of questions to contemplate.

From a librarian’s viewpoint, this is one of those frustrating titles perfect for 12-14 year olds and therefore it’s tough to decide where to shelve it. Kids or Teens? I leaned toward classifying it in the Teen section, but tweens will certainly show interest in it and can handle the content just fine.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am massively opposed to guns in any way shape or form and am shocked at how interesting I found Tommy: The Gun That Changed America. I can only say this indicates the author is very skilled at storytelling.

Tommy: The Gun That Changed America is a non-fiction history of the Tommy Gun. It was originally designed by John Thompson as a weapon to be carried by soldiers, but was perfected just as World War I ended. This is the submachine gun we have seen used many times in old movies about gangsters. It brings to mind Edward G. Robinson or Jimmy Cagney in some of their roles as ruthless mobsters, or as G Men on the other side of the law. When you hear about the Valentine's Day Massacre or the death of Bonnie and Clyde, you think of the Tommy Gun. But, the gun was not just used by law enforcement as intended. Many innocents were killed and many companies used the guns against labor unions.

The Tommy gun was easy to purchase, easy to carry and I am sure is the inspiration for the term "riddled with bullets", as it could fire so rapidly it could empty its magazine in just a couple of minutes - that's 50 - 100 bullets.

The story of the Tommy gun includes many names we have heard and how they are connected to the use of the gun or the laws to stop their use. You will read about Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, John Dillinger, J. Edgar Hoover and his G-Men, President Roosevelt, etc. etc. This tells the story of the IRA, the NRA, the FBI and the birth of gun control laws. And, this story is told well.

Tommy: The Gun That Changed America is truly a fascinating read. It is another great example of non-fiction reading like fiction. We see the mistakes of the few and how they cause pain to so many. Highly recommended

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I am not a big fan of guns, I have enjoyed Blumenthal's other works, so I decided to go ahead and read this one. I found the history of the Tommy gun rather fascinating and rather sad at the same time. Guns of course are just tools, but they are tools with only one purpose: to kill. And reading this made that very clear. While Thompson's original intentions when he started working on the gun were good, his actions when the gun went on sale suggest that supporting his business was more important than standing for what he claimed to believe. In today's age of wide-spread gun control laws with the possibility of more lurking around the corner, it was rather appalling to read about how easy it was for people to get their hands on this semi-automatic weapon. People seemed to get away with a lot at the time, especially with the widespread corruption. This is as much a story about the development of laws as it is a history of a gun. Brief histories of some well-known gangsters/criminals who used Tommy guns are also included (Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, Al Capone, etc.). A fascinating look at a time quite different than our own but that had a huge impact on where we are now in terms of law and order and what is acceptable and what isn't.

[Kate K. F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched and thought provoking book that explores the history of the Tommy gun. The period pictures and considered use of primary images make this book a good resource. As I was reading it, two young men commented on it, drawn by the gorgeous cover and the history held in the Tommy gun. Blumenthal creates a strong narrative that begins in the Civil War with the Gatling gun and ends in present day discussions of gun control. In the back are well organized references that allow a leader to do their own research.

I picked up my ARC at the publisher's booth at ALA Midwinter 2015.

[Blake Norby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. A bit boring at first, for sure, and I'm not really into gun history. If I just pretended I was watching an episode of Pawn Stars and Rick was telling me all of this information, it was easier to read. Plus the photographs were a really cool addition.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know a lot of boys that are really going to enjoy this book. Tommy is the name, but the book is about far more than the gun. It reads quickly, tells some pretty good historical information, and leaves you with something to think about. Very enjoyable!

[Sheila Bracken · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not uncommon for events to have unintended outcomes. This book illustrates that truth in a number of ways. One is that a young man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary in December 2012 with an arsenal of weapons and used then to murder 26 people, 20 of them children, and the author of this book decided to look at the history of automatic weapons in this country.
Though it was not the first of such weapons, the Thompson Submachine Gun was the first to be manufactured on a large scale, advertised in magazines and newspapers, and sold in sporting goods stores. John Thompson, the gun’s brain child, intended the gun for the military as a means of saving the lives of American soldiers. He never considered that the military wouldn’t want it or that the gun would become highly favored by criminals, particularly gangsters and mobsters during Prohibition and throughout the Depression.
The book tells the stories of the prominent criminals--Al Capone, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson--and the lawmen who tracked them down--J. Edgar Hoover. In the process, the FBI was born and many crime fighting procedures were initiated, such as fingerprinting and gun registration. It also shows how the NRA began its rise to power by battling for the rights of gun owners and against government regulation.
For such a small book, it contains a lot of information. Some of it did not interest me because I am not a gun enthusiast. Some of it surprised me--the bungling of those in law enforcement, the embellishment of the press, the hero worship of violent criminals, the fact that those on the run tended to stay in the center of the country, circling back to their home states rather than going west. And as with Clyde Barrow, most of the big time criminals in the 1920s-30s were short and had little or no education. Apparently neither height nor the ability to read negatively impacts one’s ability to pull a trigger. 3.5

