War on Crime
Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough is a book detailing the rise of some of America’s most popular criminals and the simultaneous creation of the F.B.I. Unlike most “true crime“ stories, this book reads more like a novel and is just as engaging. The book is set largely in the years 1933 & 1934 and delivers a very well researched and accurate depiction of what really happened based on police reports, photos, eye witness interviews, and federal reports. The author quickly points out when there is missing or inaccurate data and does a great job of separating what was reported as ‘fact’ and what has actually been proven to be ‘fact’.Those individuals that this book focuses on include: Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Alvin Karpis & The Barker Family, J. Edgar Hoover and all of those supporting the true stories of these people during the time that defined the F.B.I. President Roosevelt had waged a “War on Crime” and it focused on these bank robbers and kidnappers of the day.
I loved this book! It had a good pace, full of interesting facts, and almost had you thinking that the outcome might actually change from what you know history to be because of the difference between what really happened and the blatant inaccuracy of the reporting of the time. It was quite an eye opener to realize how far law enforcement has come in the relatively short time since 1933-1934. If you are a “true crime” fan, or if you are interested in the gangster genre, you need to read this book. If you are just looking for a fascinating read, I can’t see how you can go wrong with this one.
Bonzai Book Score: 4.5 out of 5
posted by Bonzai @ 10:52 PM
1 Comments:
Ok, this is what I need... If you are going to get out grades for books and movies... I need to know what is a "1" book and movie and what is a "5" book and movie, so I can know where you are coming from.
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