When Good Men Do Nothing: The Assassination of Albert Patterson

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I love history and I'm one of those buffs who usually slowly juggles several eras at once, some because of mild interest and others out of a sense of obligation. Last Friday, someone at work lent me Alan Grady's When Good Men Do Nothing, telling me he was positive I would like it. I asked how long I could keep the book because I was in the middle of several rather lengthy bestsellers and would not be able to get to it anytime soon. Friday night, out of mild curiosity, I read the first page and before I knew it, I had lost two good night's sleep. My wife finally told me that I had to put the book down.
Reading the first page is akin to eating one potato chip or one peanut; don't start if you have other plans for the next several days. This is truly an incredible book, well-researched, unpredictable and with a slate of characters so bizarre, you can't believe this really happened. It did, though.
Albert Patterson was a small town lawyer in the 1950's in Phenix City, Alabama, the "Wickedest city in America". The major industry in Phenix City in the first half of the 20th century was the peddling of sin. Prostitution, gambling and almost every other vice were not only available on every corner, but most everyone in the city government and law enforcement were not only supportive of the system, but were actively participating in it. This is the story of a few good men who decided to stand up to the mob and what it ultimately cost them.
Buy this book. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Completely Misses the Mark
Review: I never could figure out where the author, Alan Grady, came up with the title "When Good Men Do Nothing." The story of Phenix City is a story about good men who sacrificed everything. If you are interested in what happened in Phenix City, Alabama and want to know about men who did something, like Hugh Bentley and Albert Patterson, then I would suggest you pick up a copy of Margaret Anne Barnes book "The Tragedy and the Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama." Alan Grady's book completely misses the mark.