Rating: 
Summary: A sensitive but insightful review of the Jewish mob.
Review: This is a well written history of the time of the Jewish mobsters. Mr. Cohen neither condemns nor supports this unusual chapter in American and Jewish history. The telling of this tale is fascinating. He did his homework well.
Rating: 
Summary: Delicious
Review: This is a wonderful book. Oddly enough, it reminded me of the Great Gatsby. I'm not sure why. But anyway, if you enjoy powerful, imaginative writing and don't mind a few gruesome detail, this is for you. C'est magnifique!
Rating:
Summary: Fun, easy read
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in many years. This statement has nothing to do with the subject matter, as Jewish gangsters are well documented and more throroughly illustrated elsewhere. Rich Cohen's lively and touching prose would make a book about houseplants enjoyable. I anxiously await his next work.
Rating:
Summary: These guys were no joke.
Review: TOUGH JEWS is one of the very few books to discuss Organized Crime's Jewish roots. The partnership of Jews and Italians (both underdogs at the same time) is well described. The best parts of this book are when Cohen portrays his father and his buddies as teenagers using "Kid Twist" Reles as a role model in the Thirties and Forties. He also is great at conjuring the atmosphere of the era.Even gangsters appeared to have a sense of the history of their 'professions'. Cohen unfortunately has a slightly annoying tendency to 'update' references to these men for 'modern' audiences. I don't really need or care to know that Meyer Lansky's heroin addiction gave him something in common with Jim Morrison...These references are possibly due to the fact that Cohen was a writer for ROLLING STONE. They are the only weak patches in the book. This is a must-have for any true-crime or social-history bookshelf, loaded with human interest as well as gore.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book.
Review: When this book came out in hardback, I bought it for my father. He told so many stories from it, I deciced to buy the book for myself in paperback. For the first time in about ten years, I really had something to talk to my dad about. The stories in the book, and the way the the author tells them, are really incredible. I never really thought of myself as an organized crime buff, but the stories are so funny and they are really more about the people than the crimes, that I just wanted to share what I thought and tell anyone who is thinking -- should I? Shouldn't I? -- you should. Buy this book. You will love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great stories badly told.
Review: _Tough_Jews_, an apocryphal account of the Jewish gangsters based in Brooklyn in the 20's and 30's is an entertaining piece of light reading and a fascinating glimpse into the rationalization process.This could best be described as a cathartic history of Jewish gangsters. Cohen's frequent fawning over the Brooklyn mob of old, to tell you the truth, could be quite ridiculous. His adulation of Murder Inc. often spilled over into out and out hero worship. The author's frequent rationalizations for his adoration, however, are rather interesting for understanding the glamour of current-day gangs in poor neighborhoods. I completely fail to understand the reason for the last chapter, which boils down the author telling the reader, "My dad can beat up your dad," and, "I know Larry King." The even less substantive epilogue does nothing aside from defend the validity of the work. However, despite the scattershot, intrusive method of the author, the stories do themselves justice. The characters, history and anecdotes of the gangsters were a fun, light read. This book is not designed for any significantly deep understanding of either criminals or criminology. I suppose it could be best described as a combination of "Dick and Jane" primer to the true crime genre and a bizarre, misguided attempt at inspirational literature for people not happy about being Jewish. I recommend either buying it in paperback form or just borrowing it from the library, as it is worth one read, but no more.
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