The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster - Paddy Whacked

The author obviously got much of his "research" using google. And I actually found some misinformation that he took off of potential movie treatments. Francis "Two Gun" Crowley deserves better than the shoddy research you put into this money making scheme.

Save your money on this plagiaristic theft and just use Google for your information. But make sure you avoid Wikipedia and Movie scripts as this joker did. Do actual research next time English!

By the way read another one star review for this book for other instances of outright plagiarism. This author is an outright unapologetic thief.

"Out there somewhere, Whitey exists as a relic, or ghostly reminder, that no criminal underworld in the history of the United States started as early or lasted as long as the Irish Mob."

This is such a cool historical book.

Well researched and engaging this book details the history of the Irish Mob and its demise. It also lays the historical groundwork to explain why James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. was such an influential gangster. There's interesting anecdotes about various mobsters throughout history along with stories that tie the history together.

There's a lot I wasn't aware of before this book, like how prohibition was so profitable for some outfits or what conditions allowed Whitey to have so much influence over Southie. Also the Kennedy connection to the mafia was especially interesting given that Boston seemed to be the last frontier for the Irish Mob.

Informative and unbiased this is a good book that brings some of America's most ruthless gangsters to life.

Paddy Whacked tries to accomplish the ambitious task of writing a history of Irish-American involvement in crime from the mid-19th Century, when hordes of indigent, mostly illiterate Irish fled the Potato Famine in Ireland and came to America, to modern times. He makes interesting points, one of the chief being that Irish-Americans were integral to the development of what became modern organized crime in America, at first as criminals themselves and then increasingly on the other side of the fence in ostensibly respectable positions such as policemen, ward heelers, businessmen and fixers of various sorts. One such that falls under his unforgiving spotlight is Joseph Kennedy. English describes the Old Man’s involvement with thugs like Johnny Roselli in Los Angeles and his shady and outright illegal deals (to include rigging JFK’s election) in great detail with sources. He also addresses Mafia involvement in JFK’s assassination as payback for the Old Man seeking their help and then being ruthlessly pursued by Attorney-General Bobby Kennedy.

While the book is a bit of a grab bag, dealing as it does with a number of thugs, crooks, and swindlers in several locations over a century-and-a-half, it’s a marvelously entertaining read, full of fascinating information. For example, English writes that poolrooms were originally places where people could place money on a lottery (called a “pool” in those days) and that the rooms’ owners installed billiard tables so punters could while away time waiting for results.

T.J. English brings forth one of the finest histories in America, a story about greed, strife, and blood. The first gangster he tells of is John "Old Smoke" Morreissey who went to the sportsman club and proclaimed he was the best pugilist on the east coast and he was there to prove it at age fifteen an illiterate thug who after fifteen minutes was knocked out and given the job of welcoming people off the ships. Who swore to better things for his people, and became a king of New York by his own hand. He also brings up numerous irish gangsters who managed to make themselves into something more then thugs such as the Kennedy clan who were killed by the mob and Cleveland's own Danny Greene who manged to destroy his cities mob family even in death. Finally bringing it to a close with the last irish crime lord James "Whitey" Bulger who eluded the FBI for close to two decades until he was caught in early 2012 and the last irish hitman Frank "The irishman" Sheeran who relates how he killed teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. A good read for crime lovers.

The author, T. J. English, has done a thorough job in telling the story of gangsterdom from the 1850's into the 1980's. Chicago's Lords of the Levee, "Hinky Dink" and "Bathhouse John", and an assortment of shady characters brought on by passage of the 18th Amendment in both Chicago and New York none of whom trusted one another make up a colorful but infamous history. Of special interest to me is the telling of how Joseph Kennedy persuaded several mob members to back his son John for president even though so many of them had come to despise brother Robert due to his badgering of mob members. Sam Giancana, who Robert Kennedy chided by saying, "I thought only little girls giggled, Mr. Giancana?" was convinced to support John for president only to find that the much despised Robert was then named attorney general. The mob felt they had been doublecrossed and now they had to "cut off the head, not the tail", John, not Robert. Robert always felt responsible for his brother's assassination due to his relentless pressure on the mob. Also of special interest is the section on Frank Sheeran who tells his story of his assassination of his "best friend" Jimmy Hoffa. This is told in part from the book entitled "I Heard You Paint Houses?" Sheeran was along for the ride to keep Hoffa at ease since he felt safe knowing Sheeran was along. Hoffa failed to realize when the time for one's demise came your best friend was very likely to be involved. Sheeran justified the action by saying if he hadn't taken part Sheeran himself would be hit. There were a couple of chapters I glanced over, but the infamous history that is the mob is certainly made up of a number of diverse and pitiful characters. Even if you've read stories of many of these individuals it is interesting to see what another author has to say about them.

