Rating: 
Summary: Compelling Look at the Chicago Mob After Capone
Review: "The Outfit" is a well written, thoroughly comprehensive look at the post-Capone history of organized crime in the city of Chicago. Gus Russo does an excellent job of leaving no stone unturned as he chronicles the Outfit's activity from the jailing of Capone to its decline in the 90s. Along the way we meet the gangsters who made the Chicago mob rich and famous: Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Paul "the Waiter" Ricca, "Curly" Humphries, Johnny Roselli,Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, and Sam "Mooney" Giancana. Russo discusses the role of each in making the Chicago Syndicate the power it was in the world of organized crime. Russo's breezy style makes "The Outfit" an absolute joy to read, deftly mixing facts and ancedotes like a master chef. Read about the takeover of IATSE, the Hollywood union, and the infiltration of the mob into the world of the Hollywood studios; the Mob's entry and takeover of Las Vegas; the infiltration into the Teamsters and the scheming of the Outfit to fix the 1960 presidential election and what happened when they were doublecrossed. It was by no means a smooth ride - along the way Russo details the eforts of law enforcement to balance the books, so to speak, with the result that the Outfit always had to keep scheming, keep looking, for new rackets and businesses to infiltrate. Russo keeps the pages turning with a compelling style that makes the book's 550 pages seem like 100 when you hit the end. Few books even attempt to cover the history of the Chicago Mob after Al Capone left the scene. Fewer still are this enjoyuable. A must for crime historians and those just interested in a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehesive, fascinating account of organized crime
Review: "The Outfit" is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in organized crime in the United States. I would also place it high on a list of books to read to understand 20th century U.S. History. Russo traces the role of organized crime in the shaping of modern America from the time of Capone's rule in late '20's early '30's Illinois. While Russo's primary focus is on Chicago's syndicate and its bosses, he details syndicate activities from Miami, to Hollywood, from to Las Vegas to New York. This is not just the story of the Mafia, which, while an important element in organized crime, shares top billing with bosses of other ethnicities. Perhaps no one was more prominent then Welshman Curly Humphries, about whom a multi volume biography could be written.
One of Russo's greatest feats is showing how blurred the lines are between the "Underworld" of organized crime and the "Upperworld" of supposed legitmate businesses. Russo also shows us the compliant role of power hungry politicians in the success of crime syndicates, whether city alderman or US presidents.
"The Outifit" is rich with colorful stories and characters, some familiar such as Bugsy Seigel and others doubtless new to most readers.
Russo's genius is tying all the stories and characters into a larger context concluding with a powerfully stated epilogue.
My only quibble with Russo is that he obviously ignored all the information that must have stared him in the face about the role of organized crime in the Kennedy assassination. He relies heavily on "Double Cross" a book by Sam Giancana's brother and godson yet ignores their assertions (repeated by other mob bosses) that they had advanced knowledge of the murder. Russo's only reference to former Mob bagman Jack Ruby is to say that he killed Oswald to avenge Jackie Kennedy. (Yeah right!)
That aside "The Outfit" is an awesome piece of work.
Rating: 
Summary: Four Ninety Of Five Eleven
Review: "The Outfit", by Gus Russo is an interesting history not only of the crime that organized and spread from Chicago, but also of the city. The book is detailed and well researched. It roams about The United States as the influence of those in Chicago spread to Nevada, California, New York, and even offshore to Cuba. These are not the only geographic areas covered, rather a small sampling. The book tells stories about many famous people and depending on your knowledge prior to reading, by the end of the book some icons may be badly tarnished. Frank Sinatra is frequently the object of ridicule, a man who could be summoned by the crime bosses to squire their daughter to her high school prom. Other events described in the book are unprintable here. Literally dozens of familiar actors and actresses are discussed, few are accused of anything, most were victimized, and one story of Marilyn Monroe documents abuse that is reprehensible. Liquor, gambling, jukeboxes, clothes cleaning, dairies, slaughterhouses, and almost every activity they had the time to extort were targeted. Politicians also loom large in this book including but not limited to, Presidents F.D. Roosevelt, Truman, and of course John Kennedy. Easily the most loathed public official was Robert Kennedy. In his enthusiasm to document organized crime he often had to be warned where not to look, for if he did, the criminal he would find would be his father. The book is very tough on the Kennedy Clan, but if what is written is accurate they deserve all of the dirt that they have buried themselves under. That John Kennedy remains one of the most respected Presidents by many in The United States is a testimony to continued ignorance on a mind numbing level. JFK became president because of his father's money and a variety of promises his father made with, and in some cases without his son's knowledge. JFK was not and would not have been elected president without organized crime's influence and money. Both of the Kennedy brothers were assassinated, and I found the book's treatment of these events peculiar. The ties between Kennedy's administration and organized crime were many, and of massive financial consequence. However when the killing of JFK is discussed all responsibility is dumped on Castro, and the nation's organized serial killers all act as though killing immediately became unprofessional. The