Accardo: The Genuine Godfather

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book about chicago mob other than Capone era
Review: Most people think of Al Capone when they hear of the chicago mob, but his stint as boss wasn't as nearly encompassing as tony accordo's. Really never heard of Accordo until this book..he kept out of limelight..something Giancana nor Capone could do..probaly the reason why Accordo never spent a night in jail. He was boss twice in the fifties and again later on in the early 70's, but was always the person with the last say in importent decisions until his death in 1992( acting as consigliere). He was a bodyguard of Capone and became the boss after Ricca went to prison in the 40's..what would follow would be the most suscessful era for the outfit. This book goes into the bugging of one of Giacana's places( not legal at the time), but brought in a lot information about the outfit's activities. It also covers many famous gangland hits..roemer believes accordo was a gunman in the St Valentines Day massacare..he got his nickname ..joe batters because he beat two of Capone's rivals to death with a baseball bat( aka Joe Batters). It also goes into how ruthles this guy could be..i.e the robbers who knocked over his place and their fate at the start of this book. Overall, a good book if you want to read something other than the norm.

Rating:
Summary: not very informative, justifies Hoover and illegalities
Review: Mr.Roemer truly gives very little about subjects regarding Cubans, Kennedy killings, and the slaying of many Chicago outfit members before testifying before the Church committee. Certainly no mention of the CIA contracting with the outfit filters through Mr. Roemer. I believe that this is out of choice on Roemer's part. He admits listening to long hours of conversations of illegally obtained information. He spends a lot of time justifying Hoover's pursuit of communists(basically a non-threat) while ignoring the existence of La Coas Nostra.I suppose a loyal FBI employee would protect his boss. Many sources have indicated that Hoover was on the take through horse race fixes. Roemer justifies the use of breaking and entering. Maybe this is fine.It bothers me that the crimes he acknowledges he committed (illegal tapping, breaking and entering.)never brought the targets to justice. Somehow, committing crime to stop crime seems ironic. In light of the recent Waco revelations, I have to ask myself do FBI men actually bravely serve their country, or do they delude themselves into believing that they have not become almost identical to those they have pursued. Criminals are not supposed to profit from their crimes. Therefore, I believe that Mr.Roemer should donate his profits to charity.

Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: One of the best books i've ever had the pleasure to read.Maybe even the best.The book brings you into a sometimes violent world.With a true life GodFather with absolute power.Who once was a bodyguard for Al Capone and went up in the ranks.Who believed in his on brand honor and respect.And who was lucky enough to never stay in jail over night.

Rating:
Summary: THE REAL GODFATHER
Review: ROEMER DOES A GREAT JOB BRINGING US THE STORY OF THE REAL GODFATHER. GROWING UP IN THE CHICAGO AREA I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE NAMES AND OF THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE BOOK. THE ONE THING THAT TAKES AWAY FROM THE BOOK IS THAT IN ALMOST EVERY CHAPTER, THE AUTHOR HAS TO PAT HIMSELF ON THE BACK AND TELL US HOW GREAT HE IS.IT IS A WEAKNESS BUT IT DOESN'T KEEP THE BOOK FROM GETTING 5 STARS. TONY ACCARDO WAS THE MOST POWERFUL MOBSTER THAT WE HAVE EVER HAD, THE WANNA-A-BE IN NEW YORK WISH THE WERE AS GOOD AS HIM AND AS POWERFUL. WE SEE THE BRUTAL SIDE OF THE "BIG TUNA" BUT WE ALSO SEE THAT HE DIDN'T USE VIOLENCE WHEN IT WASN'T NECESSARY.EVERYTHING HE WAS KEPT HIM OUT OF JAIL AND ALIVE, NO OTHER MOBSTER OF THE TIME HAD IT AND NOW THEY ARE ALL IN PRISON OR DEAD.