English has done a marvelous job of chronicalling the Irish influence in the underworld and gangsterism in America from the late 1840's till the present time.He shows how and why the Irish ruled the roost for so long.It was simply done as a means of survival for those that were put down for hundreds of years by British practices in the old country.After escaping the virtual genocide that occurred along with the potato crop failure;many of those who had the initative and opportunity to get to America,simply were not going to be treated the same way in their new home. Out of necessity to survive ,they relied on their skills of forming friendships,secret societies,tribal instincts,and necessity to support one another; many turned to the world of street crime as it was the only avenue open to them. Don't forget the widespread slogan; "IRISH NEED NOT APPLY".Therefore they took on the jobs both legal and illegal that those who arrived before them would not do. While the author shows how the Irish controlled the underworld and all its rackets; at the same time they got into politics,unions and low level government occupations such as police ,firemen and other labor and blue collar jobs.

We also see, as time goes on, and the Irish move up the economic and social ladders;new masses of immigrants from eastern Europe,and particularly Italy,are arriving and facing the same kind of barriers to "the Good Life" .While many Irish have "moved on and up",many of those in the underworld try to hold onto their power as the Italians move in and want to take over.The author shows the struggles that went on for decades and with an endless number of "whacking" on both sides. While much of the rackets in the eastern part of America was controlled by the Irish ;by now they have been largely pushed aside.

Of course the characters,stories,alliances,double-crosses, vendettas,revenges,shootings,aad all that goes along with crime abounds ,and English has written a great book that tells the whole story and in a way that makes it very easy to follow and understand. Along the way he talks about many other books that give more details on certain people and happenings.His section on Sources and the Index are excellent.He also gives us many excellent photos,though we certainly would have liked more. He has also given about as clear and concise picture of the Kennedys as well as to what happened to Jimmy Hoffa, as I've come across yet. Whether or not he is right,his explanation is as plausable as any other at this time.

Anyone who is likely to read this book has probably read or seen the "Untouchables","The Godfather","Gangs of New York" and a host of other things about the underworld will know what a violent,unforgiving world it is .They will also know of the connections between the criminals and politicians,and struggles between different ethnic groups;but you wont find it all tied together better than the author has done it in this book.

In this book we see the struggle for power over crime in the underworld and it shows over and over again that;

"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

We are also reminded of what Napoleon had to say about crime.

"If crimes and misdemeanors increase,this is proof that misery is on

the rise and that society is badly governed."

Then again,Al Capone knew a thing or two about crime and here's what he

had to say about it;

"Everybody calls me a racketeer. I call myself a businessman."

"Who would have guessed that in the early years of the twenty first century - in an era of rampant jihadism and global paranoia - the highest ranking organized crime figure on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List was neither a Mafia don nor a Latin American narcotraficante nor a Russian mafiya, but rather an old-style Irish-American mob boss from around the way?" - Opening

And what follows is TJ English's epic novel about the history of the Irish American Mob. From the Great Famine to the 1990s, English tracks these greedy leprechauns dwelling in the America's urban slums. The book is nicely seperated into different chapters for different cities. Well written and researched. Imagine the bloodshed if Mr. Bulger and Mr. Coonan had become allies? It almost happened.

A must read for a any gangster fan. 5 stars.

Given the title of this book - which straddles the line between witty and puerile - I half-expected the worst sort of 'true-crime' book; full of hard-boiled prose delivered in a staccato, 'Cagney-esque' style and liberally scattered with 'gats', 'heaters' and other gems of underworld argot. I was pleased to find that it was not like that at all. Except for the occasional flamboyantly overblown turn of phrase, the book is very well written. It takes the reader from the post-famine exodus from Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century to the downfall of the last major Irish mobster in the nineteen-nineties and covers all the intervening material in a clear, straightforward and chronological way. A few minor characters are given a little bit too much coverage, perhaps, but other than that the book is entertaining and informative.

