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Rating: 
Summary: MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2003
Review: ALL I HAVBE TO SAY IS WOW... WHAT A GREAT BOOK. THE DOPES IN HOLLYWOOD HAD BETTER MAKE THIS INTO A MOVIE FAST. THIS BOOK READS LIKE THE BEST FIGHT STORY OF ALL TIME. I ESPECIALLY LOVED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUMMY AND HIS BROTHER. DON'T WALK... RUN TO BUY THIS BOOK. I READ IT IN ONE NIGHT.RON ROSS KEEP IT UP. I THINK YOU HAVE ANOTHER 10 BOOKS IN YOU JUST FROM THIS ONE. INCLUDING THE STORY OF LEPKE, GURRAH AND THE OTHER BOYS. HOW ABOUT ONE ABOUT ALL THE JEWISH BOXERS INCLUDING BENNY LEONARD AND RUBY GOLDSTEIN? THIS IS A CLASSIC.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Read; Americana at its Best
Review: An enjoyable and engrossing examination of a unique confluence of time, place, and people ... Eastern European Jewish immigrants, their first-generation-American children, the Great Depression, Brownsville NY, and the crime Syndicate born of Prohibition. Ron Ross recreates a world of candy stores, pushcart vendors, tenement apartments, petty thugs, corner gyms, notorious gangsters, and the struggle for life and dignity admist poverty, crime, and prejudice. Vivid, colorful, and often humorous, it's also grim, unblinking, and heart rending. A great book for students of Jewish-American history, for boxing enthusiasts, for organized crime buffs, and for those who simply appreciate a great story.
Rating:
Summary: Depression era Brooklyn
Review: Ron Ross' dazzlingly descriptive biographical novel does a wonderful job in the recreation of the Brooklyn Jewish ghetto of Brownsville during the throes of the Great Depression. Ross exhaustively researched his material to give us a feel for the sights, sounds, smells of the crowded, sometimes squalid tenement that Brownsville was, complete with Yiddish expressions and verbiage common for the time. Brownsville spawned both Murder Inc., the Jewish Mafia, and Albert Abraham Davidoff, better known as Bummy Davis, a dynamic lightweight boxing contender with a thunderous left hook. Murder Inc. was headed by Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. He used local Jewish thugs such Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss and "Buggsy" Goldstein to enforce policies
of protection, loan sharking, extortion, prostitution, and bootlegging. They terrorized the community using murder to keep everyone in line. Davis, whose dad was a local merchant, had an older brother Willie who was a Lepke henchman. Davis who was a loyal, thoughtful, industrious and respectful guy, could never shake a negative image brought about by the exploits of his brother. After working as a fruit peddlar from a pushcart at the tender age of 10, he soon discovered that his fighting skills learned on the streets could be honed into productive boxing skills. He turned professional at 16 lying about his age and became a money making prize fighter with exceptional skills. He used his money to buy his parents a home and refused to be controlled by the mobsters in cohoots with Murder Inc. The story goes on to chronicle both the rise anf fall of the Brownsville Jewish mafia. Unfortunately the storied life of Bummy Davis was also abbreviated. At the tender age of 25 having retired from boxing due to the rampant corruption and prejudices that existed and about to begin a new career, he was gunned down in a bar room stick up trying to protect his friends.
