5 comments about Blood Relation.

1. Konigsberg's book is a success on many levels--as a period piece, a crime drama, and most impressively, as a profound investigation into what it means to be related to someone, anyone. Konigsberg does not flinch as he looks into what his murderous great uncle means to his family, his religion, his aspirations, and himself. An elegant, courageous work of art.



2. Blood Relation is a superbly written account of one family's secret connection to Mob violence in America. The characters are as sinister, vivid, and intriguing as any fictionalized "good fella" novella, but more frightening because every fascinating detail is true. Immersed in discovering his uncle's horrible history, Eric Konigsberg confronts his own perceptions of himself and his family. Best of all, it is a page-turning adventure for the reader.



3. I knew that I'd buy Blood Relation after reading the excerpt in the New Yorker magazine, but I had no idea how much better the book would be. Konigsberg's voice is very subtle, almost plaintive and self-abnegating, and maybe it's because he's not a hard-seller with a typically annoying therapy issue to work out that his point gets across so poignantly: how weird would it be to have a mass murdering psycho's genes double-helixed alongside yours and those of your whole family? What is it like to deal with shame, to have your family shamed, to feel somehow (if irrationally) responsible for gruesome, venally, crudely performed acts of murder that you yourself had nothing to do with, but must somehow, however tangentially, live with for the rest of your life? The story itself is fascinating for anyone who's into the fifties and sixties and the whole mafia scene and great crime stories in general. I mean, the main subject here is a true and fascinating psycho. The murders and the glee with which he executes them is beyond compare. But I think the most interesting thing for me is the delicate and evolving relationship between the writer and his uncle, the mass murderer. As a story about family, as a story about a journalist, the depiction of what it must have been like to go visit this creepy guy in jail over and over again, this guy who's manipulating you, but desperate to get his story out, who at one point gets angry at you and threatens to kill you, then later on, berates you, "Hey, you jerk, why don't you come visit me more often?? Everyone ignores me!! Where's the love???" -- it's just too odd of a scenario and too well-written not to titillate and fascinate. I'd definitely give it a ten, whatever your background is. I think for anyone with any kind of immigrant backround, which is to say 99% of America, it's a fascinating story about how hard we all try to fit in and what happens when a real weirdo/loser enters into the picture. I loved it.



4. Author Eric Konigsberg grew up in a prosperous and socially conscious Midwestern Jewish family, descendants of east European immigrants who had settled and made their living and reputation in Bayonne, New Jersey.
   
   Sometime during his young adulthood, the author is surprised to learn that his father's uncle, Harold Konigsberg (Koyo), is a violent and notorious Mafia hit man accused of some 20 murders. Not satisfied with simple murder, he is infamous for permanently disturbing the surviving family members.
   
   While writing a magazine story on mob crime, despite his family's objections, Eric becomes acquainted with Koyo, who has spent the last 40 years in jail on a never-ending self-led legal battle. Soon the author is being manipulated by his uncle to aide his crusade for freedom. His association with the crime figure ends when his life is threatened.
   
   This intriguing story is told through the uncovering of family denial and lore, historical facts, statistical data on Jewish immigrant culture, narrative from victims families, facts from FBI and court reports and commentary from Koyo himself.
   
   It's hard to say whether Konigsberg (Uncle Heshy) is a brilliantly manipulative businessman, a remorseless criminal, a loyal family man or just plain psychotic.
   
   Maybe the moral of the story is: There are some basic issues children should take advice from their parents about--and forging a relationship with family members connected to the mob might be one of them!
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Intriguing story that was most interesting to read.



5. Having known a great deal about the people depicted in this book, I do have to say that the author did a superb job. The only thing I did not care for is that 1 of the "accused" mentioned in the book is still living. I happen to be a "blood relative" of that person mentioned in the book. Although it is all a matter of public record I have to say that it is very uncomfortable knowing that Mr. Konigsberg would write this book knowing that there are other families out there who are not familiar with the events that took place,like he was. Mr Konigsberg is digging up alot of skeletons for some of the other families mentioned.

3 comments about Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All.

