Deirdre Bair - Al Capone

Al Capone, "enemy number one" has captivated the imagination from his heyday to the present day. He rose from a poor Brooklyn environment to become the most notorious gangster in American history. At the height of Prohibition, his multi-million dollar Chicago network of bootlegs, brothels and gambling dominated the organized crime scene. His rivalry with rival gangs set off a wave of brutal violence, an underworld war that would not end, culminating in the shocking Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929. His empire grew and grew; neither the law enforcement nor the press elite seemed to be able to contain it. And then the downfall happened: the FBI caught him, he was convicted of tax evasion, and he ended up in Alcatraz. After his release, he returned to Miami a broken man and lived quietly with his family until neurosyphilis finally took him down. However, his figure is indestructible: the gangster, smeared with all kinds of skin, is made immortal by many books and films.
With its pedantry and intimacy, this no-frills Al Capone book provides new answers to stubbornly arising questions about this captivating figure who was at once an ostentatious gangster, a devoted family man and a calculating monster.