Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Tough Jews : Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams by Rich Cohen ISBN: 0-375-70547-3 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 01 April, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.97 (36 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Great Read. Godfather Meets Duddy Kravitz. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Comment: This book is a combination of Goodfellas, the Godfather, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and In Search of Bobby Fisher. The author gives us an amazing historical account of the fathers of modern organized crime -- most of whom were jewish and all of whom were incredibly colorful. The biggest surprise, however, is that the most colorful characters in the book are not the gangsters (with names like Tic Toc, Bugsy and Kid Twist), but the author's non-gangster father and his buddies. The history is terrific. Nevertheless, the book really sings when we learn about the antics of Herbie (the author's dad), Larry (King -- the CNN guy), Sid and Asher: four Brooklyn kids who followed the gangsters like most of us follow sports teams. The book is informative, poignant and, at times, hysterically funny. I've given the book as a gift to a half dozen people, and they've all raved about it. It is one of the few books around that will appeal to almost everyone. This is a no risk purchase. By the way, if you like this book, you may want to check out the author's father's book about negotiating; it too is a real piece of work.
Rating: 5
Summary: Giant matzo ball rolls over canneloni
Comment: Click on this book now, you won't regret it. The "Tough Jews" tells the juicy stories of Jewish gangsters that rival the "Godfather". I like the title and the idea behind it: the Jews can be tough. Unfortunately, in most of the old world we are still regarded as banana-shaped losers that can't defend themselves. Ha-ha!
I bought this book after reading Cohen's other one: THE AVENGERS. That one is really a must for those kvetchers that don't belive in the necessity of a "tough jew proof". If "Tough Jews" is funny, the "Avengers" is for real - it is a war story were Jews refuse to be the victims. And a great read too.
Rating: 4
Summary: Go with the flow....
Comment: I came across this book in London, England, and not being Jewish myself the subject matter intrigued me. This account of Jewish life is written in a savvy street-cred prose, which I liked, and has the feel and mood of a nostalgic narrative - sentimental at times rather than passionate, and it is really a personal oddessy fo the author.
The author depicts the gangsters in a "idealized" fashion, like a painting by Claude Lorraine: it's romanticized, stylized, and I think if this was translated into a novel it wouldn't work as well. This is clearly a journalist at work, albeitit with some measure of imagination to create a mood.
I would agree with another review that the book is somewhat disorganised and patched together, like a collection of essays or reminiscences. Perhaps, that is part of its appeal, that you can simply dip in to it without worrying too much about plot or continuity. After all, it's not a novel, but rather an account expressed as a mood of a time that shaped the gangsters who themselves shaped (and exploited) their time. If you will, it's a kind of Gatsby for real - only a lot more violent.
I would recommend the book; and wish the author well.
 |
Title: But He Was Good to His Mother : The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters by Robert A. Rockaway ISBN: 9652292494 Publisher: Gefen Publishing House, Ltd Pub. Date: February, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America by Albert Fried ISBN: 0231096836 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
 |
Title: The Avengers by Rich Cohen ISBN: 0375705295 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 09 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Jerry Capeci's Gang Land by Jerry Capeci ISBN: 1592571336 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: The last testament of Lucky Luciano by Martin A Gosch ISBN: 0316321400 Publisher: Little, Brown Pub. Date: 1975 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