Not crazy about this book. Lots of information but no real context.

There's no feel for the overall Irish American community; no information about how little cops actually made; how many kids made it out without getting into gangs; no mention of the orphan trains.

Some of the information also feels -light on sources is the nicest way I can put it. The author quotes William Kennedy a modern novelist more than he does newspapers about Legs Diamond. He cites two books on late 19th century gambling but claims they're not available and he's quoting from a 1938 book which cites them. Really? because it took me 5 seconds on google to find them in a e version and another 5 secs to find hard copies of both on Ebay.

There's some information although I'd verify it myself before I used it which is interesting but overall I'm still looking for a better book on this subject.

"Paddy Whacked" certainly touches all bases in telling the story of great Irish American criminals of the 20th Century. PW is quite well-researched an documented with plenty of facts and anecdotes about this reviewer's fellow countrymen who roamed the underworld in Boston, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York, Cleveland and Chicago. Surprisingly, a couple of the Paddies are white collar guys such as Tom Prendergast (political boss of Kansas City) and Joseph P. Kennedy (bootlegger and stock market manipulator). There are some factual glitches: The rubout of Big Paul Castellano did not take place on a "busy Midtown Manhattan Street in rush hour" but on relatively quiet East 46th Street after dark. And the Javitts Convention Center is FAR from the "largest convention center in U.S. history". Also, the author's facile explanation of the JFK assassination simply did not belong in the text! Be all that as it may, PW is fast and entertaining reading but at hardcover prices, subtract a star. Now, who was that dead guy on the cover??

In terms of my personal preferences, I have always been wary of true crime books that opt for a comprehensive or encyclopedic approach to any given subject. I avoided this book for a time for that reason. After finally reading it, I think my initial instincts were still on the money.

There is much to like in this book, but, in attempting to summarize the Irish American criminal experience in America from the time of the Potato Famine to the present day, the author proved himself to be overly ambitious. Trying to tackle the criminal and political history of multiple cities (Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, New Orleans and New York), analyzing the Kennedy family political dynasty and its reputed ties to the underworld, plus examining the activities of Irish labor unions proved to be too much. There is enough information in "Paddywhacked" to form the basis of three or four separate books. Sometimes, less is more.

Another problem is that the author repeats many historical errors found in other books. English makes numerous misstatements about various topics due to the questionable sources that he has chosen. Relying upon a wildly inaccurate book such as Kenneth Anger's bitchy and entertaining "Hollywood Babylon" as a source for information about the Kennedys does not inspire too much confidence. That title has been properly dismissed as a supermarket tabloid.

One unintentionally funny feature of the book is that the text was not edited by a thorough proofreader. The pages are filled with numerous spelling errors. Catholics do not worship at an "alter" nor do "precinct captions" organize people into "voting blocks." A writer named English should familiarize himself with the English dictionary and language before seeking to recount the criminal activities of the Irish.

Some of the historical interpretations are similarly suspect. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was quite comfortable with accepting the support of labor union thugs and machine politicians and was less of a reformer than the author suggests. It was not irregular or unusual for Judge Samuel Seabury, a genuine reformer, to continue to be addressed by his former judicial title after leaving the bench. It is an accepted custom within the legal community. One of the wildest assertions, however, is that the New Deal ushered in an era of reform that effectively ended political corruption and graft and sounded the death knell for the Irish engaged in machine politics. Mister English clearly is not familiar with the governing class that has been mismanaging Chicago, Illinois for the past eighty years or so.

There are some terrific yarns in this book and you will not be disappointed if you do not expect too much. "Paddy Whacked" is entertaining, but not completely accurate historically.

So...have you seen the HBO series entitled "Boardwalk Empire?" Have you heard about Whitey Bulger? If you have answered, "yes" to either one...then this book is for you! The former is a fictional accounting while the latter; Bulger is not!

