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58th out of 100 books
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119 voters
Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt's Doomed Quest to Clean up Sin-loving New York
When young Theodore Roosevelt was appointed police commissioner of New York City, he had the astounding gall to try to shut down the brothels, gambling joints, and after-hours saloons. This is the story of how TR took on Manhattan vice . . . and vice won. In the 1890s, New York City was America’s financial, manufacturing, and entertainment capital, and also its preferred d...more
Kindle Edition, 448 pages
Published
(first published March 1st 2012)
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Zacks (The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805, 2005, etc.) returns with a sharply focused look at Theodore Roosevelt’s brief tenure as a New York City police commissioner.
The author begins and ends with allusions to the naked goddess Diana perched atop Madison Square Garden—his symbol for the sensual interests of New Yorkers that Roosevelt was intent on controlling, if not diminishing to the vanishing point. Zacks sketches the anti-vice career of cr...more
The author begins and ends with allusions to the naked goddess Diana perched atop Madison Square Garden—his symbol for the sensual interests of New Yorkers that Roosevelt was intent on controlling, if not diminishing to the vanishing point. Zacks sketches the anti-vice career of cr...more
"Island of Vice" is an obvious attempt to show a negative side of Theodore Roosevelt. When the legendary man is separated from the White House, accomplishments in conservation, status as a cowboy, the Panama Canal, and fame as a war hero, a different personality emerges. We see a young TR who was often prudish, impossible to work with, a near loner, and a highly disliked personality in his home city of New York.
The author, Richard Zacks, loves to dwell on the remarkably seedy aspects of history....more
The author, Richard Zacks, loves to dwell on the remarkably seedy aspects of history....more
I have to agree with those who thought the book got a little too detailed with political infighting descriptions. It is quite a long book but it never really kept me more than mildly interested. I suspect if I were to read again I would like it more. You are fairly bludgeoned with facts so it is harder to internalize what payoff they all are building toward when reading the first time. This happened to me with his Captain Kidd book, the second time was much better.
I agree Zacks is quite hard on...more
I agree Zacks is quite hard on...more
I like reading histories, historical biographies, and narrative nonfiction, and Teddy Roosevelt is an especially interesting person, so I really expected to love this book.
I didn't.
Not only did I not I not love it, I couldn't make myself finish it. My initial impression was that the language seemed stilted. It was oddly old-fashioned not only when the characters were being described but when the author was providing background.
Reformers go to places of ill repute to prove how bad they are and ho...more
I didn't.
Not only did I not I not love it, I couldn't make myself finish it. My initial impression was that the language seemed stilted. It was oddly old-fashioned not only when the characters were being described but when the author was providing background.
Reformers go to places of ill repute to prove how bad they are and ho...more
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Book Description: When young Theodore Roosevelt was appointed police commissioner of New York City, he had the astounding gall to try to shut down the brothels, gambling joints, and after-hours saloons. This is the story of how TR took on Manhattan vice . . . and vice won.
In the 1890s, New York City was America’s financial, manufacturing, and entertainment capital, and also its preferred destination for sin, teeming with forty thousand prostitutes, glittery casinos, and...more
The Book Description: When young Theodore Roosevelt was appointed police commissioner of New York City, he had the astounding gall to try to shut down the brothels, gambling joints, and after-hours saloons. This is the story of how TR took on Manhattan vice . . . and vice won.
In the 1890s, New York City was America’s financial, manufacturing, and entertainment capital, and also its preferred destination for sin, teeming with forty thousand prostitutes, glittery casinos, and...more
20 likes · like · see review
I guess I was hoping that Richard Zacks's Island of Vice, a portrait of NYC in the 1890s (which at that time meant Manhattan) and, more specifically, the 16 months or so when Theodore Roosevelt was the town's Police Commissioner (or, at least, one of the city's four police commissioners... I never knew he shared power in that position), would be like Luc Sante's Low Life--which is awesome about the poor, and the "criminal class" from 1840 to 1919--but from the perspective of the (crooked) cops,...more
In 1895, Theodore Roosevelt became one of 4 police commissioners for the City of New York, at that a municipality restricted to Manhattan and part of the Bronx. This appointment was the result of a reverend Pankhurst denouncing (in one the toniest churches in the city) the deep involvement of the local government, starting with the police, in taking payoffs to look the other way regarding prostitution, gambling, and drinking. After Pankhurst's initial sermon, he was sued (!) by the city for slan...more
I kept on seeing this book in my bookstore every time I pass the New U.S. History section. I was always intrigued by the cover but I was always afraid that'll be boring. Sometimes, historical non fiction is told in such a dry manner. I really picked up this book because there is a book club starting in March and Island of Vice was their first choice.