1. Everyone's heard of pirates Captain Kidd and Blackbeard - but history buffs may be amazed to learn these famous pirates only took about thirty ships between them, whereas Black Bart Roberts alone took more than four hundred ships in a brief period of time. Terry Breverton's Black Bart Roberts is 'must' reading for any interested in pirates and American nautical history: first-hand accounts, court documents, and maps accompany a fascinating bit of piratical history on the high seas.



2. First of all, the last reviewer pretty much just repeated the book description that's printed above, and the one on the book's back cover. Second of all, the book doesn't even get to Black Bart until page 64! Until then, it's about Captain Howell Davis, and several other captains. Why, I have no idea! I've always loved pirate movies, and pirate stories, so I thought it would be fun to get a few books, and read up on the old scallywags. Now I know we aren't supposed to like pirates. Afterall, they stole, killed, and raped among other things...all bad. But even knowing all this, most of us are very intrigued by them. Perhaps because they're dangerous and unpredictable, and they play by their own rules. Because pirates are so charasmatic and exciting, I didn't think it was possible for a pirate book to be boring, but this one is! I'm sure the author is a nice man, and I'm sure he tried hard, but this book is hard to follow, and completely lacking in excitement and good old fashioned story telling. This reads like a narrative time line, and a very confusing one at that. The first two chapters leading up to Black Bart are incredibly hard to get through, so by the time you finally do get to him, you're so confused and exhausted, that you really don't care anymore. I've read other pirate books, and it is possible to give facts, be descriptive, and also entertain at the same time. This book bored and frustrated me. I was ready to feel like I was in Black Bart's boots from beginning to end, for all the excitment and stories, but that never happened. I suggest you do yourself a favor and look up 'Black Bart' and see what other books are out there. But please, skip this one. It was so bad, I didn't even get through the whole thing.I'm sending my copy back for a refund/credit.



3. Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All is a great historical pirate book!! Black Bart was the most sucessful pirate of all time... not the most notorious, yet the most profitable pirate of all time. He acquirred more boats and booty than any other pirate in history! Another must for pirate buffs like myself!

5 comments about Elmer Mccurdy: The Life And Afterlife Of An American Outlaw.

1. Svenvold's book adds little, if anything, to the body of facts surrounding McCurdy's brief criminal career, and his much-longer postmortem career as a sideshow attraction. Early on in the book, the writer admits this.
   Nevertheless, it is entertaining reading, as Svenvold retraces McCurdy's pre- and post-mortem travels in the manner of a New Journalist.
   His reportage about the world of the carny and sideshow makes the book worth reading, but if you are seeking anything NEW about McCurdy, this is not the place to find it. Some readers may find Svenvold's writing a bit too self-conscious, and indeed there are passages in which it appears that Mark Svenvold, not Elmer McCurdy, is the subject of the book.
   Buy it anyway.



2. It's not often that one sees a biography written in such a literate, even poetic manner. Mr. Svenvold has taken the tale of the hapless outlaw, Elmer McCurdy, in a new and interesting direction: rather than reporting his life and times (and ignominious post-mortem "career") in a cut-and-dried manner, Mr. Svenvold has woven an incisive, at times deadpan-hilarious commentary on the fading Wild West, the rise of sideshows and exploitation flicks, theme tourism and other illustrations of just how low the entertainment taste of the American public can go. Notwithstanding Mr. Svenvold's concerns that he was just another in the long line of the day-glow corpse's "exploiters," he has written the equivalent of a decent burial for poor dead Elmer. Highly recommended.



3. What a crazy mixed up pile of stuff! I like Westerns,Ripley's Believe it or Not!,truth is stranger than fiction stuff,unusual characters,history,oddities,greatly miss the old freak shows that travelled with the carnivals,real life outlaws,and you name it.History is full of this stuff and to me much more fun to delve into than fiction.While the author didn't seem to come up with too much on old Elmer;probably because his short and non-illustrious produced very little;he sure found enough to spin around what he did have to create a good interresting read.I believe the period after the Civil War until the start of the 2WW produced some of the most interresting characters and times in American history.That was all before the do gooders, politically correct,boring and otherwise anal-retentive got everything under control.But then again, they probably prefer reading about some corporate business scam to the gangster days of Capone and all. Since this was the first thing I've read by the author I'll be looking to find something else from him.From what he did with this story I am sure he'll be giving us some more good stuff in the future.