T.J. English writes a history book that you will actually enjoy reading...not like one of those you were forced to read in school!
"Paddy Whacked" is the story of the Irish immigrants who turned to a life of crime out of pure necessity! It spells out in great detail the human force of Irish labor misled to believe there was a better life in the US...only to discover a world where labor proved lethal! Read the truths of how the canal systems of New Orleans were made and of those expendables who died making them! Learn about their struggle to earn just enough to migrate north into New York and "New criminal endeavors!"
Follow along as men like Dean O'Bannon, Spike O'Donnell and yes...even Alfonse Capone guide you through the underworld in search of profit gained by the sale of illegal liqueur. You thought The Kennedy's were squeaky clean? Think again! Ever wonder just how Joe Kennedy made his millions? Wonder no more!
Read along as the intoxicating mixture of politicians and booze in the pursuit of profit, makes your brain buzz with facts of corruption and murder.
Bring this tale to present day as it is still unfolding.
"Paddy Whacked" leads you to the vicious tales of the "Winter Hill gang" and one of the most brutal men in organized crime..., James "Whitey" Bulger, a man who eluded federal law enforcement for over 16 years and lead them on a manhunt that spanned the globe until finally being apprehended in Santa Monica, California in 2011.
Experience the back story that will lead you to today's headlines and the dramatic courtroom scenes that left Bulger with nothing...except 2 life terms in prison that is! "Paddy Whacked" by the United States judicial system!
In his book, "Paddy Whacked," T.J. English turns over all the stones to expose the real history of the original gangster in America... the desperate, the ingenious...the Irish!

Finally, a book telling the story of the Irish mobster in America! Being of Irish blood, I've always found it distressing that very little mob literature tells the story of Irish gangsters. It's a small but dynamic part of our culture; Chicago, New York, and Boston would not be the cities they are (and the U.S. would not be the country it is) without the influnce of the Irish underworld. T.J. English, whose excellent "The Westies" deals with a modern-day Irish gang in Hell's Kitchen, has made an extensive study of Irish underworld characters. From Chicago's Dean O'Banion of the 1920's to Boston's modern Whitey Bulgur, English's "Paddy Whacked" provides fascinating insights into the development of the American Irish immigrants who carved out their legal and illegal niches before the future Sicilian mobsters arrived. After being forced out of organized crime by the Italians, who previously worked with them, in the late 1920's, Irish freelancers continued to have an influence on Mafia business and politics that I never knew about until I read this book. There's a lot of Irish culture in "Paddy Whacked" too, familiar characters and traditions to anyone with Irish blood. This book is not condemning nor lauding the Irish gangsters it presents, merely telling their story in a colorful way they would have appreciated. Anyone wanting to know the history of the American Irish gangster must get "Paddy Whacked".

I've enjoyed Paddywhacked tremendously. This is the only book which chronicles the history of Irish-American organized crime from about 1840 to the present. It's a valuable addition to the literature of organized crime. This is especially true in the sociological details of Irish and Irish-American culture existing throughout the book.

While this is an excellent work, it is not outstanding. The author's understanding of several subjects that he comments on is not a deep as it could be. The following problems exist in the narrative:

A. Italian Organized Crime -

The word "Mafia" most likely comes from Arabic and means a "refuge". (See Lewis, Norman. The Honored Society, 1964, and Dr. Mario Pei's etymologic study of the word in various congressional studies since 1950.) This explanation fits in with the group's origin as a perennial resistance against the occupiers of Sicily, beginning with the Normans. Refuge is easily translated into a guerrilla base camp. ( "Maquis" is a French word for wild heather or sage bushes. It was from this meaning that the WWII French resistance movement, the Maquis, derived its name.)

Italy in the late 19th Century had three OC groups; Mafia in Sicily, Camorra in Campania (Naples), and the Honored Society or Ndrangheta (Calabria). In the great Italian immigration period (1870 - 1920), these three groups came to the US and settled in large cities, mostly in the East and Midwest.

In the period 1914-1918, a war erupted between the Sicilians and Neapolitans in New York. The Harlem, Mulberry Bend, Navy Street, and Coney Island were the principal bases for the participants in this struggle. The Camorra was decimated by a series of war-related murder convictions among its leaders in 1917-18. After this the two organizations agreed to merge and form "la Cosa Nostra", the basis for the OC group we know today.

