Product Description
In modern-day Havana, the remnants of the glamorous past are everywhere—the old hotel-casinos, vintage American cars, and flickering neon signs speak of a bygone era that is widely familiar and often romanticized, but little understood. In Havana Nocturne, T. J. English offers a riveting, multifaceted true tale of organized crime, political corruption, roaring nightlife, revolution, and international conflict that interweaves the dual stories of the Mob in Havana and the event that would overshadow it, the Cuban Revolution. As the Cuban people labored under a violently repressive regime throughout the 1950s, Mob leaders Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano turned their eye to Havana. To them, Cuba was the ultimate dream, the greatest hope for the future of the American Mob in the post-Prohibition years of intensified government crackdowns. But when it came time to make their move, it was Lansky, the brilliant Jewish mobster, who reigned supreme. Having cultivated strong ties with the Cuban government and in particular the brutal dictator Fulgencio Batista, Lansky brought key mobsters to Havana to put his ambitious business plans in motion. Before long, the Mob, with Batista's corrupt government in its pocket, owned the biggest luxury hotels and casinos in Havana, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment, the world's biggest celebrities, the most beautiful women, and gambling galore. But their dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others who would lead the country's disenfranchised to overthrow their corrupt government and its foreign partners—an epic cultural battle that English captures in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory. Bringing together long-buried historical information with English's own research in Havana—including interviews with the era's key survivors—Havana Nocturne takes readers back to Cuba in the years when it was a veritable devil's playground for mob leaders. English deftly weaves together the parallel stories of the Havana Mob—featuring notorious criminals such as Santo Trafficante Jr. and Albert Anastasia—and Castro's 26th of July Movement in a riveting, up-close look at how the Mob nearly attained its biggest dream in Havana—and how Fidel Castro trumped it all with the Cuban Revolution.
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 I never knew revolutions could be so boring. ( drdala )
The author went into excruciating and often pointless details about every two-bit mobster in who ever set foot in Cuba, while telling us nearly nothing about the larger picture.
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 Caribbean Nights
`Havana Nocturne' by T.J. English
In his latest installment, `Havana Nocturne', T.J. English, author of `The Westies' brings us the true story of the Havana Mob. This is the tale of the underworlds influence on Cuba, Havana specifically, in the pre-revolutionary days. You're introduced to all the main players: Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro, et al. The level of corruption at all levels, be it social or political, is examined thoroughly and connections between the American mob and the Cuban government are laid bare for the reader.
Mr. English's easy reading, gritty writing style only enhance this sordid tale of deception, influence peddling and societal depravity. However, the ease with which this book is read should not be confused with a lack of intelligent subject matter; this work is extremely well researched, never tendentious, provocative and extremely important historically. The Havana Mob may not have been the reason for the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro, however, English demonstrates that the two were certainly not mutually exclusive.
This is an extremely enjoyable, romping time of a read. I definitely recommend anyone interested Latin American, American history or true crime to grab `Havana Nocturne'. I'm already looking forward to the authors next installment.
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Living history ( zigzagzoo )
Reads like the very best fiction! If this book didn't contain some bawdy passages, I'd recommend it for high school history classes!
Most reviewers have covered the Hollywood/mob names involved in this book but little has been noted of Fidel Castro as a young, rabble-rousing college student and how the Cuban & US governments, as well as the mob, grossly mis-judged this man's zeal & appeal. (I was particularly struck by the fact Fidel & Che began with only a couple of dozen followers.) Cuba's government just threw the lot in jail rather than deal w/them
in a way that might have staved off the revolution to come. This tale is so well-written and researched that you can feel yourself walking through the cane fields with this little army. Of all the stories told in "Havana Nocturne," the story of Fidel Castro is the one most notable, more than anything else due to its being the only one not born out of greed.
This book is a quick read, perhaps because you can't put it down once you start, and one I heartily recommend. You will be talking about it for days and you certainly won't forget it!
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Great Look into Meyer Lansky and the Havana Mob ( terry_kulyan )
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - great insight into Havana prior to Castro and the inner workings of the mob (New York, Tampa, Las Vegas).
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If the subject interests you, then buy this book! ( rglaca )
This is a very well written and entertaining account of the mob in Cuba. The author's writing is direct, clear and to the point; it's well researched with lots of notes. The only thing about it I didn't much care for is the title. Highly recommended!
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