4. Poor Elmer! This is one of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. If you are interested in the history of the amusement business; old west; mummies; trains; outlaws;
   this book is a must have! This book is easy to read and has quite a lot of photograhs.



5. I was given this book as a gift for my birthday by a friend of mine who said that it was one of the weirdest books that he has ever read. He was right. The story of Elmer McCurdy is definitely a weird and truly American one. This should make a great Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie, although it would be difficult to pull off the task of having the main character be a corpse for 70%-75% of the movie. Reading about how poor Elmer failed in his crimes made me LOL as the 21st Century cliche goes and reading about his strange afterlife and how he was exploited by generations of hucksters was interesting to say the least. Even though Elmer (or his corpse) had a minor part, it was facinating to read about the Bunion Derby, the only cross-country foot race. All in all, a very good read.

5 comments about Confessions of a spy: the real story of aldrich ames.

1. Ames was unduly lucky to have not been "netted" much sooner. Mr. Earley gives us a very well written piece of work.Ames was certainly not Kim Philby or 007;but He did get away with His betrayal for some years,and that alone makes it worthy for any 20th Century Historian. The little tidbit of a quite 'hot potato'betrayal story on Henry Kissenger is worth the cost of the book alone.Earley is also fair to Ames'American employers at CIA who finally pinch "the mole".



2. Step by step we are moving to the truth.
   The fiction is banal. Hence - one star for the book. The reality is amazing. Hence - 5 stars for the next book on the Ames-Colby case. The next book will be based on Dekov's memoirs.



3. I was reading "See No Evil" by Robert Baer and he briefly mentioned Aldrich Ames and decided to read a book on him. While looking for books, I was pleasantly surprised to find one written by Pete Earley. I had read "The Hot House" a couple of years ago and found Earley to be a very clear and detailed writer. I really could not wait to receive the book. My expectations were high and they were met and exceeded. The book details Ames' life from birth, it details his parents, his entry into the CIA, and ultimately his betrayal of the country. The thing I love about Earley is that he leaves no loose ends. You're never left saying, "but what ever happened to..." or "I wonder who that is...". He's a very clear writer who introduces every subject in the book. He explains the facts sharply and thoroughly, and the pacing is perfect. Earley not only gives you the details, but draws you in with a story line that adds suspense. Earley is similar to other great non-fiction writers such as Stephen Ambrose, Jon Krakauer, Simon Winchester, Mark Bowden, or Kurt Eichenwald in that he takes a real event and tells it gripping way.
   
   On the negatives, there was not an index in my book which made it difficult at times. Also, Earley was not able to get interviews with everyone involved, in particular Ames' first wife, but at the time I'm sure not everyone wanted to participate with the media.
   
   The most important aspect of the book is that Aldrich Ames cooperated with Earley with face to face interviews while awaiting trial and later through letters. But Earley did not take everything Ames told him at face value, he is not lazy or sloppy, he fact checked and questioned everything. He even fact checked with Russian KGB which demonstrates how dedicated he was to the subject. Is it definitive? Definitely not because it came out so quickly after Ames arrest (before revelations of Robert Hanssen) but it is an excellent book.



4. This is the only text I have read that provides a compelling and nuanced explanation of why Ames betrayed his country. The short answer is that he needed the money because he was living beyond his means. As a result of his work recruiting and handling spies he no longer believed it was wrong for a person to betray their country. Earley's well-written book explains how he arrived at that point. It also provides the reader with a credible look at what it is like to work for the CIA, and what it is like to work as a spy.



5. This gives the best account of Ames' CIA career, particularly prior to the time he began to work for the Soviet Union, and corrects errors in several earlier books such as Wise's.

4 comments about OKLAHOMA TOUGH: MY FATHER, KING OF THE TULSA BOOTLEGGERS.