Island of Vice is the tale of 1890's New York. Boy, is it full of corruption, debauchary, and mayhem! Under Democratically run Tammany Hall, prostit...more
Island of Vice is the tale of 1890's New York. Boy, is it full of corruption, debauchary, and mayhem! Under Democratically run Tammany Hall, prostit...more
Theodore Roosevelt was languishing in a dead end job in Wasington D.C. when he was tapped into being a police commissioner by some Republican friends. While NYS was Republican, NYC was Democratic. Roosevelt was from a wealthy old money Dutch family and had all the benefits of his upbringing, including Harvard. He was a strict Protestant who rarely drank. The population of NYC was mainly poor, Irish and Catholic. They work in sweatshops and had only one day off which was Sunday. Roosevelt was hor...more
Very interesting read. I am a huge fan of Teddy. He's up there as one of my favorites; not only president, but historical figures. I jumped at the opportunity to read a book about a city that fascinates me and TR attempts to clean it up. It was fun to read about the old Tenderloin district of New York City, the poor sections like the Lower East Side (always with the contrast of what certain areas have now become in the back of my mind -- houses that were once dive bars that have now been transfo...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was written much like a novel, in story-like fashion that kept me inured in the proceedings of Teddy's "Midnight Ramblings" around late 19th century New York, and the tribulations with co-Commish Parker. Zacks has clearly researched the subject very well, as he pulls out minor details that help to further set the stage.
Two flaws I did find with the book were minor compared to its better qualities. One is the exclusion of a map of 19th century Manhattan. Throug...more
Two flaws I did find with the book were minor compared to its better qualities. One is the exclusion of a map of 19th century Manhattan. Throug...more
Not knowing much about Theodore Roosevelt before reading this book (even that he was a native New Yorker like myself!), I was excited to read this book about his time as Police Commissioner of NYC. This book was so interesting I could hardly bear to put it down... Not only is Roosevelt a fascinating character, but learning about the intrigues of NY politics and Tammany Hall made this story even more interesting. Although he had his flaws to be sure (hotheaded and overly confident in himself at...more
Teddy Roosevelt was quite a force to be reckoned with! This book is extremely interesting, and provides so much insight into his character. It's also surprisingly moving when looking at parts of T.R.'s personal life.
I listened to this on audiobook, and it was narrated by Joe Ochman. Ochman was an excellent narrator, and he altered his voice for each personality in the book. I found this to be extremely helpful, because this book is crawling with names--there is no way that I'd be able to keep ev...more
I listened to this on audiobook, and it was narrated by Joe Ochman. Ochman was an excellent narrator, and he altered his voice for each personality in the book. I found this to be extremely helpful, because this book is crawling with names--there is no way that I'd be able to keep ev...more
This book gives us a very good picture of what life was like in the late 1800's in Manhattan. We get the picture of the level of 'sin' in the city and the efforts of a Reverend Parkhurst to document it. He goes into the Tammany Hall politics of the day and gives us an idea of what Roosevelt was up against.
For Roosevelt to clean up vice he first needed to clean the police department. The NYPD would look the other way when vice laws were being broken, for a price. Many of the captains and commiss...more
For Roosevelt to clean up vice he first needed to clean the police department. The NYPD would look the other way when vice laws were being broken, for a price. Many of the captains and commiss...more
To be honest, I didn't really know that much about Teddy Roosevelt beyond the book The War Lovers by Evan Thomas, his general reputation of being a Rough Rider, an adventurer, a Harvard man, one of the forces behind the Museum of Natural History in New York City. I wanted to read Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt's Doomed Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York and had expected to like him very much.
