Gotham Unbound - (Fast Track Books) by James B Jacobs & Coleen Friel & Robert Raddick (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Through an investigation of Cosa Nostra's activities, reveals the role of organized crime in the urban power structure

Cosa Nostra. Organized crime. The Mob. Call it what you like, no other crime group has infiltrated labor unions and manipulated legitimate industries like Italian organized crime families. One cannot understand the history and political economy of New York City-or most other major American cities-in the 20th century without focusing on the role of organized crime in the urban power structure.

Gotham Unbound demonstrates the remarkable range of Cosa Nostra's activities and influence and convincingly argues that 20th century organized crime has been no minor annoyance at the periphery of society but a major force in the core economy, acting as a power broker, even as an alternative government in many sectors of the urban economy. James B. Jacobs presents the first comprehensive account of the ways in which the Cosa Nostra infiltrated key sectors of New York City's legitimate economic life and how this came over the years to be accepted as inevitable, in some cases even beneficial. The first half of Gotham Unbound is devoted to the ways organized crime became entrenched in six economic sectors and institutions of the city-the garment district, Fulton Fish Market, freight at JFK airport, construction, the Jacob Javits Convention Center, and the waste-hauling industry. The second half compellingly documents the campaign to purge the mob from unions, industries, and economic sectors, focusing on the unrelenting law enforcement efforts and the central role of Rudolph Giuliani's mayoral administration in devising innovative regulatory strategies to combat the mob.

Review Quotes

"Jacobs's structured approach offers a careful dissection of the Mafia way of doing business that is as effective as a Gambino-orchestrated labor strike."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Peels back layers of mystery surrounding the courageous and successful efforts to undermine the American Cosa Nostravaluable lessons for those fighting organized crime at home and abroad."--Roy Godson, Professor of Government, Georgetown University

"Terse, dramatic . . .of equal interest to academics and lay enthusiasts, this serious yet highly readable book addresses Mafia reality more succinctly and clearly than any similar work in recent memory."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"The influence of the Cosa Nostra in the history of New York this century has been as great as Tammany Hall and Wall Street. This excellent and wide-ranging book finally lifts the lid on the Cosa Nostra's penetration of the city's economy. It is a powerful and effective work, filled with warnings about past errors and lessons for future success. All sorts of people should read it, from police officers and politicians to urban historians and criminologistsand New Yorkers who want to know why less cargo is stolen from JFK airport these days, and why the fish from Fulton Fish Market is cheaper!"--Mark Galeotti, Director of the Organised Russian & Eurasian Crime Research Unit at Keele University

"Wherever Puzo's bestsellers and Scorsese's films are popular, this well-organized description of the extent of the Cosa Nostra control of six New York City industries and the government actions that broke down that control will appeal."-- "Booklist"