1. This gripped me from beginning to end: a very finely drawn portrait of a man of unusual quality. Anyone who's ever been drawn to the "outlaw" mystique will appreciate the opportunity to see how it begins, lives, and ends in Wayne Padgett, the author's father. A terrific read.



2. A very well written story that depicts an unique individual living in an intriguing time and place. Wayne Padgett is a compelling and contradictory man, some one I would like to get to know. Reading this book is like having a conversation with this powerful figure.



3. Absurd Realist poet, translator, and memoirist Ron Padgett, long ensconced in New York's East Village boho Beat & Existentialist milieu, turns to his roots in this tale of Tulsa folklore circling around his father, Wayne Padgett; King of the oil town's bootleggers. The Tulsa time of this wiley tale is somewhere 'tween boom & bust. The earliest reaches extend back two generations to Padgett's granddad Grover, though only briefly touching upon Teddy Roosevelt's trust busters and the populist ferment brewing against BIG OIL. Padgett barely mentions the Tulsa race riots in passing.

   Oklahoma was a "dry" state when it came to hootch, but oil lease rigs were still dripping when Wayne Padgett came of age. Though there isn't much of Osage tribal flamboyance on display, as Ron Padgett hews closely to his dad's immediate territory. Terry Wilson's book on the Osages and their visibility in and around Tulsa during the boom years can fill in some of the local composition. Ironically Wilson deploys an absurdist deadpan in chronicling the Osages, close as an academic can come to the style Ron Padgett pioneered earlier in his career writing Beat memoirs & punchline poetry. Wilson cinematically captures the new oil heirs on their joyrides into town having assimilated silk top hats, tux and tails into their tribal regalia. Padgett is challenged with a central subject dry as the Protestant work ethic he embodied, illicit work notwithstanding. Despite the Dixie Mafia contacts and some compulsive gambling that plays out in tragic ways a bit up the family tree, the Padgetts seemed to be straight shooters, with only narrator Ron betraying much of an appetite or curiosity for life lived on the wild side.

   The contrasts found within the House of Padgett are the stuff of cross-pollinated literary dreams. Imagine Elmore Leonard or his fictional hardboiled characters holed up in a tornado alley Plains safehouse with Burroughs adding-machine heir and stiff-lipped Wild-side explorer William Burroughs, as this Tulsa teen scene deftly sketches in. Ron Padgett recalls his fledgling effort at publishing an underground lit journal while still in high school and working out of bootleggin' dad's house:

   "But the oddity of the larger situation dawned on me only years later: at one end of our house was the office of one of the biggest whiskey businesses in town, while at the other was the 'office' of an avant-garde literary magazine. Really, though, I was simply imitating my dad: I had my office desk, I operated a cottage industry, and I pursued a project that most people would have considered bizarre. But what was truly bizarre was that Daddy was reading Beat and Black Mountain poetry." Wild-eyed ecstasy chasing visionaries such as Ted Berrigan, er rather, a private eye hired by Berrigan's squeeze's proper parents, might stop by the house looking for the literary mentor, only to be gruffly chased off by Big Daddy. How did a high school junior out in the oil & red dirt provinces manage to net a cast of literary luminaries like LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka), Paul Blackburn, Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Ron Loewinsohn, Clarence Major, Gilbert Sorrentino and Berrigan for his WHITE DOVE REVIEW 5x8 1/2 staple job? Just neighborhood luck to have buddy Joe Brainard hangin' out as Art Director. The same Joe Brainard whose too short career retrospective was being exhibited at top tier museums of modern art from Boston to Berkeley a year or so ago. But this is Wayne's story, a different sort of exemplar of Junior Achievment in action.

   Don't be put off by the title OKLAHOMA TOUGH. Turns out the subtitled: "My Father, King of the Tulsa Bootleggers" is a tender and flavorful slice of regional folklore. Virtually every minor character does a star turn, burning some bit of colorful essence onto a reader's retina. From the penitentiary cameo by old school toughs like Jew Snyder, to the more fully fleshed out complex shades of modern men-in-the-making like Bobby Bluejacket, the bedrock matriarch Verna Padgett, and the younger generation roadhouse loves from whom off-the-cuff wisdom literature flows in Ron Padgett's interview tapes, one only wishes this memorable Tulsa tale included an index. If this ever makes it to the big screen I have no suggestions for the casting of King Wayne or Boho Scribe Ron. But the soundtrack wouldn't be complete without some ol' J.J. Cale-Leon Russell seductive shuffles, Jimmy LaFave dustbowl retreads and the Red Dirt Rangers' roadhouse stomps.