(The small group of Calabrians also merged themselves into the new group.)

After 1918, the differences between the three Italian Paese (regions) in OC were greatly muted. Eventually, the Castellammarese War, though a struggle with one particular Sicilian group, pretty much converted LCN into an American group.

While regional identifications still exist in Italian-American society, these differences have been subsumed into a distinctly Italian-American culture. The author's evocation of these differences in his discussion of Joe Valachi is `out in left field". No, Valachi didn't get everything right, but he was the first "defector" to definitely explain the organization and workings of LCN. Valachi was crude, but he had a fantastic memory.

B. The Kennedy Assassination -

While the author is very well versed in the literature of OC, he neglected another important literary genre in the Kennedy chapters - intelligence literature. Any study of the JFK assassination must take into account the US - Cuba secret war after the Bay of Pigs.

Mr. English mentions the various LCN operations against Castro. What he fails to mention is the NSC Augmented Special Group. After the Bay of Pigs disaster President John F. Kennedy created a committee called Special Group Augmented (SGA) charged with overthrowing Castro's government. The SGA, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy (Attorney General), included John McCone (CIA Director), McGeorge Bundy (National Security Adviser), Alexis Johnson (State Department), Roswell Gilpatric (Defense Department), General Lyman Lemnitzer (Joint Chiefs of Staff) and General Maxwell Taylor. Although not officially members, Dean Rusk (Secretary of State) and Robert S. McNamara (Secretary of Defense) also attended meetings.

Additionally, the myth of Bobby the Mob buster is enhanced here. Aside from the Hoffa prosecution and the Marcello case, Robert Kennedy's tenure as Attorney General lacks any legal assault on the LCN organization. It was not until the advent of the Organized Crime Act of 1968 (the RICO statutes) and the creation of the OC Task Forces across the country in the Nixon Administration that a concerted legal effort against LCN was initiated.

C. New Orleans -

The author puts NO in the same context as the other American cities in the 1870-1920 immigration period. The history of Italian immigrants in Louisiana goes back much farther than 1870.

Italians probably came to Louisiana with the first settlers. As New Orleans became a major port, Italian sailors (mostly Sicilian) "jumped ship" to stay in the area. By 1850, NO had the largest Italian population in America. This nucleus was a draw for the immigrant waves (again, mostly Sicilian) from 1870-1920.

By the time of the Hennessy murder, the Italians were well-based in Louisiana.

First off, this is a great book, a very entertaining read with some classic photos. The picture of Mickey Spillane sprawled out on the pavement after a botched robbery attempt at the tender age of 17 was priceless. It is also a great introduction to the world of Irish organised crime that hits the mark in terms of great writing and facinating insight. The only drawback is T.J English's unecessary and overarching desire to draw any conclusive conclusions between the rise of the Italian LCN, the deaths of Mad Dog Coll and Jack 'Legs' Damond in New York, the St. Valentines Day Massacre and the demise of the Irish as a powerful force in the underworld. I'd say the Irish's assimilation into American society as well as their rise up the political and institutional ladder in the police, fire and building services to be more of a contributing factor towards any decreased levels of irish involvement in organised crime.

The Luciano conspiracy may have some worthiness as far as a clash of cultures is concerned with Italians not favouring to work with the brash, unpredictable nature of Irish hoods probably having alot of truth to it. But let's face it, the likes of Diamond and Coll were on a one way ticket to croakville anyhow and were mainly picked off because they were isolated and without friends in the underworld. The reason they had no real friends was more due to the fact that they were wild and out of control and seen as an untamable threat than any real Irish v Micks rivalry in vying for an underworld top slot. If they were German or Polish the result would have been the same. The simplified and overused Italian dominance over the Irish thing is often overplayed in my opinion and more a convenient footnote of mythology for mob historians than anything steeped in real evidential fact.

Besides, Irish gangsters continued to thrive with figures such as the infamous killer who went swaggering to the chair in Sing Sing Trigger 'Lee' Burke and in later years figures like John Sullivan(schooled by Burke,not Mad Dog) became more trusted than many made men as close associates of the likes of high ranking bosses like Salerno (Fat Tony). John Francis(the Redhead) is another omission who was powerful in his own right as an independent, as well as trusted driver/hitman for Bufalino and a man who worked with the Westies.