Rating:
Summary: Depression era Brooklyn
Review: Ron Ross' dazzlingly descriptive biographical novel does a wonderful job in the recreation of the Brooklyn Jewish ghetto of Brownsville during the throes of the Great Depression. Ross exhaustively researched his material to give us a feel for the sights, sounds, smells of the crowded, sometimes squalid tenement that Brownsville was, complete with Yiddish expressions and verbiage common for the time. Brownsville spawned both Murder Inc., the Jewish Mafia, and Albert Abraham Davidoff, better known as Bummy Davis, a dynamic lightweight boxing contender with a thunderous left hook. Murder Inc. was headed by Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. He used local Jewish thugs such Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss and "Buggsy" Goldstein to enforce policies
of protection, loan sharking, extortion, prostitution, and bootlegging. They terrorized the community using murder to keep everyone in line. Davis, whose dad was a local merchant, had an older brother Willie who was a Lepke henchman. Davis who was a loyal, thoughtful, industrious and respectful guy, could never shake a negative image brought about by the exploits of his brother. After working as a fruit peddlar from a pushcart at the tender age of 10, he soon discovered that his fighting skills learned on the streets could be honed into productive boxing skills. He turned professional at 16 lying about his age and became a money making prize fighter with exceptional skills. He used his money to buy his parents a home and refused to be controlled by the mobsters in cohoots with Murder Inc. The story goes on to chronicle both the rise anf fall of the Brownsville Jewish mafia. Unfortunately the storied life of Bummy Davis was also abbreviated. At the tender age of 25 having retired from boxing due to the rampant corruption and prejudices that existed and about to begin a new career, he was gunned down in a bar room stick up trying to protect his friends.
Rating:
Summary: Miscataloged, but a riveting read
Review: Ron Ross's book is the fascinating story of New York boxing in the 1930s and '40s, with lightweight contender Davis and Organized Crime as the main characters in a tale of shakedowns, murder, racketeering, and the ins and outs of the sweet science. Just as compelling is his portrait of Brownsville's Jewish community in Brooklyn. Ross is adept at writing about boxing - having been involved in the sport for many years - and he has done decades of research to tell the story of Bummy Davis, who ran afoul of both Murder Inc. and the poison pens of sports columnists. The book's jacket flap is right in comparing Ross's narration to Damon Runyan and the whole "guys and dolls" genre. In dealing with an era in boxing, and in crime, that was heavily Jewish, Ross greatly aids the reader by providing a glossary of Jewish phrases and terms. However - for some reason this book has been library-catalogued as nonfiction. It is not. It is an historical novel. Ross honestly states in his Author's Note that, armed with his considerable research, he created the dialogue and situations that propel Davis's story. The facts of Davis's life are true; Ross's narration makes them into one of the best boxing novels of the past several years. Ross is also the author of another excellent boxing novel, The Tomato Can (1994), which is well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: devasting story of trying to survive the depression...
Review: what a masterpiece....it parrallels the rise and fall of jewish mobsters and al "bummy" davis during the great depression in brownsville, brooklyn, the toughest neighborhood around ...davis rose above it to become a top lightweight contender during the late 30's...he had his ups and downs crossing paths with murder inc, who prevented him from fighting for the championship...however, his story is more....he's a fierce customer in and out of the ring, but does have a heart of gold...he doesn't want to be rich and famous, he wants to buy his parents a house and have a wife and family....he stands up to the mobsters admirably, even at his own loss....the book details the candy stores, shops and pushcarts of depression life,of which "bummy" got his start....there's a cast of characters named, "bugsy" "puggy" and "fat yerna" etc...your emotions will be stirred as to what happens to them...i'm glad i read this book and would like to say i have more admiration for al "bummy" davis than anyone else except my own father who grew up in similar surroundings in the bronx...
Rating:
Summary: A Great Human Interest Story
Review: You don't have to be a fan of boxing to enjoy this book. It is more of a human interest story than anything else. Once you start reading this book, you will find it very difficult to put down. As yor are reading this book, you feel like you are transformed back to Brownsville, Brooklyn with all of the characters and living in that time period. Congratulations to Ron Ross for his hard work and research of an ill-fated boxer who had a heart of gold and got a bum rap from the press and the media. This book is simply a must read for everyone who enjoys reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Human Interest Story
Review: You don't have to be a fan of boxing to enjoy this book. It is more of a human interest story than anything else. Once you start reading this book, you will find it very difficult to put down. As you are reading this book, you feel like you are transformed back to Brownsville, Brooklyn with all of the characters and living in that time period. Congratulations to Ron Ross for his hard work and research of an ill-fated boxer who had a heart of gold and got a bum rap from the press and the media. This book is simply a must read for everyone who enjoys reading.
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