4. Required lots of research. Glad this information will be available for future generations.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   g

5 comments about Unholy Messenger: The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer.

1. After reading all the negative reviews, I'm almost embarrased to write this, but I thought it was a well written book and I could not put it down. Maybe that's because I'm not a "True Crime" aficionado.



2. This version is very disappointing. It seems to focus more on the people within Rader's Luthern Church than on his evil pathology. When Rader's Pastor determined that the only reason for Rader's behaviors was demonic possession, I lost it. This book seemed to offer more proselytizing and Bible thumping than true crime. What a waste.



3. As compared with all of the BTK killer books, this is the worst by far. A totally shameless attempt to capitalize on the terrible decades of fear lived by the citizens of Wichita, Kansas.
   
   The book is a rehash of material that has been spun ad-nauseum through a number of similar accounts. The problem here, however, is that much of the information which the author seems to take as given is simply not based on fact. He seems to surround much of his story with surmise.
   
   The Booklist reviews it as "riveting....macabre.....scary". This reviewer would have to say, "not reviting .... not all that macabre .... and definitely not scary", rather "same-same-same, wrong-wrong and mostly boring-boring-boring".
   
   A total hack attempt at documentary journalism. The author, Stephen Singular, is capable of much better than this.
   
   Thumbs down ... save your money ... don't waste your time. There are loads of better books on BTK than this.
   
   Densel Myers
   Yukon, Oklahoma



4. Gives a lot of insight into the mind of a deranged killer. Proves that we never really know anyone, even our closest friends and family members.



5. The critical reviews are nonsense; this is a well-written and compelling story. I read it in one day.
   
   Dennis Rader made fools of the cops, FBI, and serial killer experts for better than 30 years. Rader says is succinctly: Go to work every day, go to church, dress normally, be nice to people, feed their need to feel safe, and you can get away with murders forever.

4 comments about 12th And Mcgraw.

1. Today, with the advent of self-published books there has been a proliferation of the personal narrative. It seems that everyone wants to join the bandwagon and recount his or her life story.
   
   The early chapters of 12th & McGraw, authored by Forrest Haskell Jr., gets off to a great start and succeeds in immediately hooking the reader.
   Forrest Haskell Jr. grew up in a tough Detroit neighborhood in the 40s and 50s born out of wedlock of a union between his French mother and her American lover, Forrest Haskell Sr.
   Although Forrest Sr. possessed incredible entrepreneurial skills, he was throughout his life involved in illicit criminal activities such as loan sharking, gambling, boot legging, bribing public officials, income tax evasion, and a slew of others.
   In addition, he also lived a double life fathering several children, while living alternatively on different days of the week with two women for over fifty years.
   One of these women was the author's mother. Ironically he could never be accused of bigamy, as he was only legally married to one of the women. Nonetheless, Forrest Sr. treated both women with equal respect and fulfilled his fatherly obligations to both of his families.
   
   There is no shortage of interesting characters in the book. At times you think that some of these individuals associated with Forrest Sr. were out of a Damon Runyon novel.
   One character in particular, Harry, would be comical if his life did not end so tragically.
   It seems that Harry had black rotten teeth worn down to the gums and he covered them with white adhesive tape. In fact, they were in such a horrible condition that he drank goats' milk, as he was unable to chew on solid food. Unfortunately, he passed away as a result of blood poisoning.
   