death of Robert Kennedy is barely mentioned, although he was one of the most hated men by those that helped put his brother in The White House. The two numbers at the head of these comments represent the main body of the book, and the Afterword. During the book the author in no way endorses crime, but there is a sense that he feels less that complete condemnation for these people. In the Afterword he attempts to rationalize crime as a step in the immigrant's progress, and then compares the top members of Chicago's crime members with people such as Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, J.P Morgan, and a variety of other familiar names. And it is here that the author makes a leap that just does not work. The vast majority of immigrants came to this country and contributed to its development without committing any manner of crime. And it was immigrants that were frequently victimized by these criminals. Go to vote and they would beat a person senseless or perhaps bomb the polling office. When they were stealing hundreds of millions of dollars and exploiting pension plans and unions, whom but the average working person were they exploiting? When they stole businesses, monopolized cigarette machines and jukeboxes, whom does the author think was victimized? When they opened their gambling operations whether illegally or in Las Vegas, the got their money illegally, they were not satisfied with the built in odds for the house rather they would cheat to make even more money. And of course skimming hundreds of millions in cash came from where? The same people the author claims were working their way through the first generation of being immigrants. And how about the fact that the very existence of all activities of organized crime was in fact illegal? Some of the industrialists he names were not humanitarians, but then running a steel mill, a bank, or a railroad was not fundamentally illegal. Their business conduct was outlandish by today's standards, but the trustbusters and regulators eventually reined them in. What legacy has organized crime given the country? I have nothing to suggest. And while I do not know what motivated them to do what they did, whether it was guilt or fear of the end of their lives, the men who the author so blithely places alongside professional killers, kidnappers, men who were committing crime whenever they made a business decision did leave legacies. Henry Ford was a vicious Anti-Semite, but there is The Ford Foundation. Carnegie was a steel monopolist; he also seeded countless towns with libraries, and donated huge sums as well. The Morgan Family collected and housed a variety of collections that are without peer that are now part of the nation's treasures. Rockefeller was not a man you wanted to compete with; he built one of the finest universities in the country, and again left billions in a foundation. I was waiting to see the author name William Gates of Microsoft fame. But again, as tough a businessman as he may be, what he does is not illegal, and as he entered his 40's he and his wife Melinda have created that largest foundation that exists or has ever existed on the planet, about 24 Billion Dollars. Microsoft has bent and broken business law, but unlike the author's subject he is not someone who killed and mutilated anyone who was inconvenient. A very good book on a difficult subject was spoiled by a weak attempt at rationalizing behavior that is anything but complex.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Look at the Chicago Mob After Capone
Review: "The Outfit" is a well written, thoroughly comprehensive look at the post-Capone history of organized crime in the city of Chicago. Gus Russo does an excellent job of leaving no stone unturned as he chronicles the Outfit's activity from the jailing of Capone to its decline in the 90s. Along the way we meet the gangsters who made the Chicago mob rich and famous: Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Paul "the Waiter" Ricca, "Curly" Humphries, Johnny Roselli,Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, and Sam "Mooney" Giancana. Russo discusses the role of each in making the Chicago Syndicate the power it was in the world of organized crime. Russo's breezy style makes "The Outfit" an absolute joy to read, deftly mixing facts and ancedotes like a master chef. Read about the takeover of IATSE, the Hollywood union, and the infiltration of the mob into the world of the Hollywood studios; the Mob's entry and takeover of Las Vegas; the infiltration into the Teamsters and the scheming of the Outfit to fix the 1960 presidential election and what happened when they were doublecrossed. It was by no means a smooth ride - along the way Russo details the eforts of law enforcement to balance the books, so to speak, with the result that the Outfit always had to keep scheming, keep looking, for new rackets and businesses to infiltrate. Russo keeps the pages turning with a compelling style that makes the book's 550 pages seem like 100 when you hit the end. Few books even attempt to cover the history of the Chicago Mob after Al Capone left the scene. Fewer still are this enjoyuable. A must for crime historians and those just interested in a good book.
Rating: 
Summary: Humphreys Retrospective
Review: Detailed account of Chicago crime family's growth from pre-Capone days to death of mastermind Murray Humphreys in 1972, after which the chronicle trails off rapidly. Familiar highlights are there, showing how Chicago's corruptive tentacles reach into worlds of legalized gambling, labor unions, show business, and politics, with many household names surfacing, e.g. Kennedys, Sinatra, Monroe, Nixon, Hoffa, Truman, et. al. Anecdotes are numerous and fascinating, demonstrating once again how thoroughly the underworld intertwines with what author Russo terms the "upperworld". (For a provocative theory of how and why these two worlds interlock symbiotically, check out Peter Dale Scott's Deep Politics and the Death of JFK.) Though much of the material is familiar to students of the Chicago mob, Russo's treatment remains on the whole a worthwhile addition.
