Gangland Boston by Emily Sweeny

Gangland Boston by Emily Sweeny

My Rating: 🍸🍸🍸🍸

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Google Play | Abe Books |  Alibris | Indie Bound

Blurb: Welcome to Boston’s criminal underworld -Author covers crime for the Boston Globe -An entire chapter dedicated to Whitey Bulger: “Whitey’s World” -150 photos from author’s own Boston crime archives and more Organized criminals have haunted Greater Boston’s history, lurking just around the corner or inside that nondescript building. Packed with photos, sidebars, and maps, Gangland Boston reveals the secrets of these places, showing how the Italian mafia and Irish gangs rose to power, how the Winter Hill gang ascended to prominence, and how James “Whitey” Bulger became the region’s most feared crime boss. These are the places where deals were made, people were killed, and bodies were unearthed. From South Boston to the North End, Chinatown, Downtown, and Charlestown; Somerville, Brookline, and more . . . come and see where mobsters lived, worked, ate, played, and died. 

Review:

I went through some stuff not too long ago, and the last thing I wanted to read was romance. I gave it my best effort, but the absolute best rating I could give anything was a 3🍸 nod. Even that felt like I was being generous. For the most part I’d get a few pages in, scream about things better suited to a barn yard, and move on to the next one.

I figured the problem might be me, and not the books. (You’ll notice I didn’t review them here…)

I realized I was having a problem and I wanted to do something about it, but I also didn’t want to not read. I decided to read something non-fiction, something that wasn’t even pretending to be romantic, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

If you’re looking for in-depth analysis, a study of the whys and the hows and the deep connections between crime and government and how organized crime evolved, this book is not for you. If you’re looking for something more like a travelogue or guide book taking you through the highlights of Boston’s “glory days” of organized crime history, this book is well worth your time.

If you live in Boston, or have any connection to the area, this book will hold special significance for you. I used to work in South Boston and spent a lot of time wandering the area. I used to have a lot of friends in Somerville, so events set there were amply familiar to me. I used to commute to work through Dorchester every day. Some of the addresses and sites mentioned are well known. Others no longer exist. I know I can find the bones of where they were with little trouble.

Maybe I’ve lived here too long[1], but that’s part of the appeal of this book. These are real places, and these events touched people whose children and grandchildren are people I might meet tomorrow. In the case of Whitey Bulger, his victims and associates are often still alive and well. The Boston of this book isn’t a distant memory.

And in a purely selfish side note, I’ve written two books recently that tie into the mob. One of them takes place in Boston. (I’m not sure when they’ll be released but I signed contracts for both of them this past week, so yay!)  Reading this book helped me edit, and helped me bring the book to life a little more fully in my mind. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of immigration, crime history, or even just an interest in the history of Boston.

[1] I’ve 100% lived here too long