"AL CAPONE" BY NATE HENDLEY

I have always been somewhat fascinated by the mob life. This book read as a documentary in part and was extremely informative. I have always heard about Al Capone and read other historical articles about him but this book went above and beyond.

It was fluidly written and a quick and easy read. Anyone interested in learning more about the infamous Al Capone should definitely pick up this book!

-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club ( )

While not a huge fan of nonfiction, I do normally enjoy a good true crime novel so I requested this book when it was made available on a free give-away.

The information about Al Capone's life and crimes that is presented in this novel seems to be very thoroughly researched and accurately presented. My problems with this book is that is about all that I got out of it...information. A successful true crime book to me presents the reader with accurate information about the subject, but do so in a way that is engaging and entertaining; weaving a story instead of just presenting information. This is where this book fails in my opinion. I got a lot of information about Al Capone, but I was pretty bored most of the time while reading it. ( )

I received this book for free from Member's Giveaway program. The book was about the life of Al Capone, a notorious gangster. I enjoyed this book and learning about the ups and downs of Capone's life. As a fan of the Godfather and the Sopranos, I was always intrigued with learning about the mafia and this short but sweet book gave me more insight in the olden days how it was ran.

For more of this review,go to my book blog at: http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.com/35777.html ( )

I haven't read any other books on Al Capone so I can't compare but Mr. Hendley seems to have summarized the existing research on Capone (which I'm sure is extensive) and added his own thoughts and research. The result is concise and to the point much like a long magazine article. The book illustrates how Capone rose from his humble beginnings in New York as the son of Italian immigrants to become Chicago's top gangster.
A few points I found interesting: 1. The contradictions of Capone as a man, he was smart, ambitious and a ruthless killer but also a loyal family man. 2. Chicago in the 20s and 30s was practically lawless! I find it amazing that all that violence took place without much of a reaction by the police. 3. After all the murder and mayhem, Capone goes to jail for tax evasion. 4. I had no idea that Capone eventually died from complications of Syphilis.
A very informative read. I would have liked to know more about Capone's state of mind while running his empire but I guess that is a book in itself. ( )

This book was a very quick read and I liked the fact that there was a lot of information in there that I had no idea about Al Capone. The author certainly did his homework in the history of Al Capone and growing up in Brooklyn, his rise to a mobster in Chicago, and his troubles with Elliot Ness. It blew me away that Capone suffered from Syphilis and this is essentially what killed him. I won this book thru Library Thing. ( )