   The problem I found with this book is that it wanes toward the concluding chapters where the author seems to lose focus. He fails to elucidate why he did not follow in his father's footpath into a life of crime.
   We are informed that the author was very successful in his business as a distributor of photocopying machines, and that some of his father's entrepreneurial skills probably had rubbed off on him. Nonetheless, he never considered pursuing the same life style as his father. Personal narratives in order to be effective must clearly connect the meaning of experiences and how they played a role in the narrator's character.
   Although, the author does state from time to time that he did not exactly condone his father's criminal activities and also did not wish to inherit his money, he fails to show what was extraordinary or special about his experiences that would invoke universal interest. The reader is left with more questions than answers upon completion of the book's reading.
   
   Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com



2. 12th & McGraw is one of those books that grabs you and won't let go! Because I know the author and his wife as wonderful acquaintances (and we would be good friends if we could spend more time together) I know the life he lived as a youngster still impacts him today. I can not imagine living through the adventures he describes, but they are certainly fun to read about. My ONLY criticism of the book is that it could use some additional editing. Having been a journalist all my life, I read everything entirely too critically. This book is not the only one I'd like to get my hands on. When Forrest talks of his lovely and wonderful wife "Nancy," he doesn't exaggerate at all. She's a living doll and, together, they have made a wonderful life for themselves and their family. I know that to be true. This book is exciting and Forrest has the ability to put his reader right in the middle of all the action. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.



3. A very good piece of non-fiction can found in Forrest Haskell's, 12th & McGraw. Haskell, a first-time scribe, immerses himself deep within his memories and returns with a story of if not better days, certainly different days; days responsible for exactly who and what Haskell is and perhaps isn't. It's ballsy move, laying your life out for public inspection, but coming from where Haskell comes from, it's the stand-up thing to do. 12th and McGraw is not the underworld send-up some may suggest, instead it is a fascinating slice of Americana. It is the story of a man, a boy and ulitimately a boy who became a man. 12th and McGraw, Forrest Haskell's midnight confession.



4. Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/07)
   
   I was immediately drawn into "12th & McGraw." In this autobiography, Forrest Haskell, Jr., tells the story of life with his father, Forrest Haskell, Sr. Although it was not an easy life, it was an incredibly interesting life. His father became successful by running several illegal operations. These included bootlegging, gambling, and loan sharking. The characters involved with his dad were incredibly interesting in their eccentricities. I really enjoyed reading about these people; they contributed to bringing the story to life. Mr. Haskell does an excellent job of describing these people and the places that they frequented.
   
   Mr. Haskell's father was raised by an unstable, verbally-abusive man. He chose to be a different kind of father. He raised Mr. Haskell with a good self-esteem and the belief that he could accomplish anything. This was really positive. Mr. Haskell passed this gift down to his own children. He also made the choice, as an adult, not to follow in his father's footsteps by getting involved in his illegal operations. His father was a good man in that he let his son make his own decisions. He wasn't so good in providing his son with a stable home environment. The mother of Forrest, Jr. was married to someone else when his father came into his life. His father was also married to another woman. Both women had to share him. This was incredibly painful for the women and their children.
   
   "12th & McGraw," is an incredibly interesting story that also offers several lessons on life. Parenting is a big one. Mr. Haskell, Jr. chose the positive aspects of his fathers parenting skills. He also learned from the painful lessons that his father taught in regards to the relationships. All of the children and the two mothers had to live with the pain of having to share their dad. As his dad slowed down later in life, he expressed regrets over the damage that he caused from his decisions. He also made peace with his own father prior to his death. This part of the story made me reflect upon my own life and realize that I need to live my life in such a way that I don't have huge regrets at the end. His father was sure that he was going to hell. That is not a very peaceful way to be at the end. He had a great adventure getting to this point in his life.
   
   I highly recommend this book. It would make a great Father's Day gift for a man that loves to read. I am really happy that I had a chance to enjoy "12th & McGraw."

4 comments about Hell's Angels: The FBI Files.

1. I would not recommend buying this book unless you want to see photocopies of blacked out reports and newspaper articles, literally. This book does not contain any narrative discussion on the history of the FBI vs. The Hell's Angels. It has no chronological or investigative order. I only give it one star because I cannot give it zero.



2. Not much information. Just a lot of copies of official reports with much of the information redacted (blacked out.) Not what I expected, and in my opinion not worth the purchase, unlike virtually everything else I have purchased frm Amazon.



