C. Alexander Hortis. The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2014. 382 pp. $24.99 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-61614-923-9.
Reviewed by Jeanine Mazak-Kahne (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)
Published on H-Pennsylvania (January, 2015)
Commissioned by Allen J. Dieterich-Ward (Shippensburg University)
Mobster's Metropolis: How the Mafia Came to Rule NYC
C. Alexander Hortis quite admiringly attempts to add to the seemingly endless literature on the Mob in New York City. The amount of research conducted for this book is extensive and it is heavy on primary sources, including district attorney files, trial transcripts, FBI case files, and just about any other Mob-related government document. Hortis promises that this “revisionist history cuts through the thickets of Mafia mythology with a machete of primary sources” (p. 12). And, while the selected bibliography provides a mere sampling, once one combs through his footnotes, one may just fashion a sizeable machete. His survey of secondary works is likewise impressive and draws from among the best scholarly works from the diverse subfields engaged in the study of organized crime as well as the multitude of popular (often sensationalist) works on the New York City Mafia.
Following a foreword by James B. Jacobs, director of the Center for Research in Crime and Justice at New York University, Hortis, an attorney specializing in business and constitutional law, lays clear the problems with the existing literature on the Mob, noting the persistence of “Mafia myths” that have long plagued the field and obscured the reality of Mob rule in New York City. Hortis situates his book in the period 1930-50, with an emphasis on the 1930s, which he argues was the key formative decade for the city's Mafia presence. His book is divided into three parts: “New York City Through Prohibition”; “Taking Gotham: The 1930s and 1940s”; and “The Mobbed-Up Metropolis: The 1950s.” Within this broad chronology, Hortis addresses chapters thematically, including Prohibition, labor racketeering, and nightlife. All time periods are solidly covered; however, it is surprising that Hortis’s efforts, which impress upon the reader the importance on the 1930s as a transformative decade, do not have a whole part dedicated to that decade.
Several times throughout the text Hortis stresses that “this is an authentic history,” with his extensive research and use of footnotes as evidence (p. 12). He cites as inspiration popular investigative journalists whose major works emphasize organized crime and the Mafia. With his engagement with various types of primary and secondary works, Hortis straddles two worlds--that of the popular press as well as academic literature. At times it is difficult to know for certain in which world he wishes to operate. A clear example of this tension can be found in the discussion of Prohibition in chapter 2. Hortis provides statistics on the ethnic composition of bootleggers: 50 percent Jewish, 25 percent Irish, and 25 percent Italian. He then claims that the Italians were a rising force, but the chapter’s prominent gangster is German-Jewish American Dutch Shultz (Arthur Flegenheimer), with Charles “Lucky” Luciano playing second fiddle. Thus, one takes away from the chapter that the Jewish gangsters ruled New York City’s Prohibition years.
Another weakness is evident in his attempt to prove ethnic succession, which is something that James Jacobs suggests in his foreword the book will deliver. It is clear that Hortis has done the research on Irish and Jewish gangsters--especially in his synthesis of the solid academic work, including that of Jenna Weissman Joselit, who wrote the primer on Jewish gangsters in early twentieth-century America.[1] However, when it comes to actually illustrating it, Hortis falls flat. It is more of a case where he writes (frequently) simply that the Irish/Jews were there, then came the Italians, with nothing to note any transfer of power.
However, there are times when the academic and popular history modes merge beautifully, as in the book's discussion of the life and rule of Giuseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria, as well as the 1957 events at Apalachin. Furthermore, chapter 7, “The Lives of the Wiseguys,” is actually quite fun. Hortis blends the most colorful of gangster auto/biography, federal testimony, and newspaper accounts to engage both the myths as well as the “realities” of Mafia life in New York City. He covers topics such as “going to the office” and “street work,” providing job descriptions and examples which indicate that a Mob job is just another form of work under capitalism.
In academic terms, Hortis is strongest when he synthesizes the work of sociologists, historians, and criminologists, such as in his discussion of labor racketeering, where he contextualizes court records and McClellan Committee testimony. This approach also work in a very engaging chapter on Mob nightlife (including an interesting take on Mob-owned gay bars). The popular history perspective is evident in his use of mobster auto/biography, heavy reliance on the voice of Joseph Valachi, and headline-grabbing newspaper articles; all of which he uses to paint a picture of Mob lives from the multitude of gangland killings to the humdrum working- and middle-class lifestyles of many street soldiers.
This story’s sometimes uneven presentation may very well be a product of how the work is organized. Hortis provides thematically arranged bits of information rather than a cohesive chronological narrative. It is difficult at times to understand the relationships among street soldiers, their roles in various institutions (i.e., union locals), and even when and how they came into their positions. If you already have a clear grasp of the major and minor players in New York City’s underworld, then you can follow along. However, the book is not a primer on the Mob in New York and does not always map out the chronological narrative needed to make connections between actors, events, and institutions and solidly support the author's arguments.
Although Hortis reassures the reader that this is "authentic history," The Mob and the City is not strong as a scholarly historical work (p. 12). Its narrative tends towards the popular and borders on the sensational, which can provide for some entertaining reading. However, this book’s arrangement will also benefit those versed in the field of organized crime, including academics. These quick hits provide tight bits of interesting information and mining the footnotes provides a great starting-off point for further lines of inquiry.
Note
[1]. Jenna Weissman Joselit, Our Gang: Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1983).
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Citation:
Jeanine Mazak-Kahne. Review of Hortis, C. Alexander, The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York.
H-Pennsylvania, H-Net Reviews.
January, 2015.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=42252
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