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mcf's review against another edition
3.0
The first half is enthralling -- a detailed, well-told exploration of how the mob came to establish a presence in Cuba, and who the primary players were. In the second half, when English tries to weave the revolution into his mob story, the telling becomes convoluted, and the narrative weakens significantly.
Still well worth reading, though, if only for the depth of the research.
Still well worth reading, though, if only for the depth of the research.
dniz23's review against another edition
5.0
If you like mafia movies like I do, then this a great book for you. Having lived in Tampa, I became particularly interested in the history and connection of the Cuban mob and Ybor City.
The internal stories are well told and honest. It really is amazing how much influence the mob had and how much they were able to get away with.
The internal stories are well told and honest. It really is amazing how much influence the mob had and how much they were able to get away with.
nancy5c322's review against another edition
3.0
What an eye opening book for me. It was well written and gave a first hand view of the environment in Cuba. After reading this you understand why the revolution led by Fidel Castro happened. So many well known mafia names are involved in the corruption with the cuban government. You actually feel the anger and contempt the Cuban people must have felt. It explained why my parents were so caught up in what Fidel Castro stated he was fighting for. It made me realize how little I know about Cuba but I plan to continue learning more.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
No doubt about it: T.J. English is one of our great gangster chroniclers.
Here he takes on a crime story with an added degree of difficulty: the mob’s role in Cuba’s casinos just as Fidel Castro was ascending to power, changing the island (and, frankly, American politics) forever.
I know next-to-nothing about the Cuban Revolution so take that for what it’s worth; my competency in fact checking English’s work here is not up to a high standard. Still, I felt like English did a great job giving attention to the two stories and how they eventually converged in a catastrophic way for the mob. He doesn’t take digs at Fidel; he’s honest about what was being fought for and how American foreign policy had exploited Cuba for generations. He also doesn’t glamorize Fidel’s revolution; examining that is for a different writer.
But he does do a fantastic job of bringing 1950s Cuba to life in all its decadent glory and how the major movers of the USA mob saw the island as a cash cow through with they could lauder their ill gotten gains. In particular, he brings to life the powerful but mysterious figure of Meyer Lansky. Despite being a Jew, Lansky’s contributions to the world of the Italian Mafia are immeasurable. He along with other survivors of bootlegger wars across the country set up the organization as a criminal cartel that dominated the US underworld for decades. Meyer was the brains behind everything, yet was such a persistently private person that there aren’t as many good works about him as there are about his contemporaries. This may be the best. English gives us a close, well-researched glimpse at the man, his motives, his maneuvers and everything. He bet it all on Cuba and, in his own words: he crapped out. Watching this play out amidst the backdrop of revolution was wild.
An excellent true crime book that doubles as an examination of a specific period in history. Definitely check it out if you’re curious.
Here he takes on a crime story with an added degree of difficulty: the mob’s role in Cuba’s casinos just as Fidel Castro was ascending to power, changing the island (and, frankly, American politics) forever.
I know next-to-nothing about the Cuban Revolution so take that for what it’s worth; my competency in fact checking English’s work here is not up to a high standard. Still, I felt like English did a great job giving attention to the two stories and how they eventually converged in a catastrophic way for the mob. He doesn’t take digs at Fidel; he’s honest about what was being fought for and how American foreign policy had exploited Cuba for generations. He also doesn’t glamorize Fidel’s revolution; examining that is for a different writer.
But he does do a fantastic job of bringing 1950s Cuba to life in all its decadent glory and how the major movers of the USA mob saw the island as a cash cow through with they could lauder their ill gotten gains. In particular, he brings to life the powerful but mysterious figure of Meyer Lansky. Despite being a Jew, Lansky’s contributions to the world of the Italian Mafia are immeasurable. He along with other survivors of bootlegger wars across the country set up the organization as a criminal cartel that dominated the US underworld for decades. Meyer was the brains behind everything, yet was such a persistently private person that there aren’t as many good works about him as there are about his contemporaries. This may be the best. English gives us a close, well-researched glimpse at the man, his motives, his maneuvers and everything. He bet it all on Cuba and, in his own words: he crapped out. Watching this play out amidst the backdrop of revolution was wild.
An excellent true crime book that doubles as an examination of a specific period in history. Definitely check it out if you’re curious.
ignimbrite's review against another edition
3.0
This book - a (somewhat trashy) history of the American mafia's dealings in Cuba in the 1950's - explores an interesting topic, with some fascinating anecdotes. For someone who knows very little about the history of 20th century Cuba, this book was an entertaining and illuminating description of the effects of American imperialism, a corrupt dictatorship, and "creative" business, and the ways that the culture of corruption and criminality gave Castro's revolutionaries momentum. This is not the most scholarly history book I've ever read, but it was fun.
pemuth59's review against another edition
3.0
"Godfather" movie fans, welcome to the real thing. If you can readily recite all the scenes between Hyman Roth and Michael Corleone ("Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel") in Havana from "Part 2" -- this is a book you've been waiting for. OK, you'll learn that the movie played some tricks with specific time frames (big surprise), but the movie will play in your head as you read the true stories of The Mob's brief shining moment in Cuba during the 1950s. Yes, English reminds us -- through some brilliant reporting -- that these were very bad guys doing nasty, bloody business -- but it's a fascinating, cinematic tale of their rise and fall amid Castro's revolution.
anniew415's review against another edition
4.0
Very fast and fun - a great read for a long trip or plane ride. The histories of Bautista, Fidel and The Mob are delicately interwoven in a tale that never gets old. For as much as this is truth, there's a lot of surreal glamour in the telling that's immensely entertaining.