[Ben Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most interesting part in Tommy: The Gun That Changed America was on page 96 where the author was talking about a shooting on July 1931, in Little Italy. That incident was called the "baby massacre." Tommy: The Gun That Changed America is a nonfiction book focused on the Thompson submachine gun, and the author of the book was Karen Blumenthal who mentioned a lot about the history behind the Tommy gun. A main component in the book was how Karen Blumenthal broke the chapters into the history of the Tommy gun and an incident that involved the Tommy gun and criminals. At the top of page 104 it talks about a shooting and at the bottom of page 105 it talks about troubled times and how the Tommy gun could end up in the wrong hands fast. In Karen Blumenthal's book she describes the conflict in many interesting ways, which made each chapter suspensful. During the early parts of the book it mentions a suspenseful shootout between multiple men, and in the shootout a man is struck in the head and dies on the spot. While Karen's book was a lot on criminals and shootouts the book still mentioned a lot on the Thompson submachine gun's history. When John Taliaferro Thompson thought of the idea to make a rapid firing, lightweight gun to help men in war take lives more effeciently he didn't think he would run into so much difficulty. To conclude, someone who would be interested in reading this book would be a person who enjoys reading about a gun that was made in the past and how when it got into the wrong hands it could do a lot of damage quickly.

[Kyle Scherz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Level: 8.3, 8th-10th grade

A history of the Thompson sub-machine gun, from its genesis as an intended military tool to its adoption by the gangsters of the prohibition era and other implications such as the quasi-legal disarmament of black and brown people.

Writing Traits:
- Organization: From the start, there's a strong pull. What could be better than a gun that was developed for use by the government that was co-opted by decidedly antigovernmental forces? This tagline is backed by history that might be familiar like the gangsters many have seen in movies and some history that may have been over-looked by the masses. The combination makes this book interesting, even though there might be some bias that creeps in.
- Presentation: I'm not sure that most of the pictures and the layout do much more than attempt to keep the intended audience engaged, but it certainly does that. Pictures in a historical book are helpful to put faces to names. There are a few pictures of newspaper articles and maps from the era that serve a little more purpose, and this is a good add for educational purposes.

Teaching:
Thinking like a social studies teacher, I might use this book to start a grander conversation. Have students do some research on other inventions that were intended for government use but made their way into society or pop-culture. I'm thinking Tang for the astronauts or the Internet for the military.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot
There once was a man who wanted to increase efficiency of kills during wartime. He dreamed of a gun that could spout lots of bullets at once. John Thompson, inventor of the Tommy Gun, created "the deadliest weapon, pound for pound, ever designed by man." But it wasn't used for wars--the military had no interest. No, instead it ended up in the hands of gangsters [like Al Capone], criminals, and extremist groups.

From the 1930s, the Tommy Gun was portrayed as a cool weapon wielded by badass criminals, but over time the media's portrayal of them switched over to cops as the good guys. Gun laws over time required the registration of the weapons.

Review
I don't know why I read/listened to this... I think it was recommended after I finished "Killers of the Flower Moon". Mostly I was interested in the FBI aspects.

This felt so long... I thought it was hours and hours of hearing about stupid white men who invent mass killing machines that lack regulations. But, turns out I listened to the four hour audiobook in three very very long hours.

The book was fine. The narrator was fine. Despite hating guns, I do think this was decently researched and it included a lot of photos. Bonus: I learned that Machine Gun Kelly was the nickname of a bad guy 100 years ago, and is now the name of a weird singer.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...

I was more interested in this one than I thought I would be. The background on the purpose and process of development of the Tommy gun and then the gangsters who used them and the development of the FBI all came from a somewhat unexpected angle that generated interest. None of it is overly detailed (which works here), but it filled in some good gaps for me.

Overall, though, this isn't merely history. It's really a consideration of how this gun changed how firearms are considered in America: the NRA, law enforcement, and legal considerations of the 2nd amendment. Considering gun legislation from this historical viewpoint, along with the gun that shifted how people saw these issues for the first time, was interesting and provided some necessary context to how we deal with these issues today.

