About this title: An award-winning journalist and historian offers the complete story of how the Mob infiltrated Havana in the 1950s, made a fortune--and lost it all to Fidel Castro. 16-page b&w photo insert.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Date Published: 2009-06-01
ISBN-13:9780061712746ISBN:0061712744
Description: Good. Spine tight and intact. Covers with moderate shelf wear, corner creases, wear along the edges, and creasing along the spine. Pages intact with scuffing along outside edges. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Date Published: 6/9/2009
ISBN-13:9780061712746ISBN:0061712744
Description: Fine. 0061712744 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Edition: 1st American Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow
Date Published: 6/3/2008
ISBN-13:9780061147715ISBN:0061147710
Description: New. 0061147710 Brand New Book With Remainder Mark. May Have Slight Shelf Wear. In-Stock Now For Immediate Secure Packaging & Delivery. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061147715ISBN:0061147710
Description: New in new dust jacket. Glued binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 396 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Date Published: 2009-06-01
ISBN-13:9780061712746ISBN:0061712744
Description: Very Good. This First Printing copy is in very good condition. No visible markings, highlights, underlining, tears to text. Tight spine. No Dust Jacket. Top edge of Front Soft Cover has a tiny crease with light shelf/edge wear. Great reading copy, worth having at an affordable price. (L9-18) read more
Description: Morrow, 2007. 395 pages. 1st printing, 1st edition. Hardcover. Illustrated with black and white photographs. Index. Near Fine in Near Fine dustjacket. Book and jacket are bright, tight and clean. No names, marks or tears. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061147715ISBN:0061147710
Description: New. Brand new, crisp and unread! May have publishers remainder mark on the edge just to assure it is not returned to the store. Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly: Old Havana mambos on the brink of the abyss in this chronicle of Cuba in the decades before the 1959 revolution. True-crime writer English (Paddy Whacked) presents an empire-building saga in which the "Havana Mob" of American gangsters, led by visionary financier Meyer Lansky, controlled Cuba. Empowered by permissive ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780061712746ISBN:0061712744
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: book Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Co
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061147715ISBN:0061147710
Description: Brand New. Brand new. Never read or owned. May have a remainder mark. 396 pages. 9.30 x 6.30 x 1.20 in. 23.2 oz. Draws on previously hidden historical sources and survivor interviews to profile mob-infiltrated Havana in the 1950s and cite the contributions of such figures as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, in an account that traces the relationships between President Batista and such mafia leaders as Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. 50, 000 first printing. Crime writer T.J. English (PADDY WHACKED ... read more
"Hate to admit how many times I've watched The Godfather and its sequel or how many mafia books I've read on airplanes. And I couldn't resist this one, either. So well written. And I was floored by the vision and audacity of the handful of evil men who created a government in Cuba that was literally and pervasively corrupt. Castro couldn't have dreamed of a better target for his fight againt corruption and peasant exploitation. Sad that the Cuban people have not fared much better since Batista and the gangsters were sent packing."
"The real story behind the Mob and its move to Cuba. Excellent historical account with press clippings, photos, and interviews. English explains much of the development and evolution of the Mob through the 20th century starting in NYC but covering Chicago, Pennsylvania, New Orleans, South Florida, Las Vegas, and ultimately Cuba. Great insight into the Mob's involvement in the politics and rise to power of Batista as well as their many frustrations with Castro.
As an added bonus English also provides an understanding of the major characters in the Godfather trilogy and the real-life mobsters they represent."
"non fiction account of 2 converging stories that took place in 1940's/1950's Cuba: the Mafia's control of the country and the Castro revolution. interesting to see how closely tied these story lines were and how one directly affected the other, and what happened as they ultimately collided. at one time, Havana was the #1 party destination for tourists from all over the world, offering gambling, prostitution, great beaches and tropical weather, 24-hour nightclubs, over-the-top adult shows (even by today's standards), and an anything goes/no rules attitude. Politicians, Hollywood actors, sports celebrities, and dignitaries from all over the world spent time participating in the debauchery.
because the US based mafia controlled Cuban politics, police, the military and banking all the way to the top (even el Presidente Batista was on the take), they were able to set up an adult playground without restraint. the Mob pulled a ton of money out of Cuba by leveraging the country's unstable political system, exploiting her beautiful young women, taking control of the largest banks, and generally doing whatever they pleased...all at the expense of the cuban people (the money was all largely funneled back to the States.
So in large part, this gave Fidel, Raul and Che the basis for a revolt. you know bits and pieces of the rest of the story, but reading this book helped me piece it all together. gotta love a non-fictional account of what is usually told through fictional TV or movie versions of both story lines."
"I think it'd be hard to screw up this story, of the Mob's temporary control of Cuba and then their loss of it to Castro, and English presents it really well-- there are lots of characters, lots of moving parts, but by and large, this is a really successful book, a great end of summer read. It's not, though, some heavy book with even vague academic undertones-- there isn't any real sustained analysis of what's going on in Cuba from a political or economic point of view, there's a skirting of the question of what Castro really believed, and the book, before the epilogue, ends with a weird quote from Meyer Lansky that melds "communist revolutions" with anti-semitic putsches. I think I recognize some of where that sense is coming from, but it's not quite accurate, and anyhow, the people killed by Castro in the first days of the regime weren't, to the best of my knowledge, predominantly Jews, or selected for their ethnicity. Placing this quote where he did, English seems to be endorsing that view somehow, and it seems weird to me. There are other little squidges like that throughout the book, stray odd notes. But I really liked this, and think most people would enjoy the book like I did."
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