Richard Zacks' account of Teddy Roosevelt's term as a police commissioner is meticulously researc...more
Richard Zacks' account of Teddy Roosevelt's term as a police commissioner is meticulously researc...more
This is an amazing book! Written about the turn of the century in New York, New York with all of the color you might expect, or, at least hope for. The story focuses on the police department and the republican party who attempt to convert the sexy, boozy Big Apple into a tame, respectable, Sabbath abiding citizens. Roosevelt, the head of the police, is brought to life as a zealous advocate of reform not much liked by the vice-loving residents of the city. The book is thoroughly researched and ti...more
"We are all flawed" - with that quote from the book "Of Human Bondage" I proffer a view on this story of Theodore Roosevelt. There are many books on TR, and many of these are written based on his own notes and autobiography. The tendency in many of the books is to look at his strengths, his achievements, his victories - - and frankly, there were many of these to look back on.
But T was also a flawed individual (as we all are) and in many aspects he was his own nemesis. He achieved a lot in NYC,...more
But T was also a flawed individual (as we all are) and in many aspects he was his own nemesis. He achieved a lot in NYC,...more
Richard Zacks does a good job bringing alive the scenery and atmosphere of late 19th century New York City. For those of us who live or have lived in NYC, there is a certain vibe of the city that is utterly familiar more than a century after the events described took place.
The account describes Teddy Roosevelt's time as president of the police commission, where he served as one of four bipartisan, but reform minded, police commissioners. Although largely overlooked or smoothed over in the histo...more
The account describes Teddy Roosevelt's time as president of the police commission, where he served as one of four bipartisan, but reform minded, police commissioners. Although largely overlooked or smoothed over in the histo...more
Theodore Roosevelt was a New York City police commissioner? Given all the attention his later exploits have gotten, I guess it isn’t surprising that his rather Quixotic efforts to reform the NYPD and clean up the city are largely forgotten. But reading this book shows how his tenure on the police Board of Commissioners set the stage for much of his later career, boosting his national profile and teaching him political lessons (often the hard way). Roosevelt is portrayed here as a strong-willed r...more
New York City in the 1890s. Rife with corruption, prostitution and gambling. A dangerous place, where every vice is readily available and nearly every cop can be paid to look the other way. Enter Theodore Roosevelt. Newly minted Police Commissioner, given the monumental task of taking on Tammany Hall and the “Island of Vice”.
Zacks captures the atmosphere of this period with uncanny detail and for the first half of this book it works perfectly but then the immense detail, court-transcripts, endle...more
Zacks captures the atmosphere of this period with uncanny detail and for the first half of this book it works perfectly but then the immense detail, court-transcripts, endle...more
My 2nd TR biography after The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. This one paints Teddy in a much different light. In River of Doubt he is stoic and brave. In Island of Vice he comes across as much more human. Petty, argumentative and yes, stoic and brave. Where Candice MIllard may have been too enamored with Roosevelt in River of Doubt I think Zacks may have too much of negative opinion of TR. Its impossible for an author not to show her bias though. This is why I'm glad I pic...more
Fun look at Roosevelt's fight with corruption and vice. It made him few friends--particularly with the working-class immigrants who he denied the right to a cold drink on a hot Sunday--their only day off. Roosevelt felt, rightly or wrongly, that laws could not be selectively enforced. Laws could be changed but until they were, they should be enforced. So he fought to close saloons and bars on Sundays in enforcement of blue laws. He got his coveted appointment to the Navy at least in part because...more
3 likes · like · see review
This well-researched, exhaustive account of Teddy Roosevelt's tenure as Police Commissioner of New York City in the mid 1890s begins promisingly, as he locks horns with the Tammany machine and attempts to crack down on organized vice which the Police had for years been ignoring for pay-offs. Backed by a newly-elected reform Mayor's office, the initial focus of his efforts seems to have been an attempt to strictly enforce Sunday blue laws, closing the saloons on the Sabbath. With herculean effort...more
3.5 stars...