I would also contest the omission of the K&A Gang who were predominantly Irish and certainly had more Irish members than the North Side Gang. Not that I would contest the inclusion of Bugs Moran as an Irishman because even though he wasn't he looked like one, carried himself like one and even made speeches and donations at Irish events. It should have been conceded he wasn't Irish however but on the street he was certainly known as such.
Dolan, Mcmanus, Laverty, Gallagher and Loney who fled to Ireland however are as Irish-American as you can get. The gang also made contributions to Irish fundraising events and were commonly referred to as the 'North East Philly Irish mob.' Half-Irish Kripplebauer himself acknowledged and at times referred to the K&A gang as such in a book with Allen M. Hornblum. Could it be the fact that remnants of the gang still remain in the Philly area acting independently or with the local LCN that has persuaded T.J English to leave them out. Who knows? This could have been a factor as there are still remnants of the gang still active in the area to various degrees and this would seem to contradict Whitey Bulger's status as the last Irish gangster.

Besides these imperfections though I loved the book and would love to see an international version taking in Canada, the Irish mob's prominent role in the underworld of London where a London Irish family rose from humble origins on a housing Estate to become perhaps the most feared and violent crime Family ever in the long history of the capital. Certainly they were the most successful.The Dorty Dozen's exploits, the tough gangs from Irish dominated North-West London, and the shoot out between two Irish gangs for an important London territory and dozens of other stories make London a notable area for investigation. Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow all likewise have had and still have infamous Irish mobsters. The traveller gangs who are fiercely loyal to each other but stage brutal bare knuckle fights are also an influence in the underworld of Britain. On the other side of the world Australia too has a long history of Irish outlaws dating from the days of Ned Kelley's infamous shoot out with the law to the 20th Century dominance in the Sydney and Melbourne underworld where the likes of the Moran family (similar to Canada and the US) graduated from the Painters&Dockers union to reach the top of Melbourne's underworld. Like so many Irish outlaws that came before them though, from Dean O' Banion to Mickey Spillane the luck of the Irish eluded this notorious crime family when they needed it most. They met a tragic fate in a violent gangland war that took around 40-50 lives over the course of a decade. The war was very well documented in astonishing detail in the Aussie 'Sopranos' Underbelly.

Perhaps an international version could end in Ireland where places such as Dublin have their own 'Westies' gang(dubbed by media, not them or any homage to their New York cousins) and county Limerick has seen levels of drive by shootings and bombings escalate alongside shocking levels of brutality and violence on the streets. An exodus of Irish criminals to the Costa Del Sol has also made the area become increasingly synomonous with Irish crooks to the extent that many in Ireland have dubbed the area as 'Crumlin in the sun' as Irish cartels extend their grip on the European drugs market. The connections to the IRA and dissident Republicans to Irish criminals from Ireland to London to Europe, Boston, New York and Montreal would also be worth investigating, especially as the influence has been felt so far and wide and is the one integral part of the story that has gone untold and the one intrinsic link between Irish organised crime gangs from these countries.Even as far out as South America Irish mercenaries have been known to loan themselves out to the explosive drug gangs that thrive there. Canada and arguably the most powerful and successful Irish organised crime group in North America right now the West End Gang would certainly be the first port of call but the journey from there to Australia, Europe, London, and then home as many Irish decendants still say would be one hell of a ride and some book. And if T.J English doesn't write it, someone else should step up and complete the journey.

When I finished this book, I felt like I understood my culture better. T. J. English laid the world of the Irish American gangsters out on the pages of his book and revealed a whole section of the USA's history about which I had known virtually nothing before. This is a highly readable and exhaustively researched account of the history of gangsters in the United States and I found it fascinating even though I picked up the book never having read anything about gangsters before in my life.
English's writing reads like a thriller. When he told the story of Old Smoke Morrisey scaring off a potential duel opponent by picking butcher cleavers as his weapon of choice, I think my jaw hit the floor. And then I started reading again and didn't look up for a while. The vivid portraits English paints of the larger than life crooks that people his book stuck in my mind after I read them, so that I can probably still recite a summary of the book to anyone who's interested.
I loved it. Still, T. J. English needs to learn how to spell, and he should ditch his editor for not catching more of his typos. It really detracts from an academic work if the author doesn't appear to know the difference between "alter" and "altar" and insists on talking about "precinct captions." The editing really was terrible. However, if you can get past the typos, this is an engaging and informative book that is well worth the time it takes to read it.