This is probably a book more for the consideration of gun rights and how they've developed than a straight history of something that seems somewhat like a blip in history, so take that into account when choosing whether or not to pick this up.

[Shella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does not glorify guns and outlines an interesting history of the current gun laws that are in place now. Lower readers may find it dry. I think students interested in this topic will be surprised and intrigued at the other historical topics of that time era. Really frightening how the government and Hollywood colluded to paint a picture of what the government wanted. One could argue it was a worthy topic at that time. However, it made me wonder -what topics today is Hollywood rolling out and which groups have Hollywood's ear to indoctrinate people that don't read enough and learn to critically think on their own? So yes -it had an excellent history about guns in America, but the rise of the FBI and Hoover were more frightening to me.

[Andrea Vanmiddendorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out to be much different than I expected. I thought it would be more gun history but was actually more mobster history. But I guess the two go hand in hand. I was not dissapointed. I love mobster history. And even while reading it I found myself once again on the side of the "bad guys". One interesting fact I learned from this book was that John Dillinger, famous bank robber and gangster, had several moles removed, the dimple in his chin filled in and put acid on his fingers to change his fingerprints...to alter his appearance from the FBI. Several of these "surgeries" done in the back room of a liquor sellers home.

[Laney Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Blumenthal's riveting biographies of Steve Jobs and Hillary Rodham Clinton, I decided to read Tommy: The Gun That Changed America. By focusing on the Thompson submachine gun from its inception to the role it played in 1930s-era bank robberies, the author is able to provide a historical context to the issues behind today's debate over gun legislation. This is a fascinating, well-researched, page-turning account of an American invention with a legacy we're living with today. As with her biographies, Blumenthal brings clarity to a complex subject. Written for young readers (middle school thru high school), I highly recommend this compelling work of nonfiction.

[Todd Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a broad stroke history of crime, gun control, FBI and the 1930s. The author does a great job giving you a taste of issues prominent in the USA and still being discussed today. After reading you feel inspired to read about the many topics covered the detailed bibliography provides many suggestion. Get this book, read it, and you have a better understanding of current topics regarding gun violence and public reaction.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read on an infamous weapon and interesting slice of American History. Conceived as a weapon needed to arm soldiers for future combat it became notorious through its use by prohibition gangsters and depression era bank robbers. It’s reputation lead to a number of firsts for the nation: the first federal police force in the FBI and the National Firearms Act with its $200 tax that exists to this day.

[Toni FGMAMTC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the history of the tommy gun. It goes all the way back to invention. It gives the history of how the guns were designed and manufactured, how wars changed, how it became linked to crime families and FBI G-men, and how laws and organizations changed during that time. I learned some stuff and I didn't find the history boring at all. Also, I think it does a good job of just telling the facts not opinions.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting history that I didn't know. I learned about the intentions of the invention of the gun (for war), how it was actually rejected by our military at first and only made it's way into the hands of gangsters and the detrimental effect that had on American society during Prohibition, and how it was this machine gun that led to the very delayed response by the government in creating (attempting) the first pieces of gun control legislation. A quick and interesting read.

[Monica Gargac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed work. Blumenthal does a great job intertwining the bland facts of inventing and trying to sell the Tommy gun with the more interesting information on famous gangsters. She is not preachy or slanted toward one side or the other regarding gun ownership---this is just a factual book about a gun. Enjoyable change from fiction novels.

[Owen Cropper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen Blumenthal's, Tommy: The Gun That Changed America, is a very interesting book. It's an easy read yet very informative about the Thompson submachine gun's creation and effect on America. The book is not only about the invention of the weapon, but also how mobsters and bootleggers used it during the prohibition. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in history or inventions.

[Hector Laureano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and interesting read. Very relevant to today and gives you and idea of how we’ve gotten to where we have in terms of gun laws etc. As the title states, it heavily focuses on the Tommy Gun’s affects in the US. If you are interested in this weapon in regards to its impact during WWII you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book about the history of the Tommy gun. Blumenthal's narrative non-fiction writing is easily readable, and takes the reader on a journey through the 1920s and 1930s, and ends with an epilogue about modern day gun legislation.

[Myra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, engaging book about the history of the Tommy gun. Two things I found especially interesting: 1) how the opinion of how war should be conducted has changed over time and 2) the wording of the second amendment and how that changed before it was adopted. I wish more people knew about that.

[Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good