3. I must agree with James Hampton Jr. and Harley Rider. Many photocopies of blacked out reports and newspaper articles and nothing more. To make matters worse many documents appear twice in the book. $26.99 I paid for this book(plus costs of delivery) - the worst spent money in years.



4. Don't waist your money on this. Its full of blacked out pages and copies of the samething on several pages.

3 comments about The Blue Suit: A Memoir of Crime.

1. I read an excerpt from this book in Granta and couldn't put it down. What's so riveting about a guy talking about his former life of crime? In this case, he's a Cambridge student who steals for thrills. You keep wondering, "When is he going to get caught?" It's not a moral tale of a fall from grace and subsequent redemption. It's more like the strange tale of a man's youthful excesses



2. I picked up this book on a lark and was very, very pleasantly surprised. The book is subtitled, "a memoir of crime," but the book is less about the author's life of crime than it is about his examination of himself. The story goes: Rayner, the author, is a smart Cambridge student whose life stifles him, so he turns to a life of petty crime and deception. Along the way, he grapples with such issues as love and whether he is destined for this life of lies (his father was a crook). But the tale is told through the lens of the middle-aged Rayner, reflecting on his upbringing. "The Blue Suit" is a colorful coming-of-age tale told with the powerful but delicate voice of a man reflecting on his growing up. I highly recommend!



3. This is a compelling read. I have had the book for some time and just never read it.... But when I finally did pick it up I didn't put it down (except to eat and sleep) until I finished it. It is very reminiscent of Frank Abagnale's memoir Catch Me If You Can in that both writers were devastated by fathers they both loathed and loved and as a result turned, themselves, to lives of crime. Psychologically, it is very interesting, although it does not pretend in any way to be an analysis of the writer's actions or thinking or even feeling. This book has been described as humorous, but I didn't find it funny at all. It is painfully sad and excruciatingly honest and describes various situations the author got himself into, but funny they are not. In fact, after many of the crimes and weird situations with people he knew, he burst into tears, not being able to explain why. It's something we can all feel without having to know. I love to find such honest books. It was a delight to read and now I will move on to Rayner's other books.

5 comments about The Strange History of Bonnie and Clyde.

1. This is one of those books I rated much more highly when I first read it years ago. It's a "strange history" indeed. It's not always a "straight" history, anyway, dwelling more on psychological speculations about the personalities of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker and on the growth of their legend (with comparisons to older historical and/or folkloric figures such as Jesse James, Robin Hood and even King Arthur) than on a straight recounting of the facts. Movie buffs will be fascinated with the many motion picture adaptations of the Bonnie and Clyde story and that is an interesting segment which Treherne rightly confined, for the most part, to the appendices. He did leave out the 1949 film They Live By Night (Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell as Clyde & Bonnie clones) and its 1970's remake Thieves Like Us (Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall) but until Treherne's book I was completely unaware of either the 1939 film Persons in Hiding (one of four bearing this title and based in equal parts on both Bonnie and Clyde and Kathryn and George "Machine Gun" Kelly) or of the 1983 Italian comedy version. But, judging from the title, this book was supposed to be a biography of Clyde and Bonnie and a history of their criminal career. So it is, but little is to found in the historical narrative that is new. Most of it derives from previously published sources such as Jan Fortune's Fugitives and Lee Simmons' Assignment Huntsville, the former an error-ridden work based in equal parts on the recollections of Bonnie's mother and Clyde's sister and (uncredited) on a series of 1934 True Detective articles by Joplin Chief of Detectives Ed Portley, the latter valuable mainly for Simmons' recollections of the Eastham prison break and his recruitment of Frank Hamer and for the statements of gang member Joe Palmer. The confession of W.D. Jones is cited in the bibliography but Treherne seems to have read very little of it. The confession would have made a wonderful appendix, by the way, possibly with comparisons to Jones' 1968 Playboy article, of which Treherne seems completely unaware. Not that Treherne didn't do original research. The chapters on the Stringtown, OK shooting and the Platte City, MO gun battle are based largely on interviews and seem to be accurate accounts. It's a pity he didn't cover the other sites this way. Treherne apparently got no closer to Dexter, IA, the gang's Waterloo, than Des Moines, and missed a lot there. He missed out also on Okabena, MN, the site of a bank robbery Treherne, like previous and later authors, attributed, probably erroneously, to the Barrow gang, and the death site in Louisiana. Details of the final ambush seem to come mainly from the transcripts of Henry Methvin's Oklahoma murder trials and the flawed Ambush account--the ghosted memoirs of Ted Hinton. There is no evidence Treherne ever went near the death site in Bienville Parish. Still, the whole book is an enjoyable read and Treherne wisely used less commonly seen photos than the dozen or so Bonnie and Clyde pix seen in most books on the infamous duo. It is an admirable and worthwhile book. One only wishes it was the straight historical record the title implies. One cannot pschoanylize the dead and the best authorities for the love life of Bonnie and Clyde--whatever the details and whatever dubious historical significance that may entail--died with them. And the growth of the Bonnie and Clyde legend is more suited to a study of folklore than a straight biography.