Rating:
Summary: Overall decent
Review: Roemer rambles too often and digresses from the subject a little too much for my liking, but, the story he delivers is solid and consistent. If he would just drop the justifications for previous FBI blunders in the field of organized crime, and if he would allow a professional to edit his book, then it would be a near- five-star effort. A good read nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: Accardo is interesting---Roemer is not!
Review: That's why I bought a book I thought would be about Tony Accardo. Instead, I read about tidbits on William Roemer, the author, and not enough conversation or anecdotes on Accardo to form some sort of image about the man. No wonder Accardo hardly did any jail time--he was a hard man to get a handle on then as now.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on LCN
Review: This book is great. It shows that Roemer knows what is he talking about. The only irritating part is that Roemer puts too much emphasys on his personality and his input. (That cost him one star in my review). After I read this book, I immediately ordered all the stuff he wrote. It does not have those fictional dialogues that most of the authors make up themselves. Everything is based on real facts. Very interesting....

Rating:
Summary: ROEMER HITS A HOME RUN
Review: This has got to be one of the greatest LCN books ever. This book will give you great detail about the man who who was "the man". You will read about how Tony Accardo grew from a low level associate of the mob when was in the Circus Cafe gang to how he became a soldier under Capone and then a capo and then underboss and then boss and then consigliere. Tony Accardo is the most powerful boss ever. Dont listen to the bad reviews. Roemer did a great job researching this one and writting it. Its very well written. The fact is that if Roemer didnt write this book or his others then nobody would know nothing about the Outfit. Buy this book. If you are a true organized crime fan then you will like this book. If you are just a wannabe fan then you will not like it.

Rating:
Summary: this guy was the godfather
Review: Tony Accardo was the most successful mob boss of all time.At the top for 48 years!To put that in perspective Al Capone was boss for 5 years(1925-30)and John Gotti from 1985 to his death in 2002,but more than half of that he was in jail.Accardo did it all,from young apprentice of Capone favorite "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn to shooter in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre(according to Accardo's and Murray Humphrey's secretly recorded conversations in the 1950's and 60's)to Las Vegas kingpin to running the infamous Teamster's union(bet Accardo could tell you what happened to Jimmy Hoffa).This guy was responsible for literally hundreds of deaths,many of them very brutal,but reigned almost completely free from police interference save a few nuisance i.r.s. cases and congressional hearings.As others write,Roemer has a rather scattershot way of writing(it's even worse if you've read his other books as he likes to repeat his stories)but almost all info(except his Notre Dame mentions and his extreme love of God)is mob related and ain't that what you're here for?Some people find that there wasn't enough Accardo personal info but so what.What's there to wonder about?Did Accardo love his wife and kids?Did he kick his dog?Who cares.The guy was the mobster of mobsters and his criminal life is well documented and that's all that matters to me.I guess there is one story in the book that gives you a look into Tony Accardo' soul.His close friend of 40 years(the guy wasn't a mobster,he was the Accardo house caretaker)gave testimony in front of a grand jury and disappeared off the face of the earth days later.How's that for knowing Tony personally?

Rating:
Summary: Almost there, but not quite.
Review: When I saw there was a book about Accardo I rushed right out and got it. Accardo was a man I had great interest in, yet knew little about. I must give Roemer credit once again for another well researched mafia book. But sorry, on this one he falls a little short of the mark. Despite the fact he repeats alot of what he's said in his other books it's still an enlightening book about a very intelligent, very powerful and very cunning mobster. But because Tony Accardo was so damn good at keeping out of the lime light (the FBI's that is) in the end we don't know much about him at all. It is a shame and I don't blame Roemer for it, but rather give credit to Accardo for being one of the few mobsters we will never know much about. e.g. Gambino, Frankie La Porte, Funzi Tieri. But still it's a good read, as are Roemers other books and if you need a break from all the New York stories read about the Chicago Outfit. Which I belive will last longer under pressure from the law than any other Family in the US. GOOD STUFF