Excellent authoritative, exhaustive study of the Irish mob in America from it's inception to present. Drawn from the bowels of poverty and the necessity to survive as immigrants in New York the brotherhood of the green rose up. English offers insight into the influence on labor parties, political officials and law enforcement who were hand in glove with the Irish gangs. Anyone interested in ganster/crime history, Irish culture or just American history will do well and be pleased to read this book.

a must for all those interested in organized crime in America and devoted to the Irish gangs that were amongst the most numerous and violent in the 19th and early 20th century. A nice easy reading book that is filled with detail and holds your interest. a most important historical and cultural examination dating back to our country's formative years right up into recent times with the inclusion of the notorious "Westies" of Manhattan and one of the FBI's most wanted fugituves "whitey Bulger of Boston who eluded capture for almost 25 years.

This was the first book I read that focused primarily outside of Italian and Jewish organized crime. This is the book that you want to read as an introduction. I personally took an interest in the chapters on Danny Greene and James Bulger and began to read deeper into them. I cannot say how excellent this book is and I recommend it to anyone who is remotely interested. The best thing about this book, is that you don't need to know much about Irish gangsters to read it. It is broken into short stories and once you take a liking to a particular era or gangster, you can read up on them. Definite good buy!

This is a very entertaining book and English has a real flair for storytelling.

Still, it's not the most reliable tome in terms of facts. Aside from the made-up dialogue and the Mob-Killed-JFK theories, there is a really disgusting chapter on Joseph Kennedy. According to the author, Papa Joe bribed a 17 year old girl named Eunice Pringle to file false rape charges against one of his business rivals. After the innocent man was convicted, Kennedy killed Ms. Pringle in 1933 with the help of cyanide poisoning so she couldn't confess.

Problem is, Pringle actually died in 1996 at the age of 84 and maintained her whole life that the rape did happen.

I found this to be an extremely well-written book chronicling the Irish mob from the later part of the 1800's to the present day. Some of the historical facts were astounding, leading me to research on my own even further. I also found the history of the mob from the early 1900's to be exciting, giving me a sense of the brutality of the era that erased the movie bred image I had in my mind. It is hard to fathom such an intense life those men and women must have led. Thanks to TJ English I got a chance to catch a glimpse.

Anyone who thinks they know the full story of organized crime in the U.S. is in for a surprise when they read this book. 'Paddy Whacked' starts with the Irish potato famine and comes right up to the present. The research is awesome and the writing style very witty and entertaining (I especially liked the chapter titles and sub-titles within the chapters). The book is long and in-depth with many names and events but well worth the time it takes to read. The early history in New York, New Orleans and Chicago is fascinating. The chapter on Joseph P. Kennedy and the JFK assassination was shocking to me. And I never before read anthing about the gang wars in Boston in the early 1960's that helped Whitey Bulger rise to power. Even though I've read lots of books on organized crime and was aware of many of the events in this story, they are told from a new perspective that made me think about it in an interesting way. This may be the best overview-type book ever written about the Mob in America.

The writer never states it baldly, but page after page contains the very essence of America. If you sometimes think if governance, from Washington down to your Mayor is just one mass of corruption, subterfuge, special interests and paybacks, well..........it is. And here are its roots. Gangsterism is as fundamental a component of the American dream as Mom's Apple Pie. Read it and weep.

I always hated the movie trio, "The Godfather", but I appreciated it a bit more after I read Puzo's books. Once I had read those, I wanted to learn more about the real history of the mafia and I eventually came across Mr. English's books. I'm only 30% or so through this one, but I can tell you that it's a real blast of history I never thought I'd see in this form. It's a tell all, describe all, everything there is to know about the various crime families in the history of the United States. Great book!

I absolutely loved this book the author's attention to detail is absolutely unmatched we watched a TV show in conjunction with me reading this book called 11-22-63 about the assassination of John F Kennedy
I had no idea the ties That Kennedy family had and still does have to the Mob