Two points for consideration. It's evident from the text that Russo relies greatly on Jeanne Humphreys, Murray's second wife, for fresh material. As a result, the cool and calculating master fixer is treated in near glowing terms that place him at the center of mob activities in a way that unfortunately obscures the role of other central figues such as Tony Accardo, Paul Ricca, and others. Moreover, such key underbosses as Jackie Cerone and Willie Daddano, heavyweights in their own right, get only passing mention at best. In fact, the text appears skewed both qualitatively and quantitatively in behalf of Humphreys such that it's difficult to survey how the vectors of power within the Chicago mob really played out. And though the work is aptly subtitled, "The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America", there's little sense conveyed of how the Outfit works internally.
The second point concerns the Afterword, a provocative perspective on upperworld and underworld crime and criminals. Many readers may find a comparison between the two unwelcome and reject it out of hand. Nonetheless, Russo presents his argument in a way that demands thoughtful consideration, drawing intelligently upon the class bias of our criminal justice system and its tendency to focus on street crime to the exclusion of the subtler, white-collar varieties. Still and all, there's another side to crime that Russo doesn't touch on, namely the international arena. To quote from Marine Corps General Smedley Butler's candid writings in "War is a Racket" (available on Amazon), "I spent 33 years in the Marines, most of my time being a high-class muscle man for big business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism." -- Provocative words from a man who should know. Moreover, to give the same point a more topical thrust : Aside from the politics, just what is the moral difference between plundering the Teamster's pension fund, on one hand, and grabbing off the oil fields of Iraq, on the other. Raising a question of this sort is not meant to imply there are no important distinctions; it is meant to imply that where big government, big business, and big underworld are concerned the distinctions really do blur.
Rating:
Summary: A Chicago boy (now relocated) comments
Review: Fantastic and very reliable discussion of the business and management issues in running the Chicago syndicate (as we always called it). I would recommend this to anyone who wants to understand mid-20th century American History. Paticularly important in laying out the very critical role of Curly Humphries. This is the "real" mob as I (and my older relatives) remembered it. The best book I have ever encountered on this subject. Loved every minute of reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated author
Review: I found alot of the authors references extremely dubious. For example, if Murray Humphries was such a smart mobster I find it hard to believe that he would allow his wife to keep a written journal detailing how the Kennedy election was fixed. The author also left out details of references to bolster his case that with the death of Tony Accordo the Outfit died also. When he cites an article called "Mob Lite" stating that there are only 50 outfit members remaining, he left out the part stating that there are at 700-1200 associates remaining and how they are more sophisticated than ever. I only wonder what else he left out.
Rating:
Summary: A Definitive No-Bull Look at the Mob
Review: Most non-fiction books on organized crime tilt toward fiction either because writers enjoy claiming to be "in the know" about the mob or because they're subjects' activities are so murky that nobody will be able to prove or disprove what's written. Gus Russo's book will go down as one of the few scholarly works on the mob and it's well worth its length to read the whole thing. Of particular interest is Russo's portrayal of the vast shade of gray that exists between the darkness of the mob and the alleged purity of legitimate business. Russo documents how hard it is to draw the line between where the mob ends and legit business begins. Furthermore, Russo examines the least flashy bust most powerful organized crime figures such as Murray Humphreys and Tony Accardo, two names largely unknown to the public, but of enormous American significance. This confirms what the FBI has always known -- that it's the guys who stay out of the newspapers who really run the show. Finally, if anyone remains in America naive enough to believe that Camelot ever existed, The Outfit will dispel the Kennedy legend quickly and reveal the family for what they are: Well-polished children of a stone racketeer who had the savvy to invest his fortune in spin. For mob watchers and American history buffs, The Outfit is a necessary, if disturbing read. It'll be hard for future mob writers to knock Russo's work off the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: The web of power
Review: Russo has finally written the book that begged to be written: detailing the close interaction sociologically, politically, etc., between the "underworld" as he so aptly calls it and the "upperworld" of nominally respectable business, politics, etc. Michel Foucault would be proud of him. As Al Capone put it: "Everyone is on the take." This book demolishes many stereotypes and cherished myths about both the "mob" and "respectable" business and politics. A sociological bombshell - not for the faint of intellect.
Rating:
Summary: the truth is scary
Review: the book tells how the chicago mob, rose to power at the turn of the century...how did they affect america....they got roosevelt, truman, jfk elected president...they ran unions controlled hollywood and owned las vegas....this is not really a godfather or goodfellas...it's more fascinating and better....you also learn that the true mastermind of the mob for over 40 years was a welshman named curly humphrey's...i never heard of him until this book....his story would make a great movie....he was the brains and legal advisor for the assault on america....at some points in the book you'll admire what the mob accomplished and at times you'll even chuckle at how insane arrangements were in chicago circa the early 1900's....
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