Really enjoyed this book about one of the lowlights of Teddy Roosevelt's career. The intractability of reforming New York City was not started in the 1890s, nor has it ever been finished. While today's NYC is a far cry for the NYC I knew in the 1970s, it holds no candle to what it was in the 1890s. The curious puritanism of the time ran headlong into the vice that many New Yorkers enjoyed. Of course, "vice" in the 1890s was very different. Drinking beer on Sundays, women walking alon...more
Really enjoyed this book about one of the lowlights of Teddy Roosevelt's career. The intractability of reforming New York City was not started in the 1890s, nor has it ever been finished. While today's NYC is a far cry for the NYC I knew in the 1970s, it holds no candle to what it was in the 1890s. The curious puritanism of the time ran headlong into the vice that many New Yorkers enjoyed. Of course, "vice" in the 1890s was very different. Drinking beer on Sundays, women walking alon...more
if i were just judging this book on its description of the range and depths of vice in late 1800s manhattan, then i'd go 5 stars without hesitation. the beginning of this book is ripe with filth, booze, and other nocturnal american pursuits and is a lurid collection of pleasures to read.
i'm a great fan of teddy roosevelt. while i find myself often taken aback by his views and positions, he's just so damned fascinating to read about. the only president to have been born in new york city, TR never...more
i'm a great fan of teddy roosevelt. while i find myself often taken aback by his views and positions, he's just so damned fascinating to read about. the only president to have been born in new york city, TR never...more
Theodore Roosevelt's stint as a NYC Police Commissioner is often glazed over by his biographers. He was young, idealistic and changed New York City over night. In reality, Roosevelt succeeded mostly in making sure his native New York was never very fond of him after that. Zacks' book paints a very clear and detailed picture of 1890s New York and how Roosevelt fit into it, or not. This is a young Roosevelt; very brash, very prone to anger and very, very sure that he is right. The story is fascina...more
Although I found the book itself a bit dry, I did enjoy getting a sense of life in New York City in the late 1800's. Some of the laws to control vice (such as the liquor laws) ended up putting restrictions on the lower class only since the upper class had access to private clubs that allowed them access to liquor at any time. I did not know much about Teddy Roosevelt before, so I was not aware he had served as a police commissioner for NYC. He apparently had great passion for the job, although h...more
It's comforting to know corruption is a part of the human condition. We manage to struggle along and progress. New York City in 1895 had a new administration and Theodore Roosevelt in the police department thought he could eliminate vice. It was simple--just enforce the laws. Starting with making sure all bars were closed on Sunday, Roosevelt became increasingly unpopular. This is a fascinating look at New York politics. Roosevelt couldn't wait to get out of the quagmire, and New York couldn't w...more
Island of Vice; I thought this book which chronicles Theodore Roosevelt's efforts to curb vice in 1890's NYC would be fascinating. A political narrative akin to the work of Luc Sante. I have to think there is a more intersting tale about sinning in NY then the one that Zacks has authored. Way too much time is spent on Roosevelt's sparring with a fellow Police Commissioner on who should get promoted within the NYPD. Even typing this I am falling asleep. The author has does prodigious research but...more
Interesting and incredibly well-researched book regarding Theodore Roosevelt and the New York Police Commision's attempt to "clean up" the rampant immorality of late 19th Century New York City. Fascinating on a sociological level in terms of the blue blood roosevelt who was part of the city's elite feeling so righteous about stopping the countless desperately poor people of the city from engaging in debauchery such as drinking beer on sundays. And in terms of the police being rampantly corrupt,...more
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Richard Zacks (1955-?) was born in Savannah, Georgia but grew up in New York City. He was a Classical Greek major at the University of Michigan and studied Arabic in Cairo, Italian in Perugia, and French in the vineyards of France.. After completing Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, he wrote a syndicated column for four years carried by the NY Daily News, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News...more
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Mar 07, 2012 03:44pm