JOE BATTERS IS A VERY INTERESTING READ!

This is one of best books that I've ever read about the Chicago Outfit! I've read and own several credible books on the subject of the Chicago chapter of the mafia, written by; John Binder, Bill Roemer Jr, Gus Russo, William Brashler, Chuck Giancana, and Laurence Bergreen. Yet, I'm comfortable with saying that this book was just as informative, and even a more interesting read than most of the books on the Outfit in my library. What makes this such a non-stop page turner, is that Neil Gordon has managed to make a true-crime book that reads like a novel. He captures the culture, attitude and lifestyle of these hardened criminals and gangsters. He also does a fantastic job of not glorifying these murderous evil people. This book is also a great study on US history during the 1920s thru the 1990s. I think this book fell short due to it's lack of photos, and the fact that it also doesn't have an index. A lot of the reviewers commented about the language being inaccurate or corny, but what you people must understand is, Joe Batters Accardo and Al Capone were men with very little education. They started as gangbangers and later became mobsters. That didn't make them stupid, in fact they were very intelligent. Just not educated. I thought that the language was straight gangster, and more accurate than how most writers present these individuals. I agree that there were several inaccurate statements throughout this book, but Neil Gordon made up for it with his writing style. All of the gangsters that made the Outfit one the most powerful criminal organizations in world history are all in this book. There are also plenty of other interesting characters as well. Of course no book on the study of gangsterism would be complete without their machination into legal and illegal businesses, and you will also get a fair amount of information on that as well. This book has plenty of action and violence, as well as blood, torture, and murder. I highly recommend this book!