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Summary: Finest gangster bio I have ever read
Review: "Guns and Roses" is one of the best books I have seen on the subject of Chicago gangster history. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, it was a pleasure to read and I have no problem recommending it to anyone looking for information on non-Capone gangsters. This Chicagoan is pleased!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: Anybody interested in Chicago history or the Prohibition Era must read this book! It's not the same old rehash. Keefe uncovers stories you've read in no other book! Clear your calendar - because you're not going to be able to put this one down!
Rating:
Summary: A Roaring Read
Review: Anyone who has even a passing interest in the "Al Capone" years will do herself (or himself) a favor by reading up on the early years -- and this book is a great way to do it. Full of wonderful little anecdotes and seemingly periphery characters -- such as Max and Moses Annenberg, who were notable players in the Chicago Circulation Wars, and whose descendent became ambassador to Great Britain under Ronald Regan -- this book describes the rise and career and death of one of Chicago's most colorful and resourceful gangsters. This is a well-written and fast-reading book, and will keep you enthralled. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A Roaring Read
Review: Anyone who has even a passing interest in the "Al Capone" years will do herself (or himself) a favor by reading up on the early years -- and this book is a great way to do it. Full of wonderful little anecdotes and seemingly periphery characters -- such as Max and Moses Annenberg, who were notable players in the Chicago Circulation Wars, and whose descendent became ambassador to Great Britain under Ronald Regan -- this book describes the rise and career and death of one of Chicago's most colorful and resourceful gangsters. This is a well-written and fast-reading book, and will keep you enthralled. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A First Class Work
Review: Because of his paradoxical character and personal flamboyance, Dean O'Banion has long presented an easy target for Prohibition-era commentators in search of a standing foil for Al Capone. And most of those commentators have been content to repeat, and embellish, the superficial tabloid legends that have framed his image over the years. Never the subject of a searching and serious biography (until now), O'Banion has typically been portrayed as the kind of stereotypical gangster psychopath so beloved by Hollywood screenwriters. But no one who inspired the loyalty, respect and affection of so many of his contemporaries could have been as psychologically impaired as the man portrayed in the existing literature. Now, at long last, without excusing or minimizing the violence and thievery at which O'Banion excelled, Rose Keefe has written -- in a beautiful and crisp journalistic style -- a carefully researched biography that catalogs his life in its full context. And along the way she provides a host of insights into other gangster notables who, along with O'Banion, formed the legendary North Side Mob. "Guns and Roses" is an important and long overdue contribution to the body of literature that deals with that fascinating time. Serious students of the period and gangster buffs, alike, should give it a careful read - both for the information it provides and the sheer enjoyment of the read.
MORourke
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Summary: Chicago's corrupt and violent history laid bare....
Review: Beyond just being an engrossing biography of one of gangland's most flamboyant leaders, this book also takes the reader on a historical journey through Chicago's early underworld. From flashy brothel owners like "Big Jim" Colosimo to temperamental alky cookers like "Bloody Angelo" Genna to the crime kingpin who violently & methodically took over vice in the city after O'Banion's murder "Scarface" Al Capone. Mention of the corrupt politicians like mayor "Big Bill" Thompson who turned a blind eye except when his payoffs were due are also exposed here. In the 'Chicago Gangland Wars' it was the North siders Dean O'Banion and his loyal minions vs. the South siders Al Capone and his cronies in a fight for bootlegging territory. The conflict escalated during the roaring 20's and culminated in several murders including the most infamous 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre.' Get ready for "one-way car rides", cheap booze, blazing tommyguns and blood in the streets of old Chicago!
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Summary: Dean and His North Side Cohorts
Review: Even though I have read numerous other books on Chicago's infamous past during the prohibition years I found Rose Keefe's effort entitled Guns and Roses to be another fascinating read which is primarily devoted to Al Capone's North Side rivals. O'Banion's loss of his mother at an early age and subsequent move to a seedy section of Chicago contributed to Dean's alliance with the city's criminal element. The warring parties were driven by greed in invading each other's assigned territory during the beer wars. After the assassination of O'Banion in his florist shop in 1924 a number of his friends (Weiss, Drucci, and Moran) all had short terms heading the North Side mob. Weiss and Drucci being shot and Moran having his gang virtually wiped out at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre on February 14, 1929. If you have read other books on this subject you can prepare yourself to enjoy yet another offering on the subject with this book. In addition, this book has photographs I have not seen in other books. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: Chicago's Favorite Florist Gangster
Review: For too long the North Siders have been relegated to the shadow of Al Capone and Rose Keefe has now come forth to rectify this situation with a wonderful biography of Chicago's first celebrity gangster, Dean (not Dion) Charles O'Banion, whose death touched off five years of bloodshed known as the Chicago "Beer Wars." Her impeccable research, bolstered through interviews with elderly witnesses who actually knew O'Banion, uncovers both a complex and interesting man and one of the most colorful antiheroes of the '20's. The writing style is marvelous and this is both an impressive debut volume and a must for any crime library and this reviewer also looks anxiously forward to her followup work on George "Bugs" Moran.
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Summary: Sheds light on the harsh story of Irish-Sicilian clashes
Review: Guns And Roses is the riveting true story of ruthless, colorful, and reigning gangster Dean O'Banion, known as "Chicago's Arch Killer" and the "Boss of the 42nd and 43rd Wards" before Al Capone seized the dubious title of underworld kingpin. Drawn from information compiled from police and court documents, contemporary news accounts, interviews with O'Banion's friends and associates, and more, Guns And Roses sheds light on the harsh story of Irish-Sicilian clashes on the North Side circa 1890-1910, and the turmoil-strewn relationship between O'Banion and Capone himself during their war for supremacy. A thrilling, expertly researched and presented life story.
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Summary: The real Dean O'Banion finally steps up!
Review: I have so many gangster books, being a crime buff, that I didn't think I'd see anything new hit the light of day. I am so happy to have been proven wrong.Call me weird (others have), but every Al Capone bio that I read found me more interested in the North Siders, especially O'Banion. There wasn't much to be learned about any of them that had not already been in print for years. Rose Keefe's O'Banion bio contains interviews with people who actually knew him, and reading the book suddenly brought not only Dean but the other North Siders to colorful life. I learned for the first time about the fate of O'Banion's older brother, Hymie Weiss' serious illness, and Vincent Drucci's crazy sense of humor. I didn't just appreciate the book for all its new insights and tidbits of information: the lively writing style make it much more readable than books written in a scholarly vein (you know, the types that can create one-sentence paragraphs). This book has been long overdue.
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