2. WELLL THE BOOK I READ ABOUT WAS SO COOL AND INTRESTING.EVENTHOUGH I ONLY READ A FEW PAGES .I GOT A FEW CAPTATIONS OF THE BOOK ...BASICALLY THE BOOK WAS ABOUT,HOW IN THE LATES 1930'S TWO TO LIVE THEIR ROMANCE BY MAKING CRIMES...THE CHARACTERS OF THIS BOOK WERE BONNIE PARKER AND CLYDE BARROW..WHO WHERE A YOUNG SOCIOPATHIC SOUTHERN COUPLS GUNNED DOWN BY AUTHORITIES AFTER TWO YEARS OF CMMITING CRIME, WHO LEFTED 12 PEOPLE DEAD.THE BOOK WAS ALSO INTRESTING BECAUSE I WAS ABLE IMAGING AND PICTURE MANY OF THE READING THAT I WAS MAKING ....I WOULD RECOMMENED TO READERS WHO LIKE TO READ ABOUT CRIME, TO READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT S VERY MYSTIRIOUS AND FUN. THE AUTHOR TELLS THE WHOLE UNEDIFYING STORY FROM WRETCHED CHILDHOOD TO WRECTCH DEATH, BLOODY FAME AND WITH CLARITY, LEVEL HEADEDNESS AND WITH ECONOMY.



3. It is great to read how Bonnie and Clyde were able to escape from the law over and over again untill they were gunned down in 1934. They were nothing more than two amateurs who were incredibly lucky.
   
   In the 1967 film there is a scene where they try to rob a bank, discovering that it closed three weeks earlier. Up to now I didn't realize that this actually happened, which shows how well prepared they were commiting these bank robberies. Although the film is pretty accurate, this book gives us more information about the famous couple. It shows how they became legends in American crime history, and became even more famous after their death.
   
   True crime lovers should read this book, because although they were amateurs, they are probably still the most famous couple in the world.



4. This is my first book on these two and it will not be my last. There is a good bibliography provided to follow up sources of information and other books. As well as being a history book the author delves frequently into his reflections about what made Bonnie and Clyde tick. The author seems determine to provide psychological profiles at regular intervals throughout the book to explain Bonnie and Clyde's actions and decisions and almost tries to get inside their minds. At times l thought why does he bother at others l thought he made some interesting comments. Mr Treherne does a good job of explaining how the folklore of these two developed over the years and endures to this day. Even here in Australia a lot of people know about Bonnie and Clyde, though mainly through the Faye Dunaway movie.
   
   He covers their childhood and family life very well and provides plenty of details of the harsh, poor economic times they lived through and the circumstances of their late teens that led to their fateful meeting which developed into an enduring bond and progression into a life of crime that spiraled into senseless violence and devastation of so many lives. Sometimes there is too much psychological speculation and not enough history as the book seems to skim the surface in some areas and could have dug deeper into the history of Bonnie and Clyde, but the photos and newspaper headlines of the time are great. This book is worth a look!



5. Not as great as I was hoping it would be. Have read better written books on the couple and I have read most of them available.