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208th out of 276 books
—
104 voters
The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century
by
Howie Carr
The paperback debut of the bestselling book that tells the no-holds-barred story of Massachusettsrsquo; infamous Bulger Brothers, Whitey and Billy, unveiling an unprecedented criminal alliance.
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published
November 1st 2006
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 2006)
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Although poorly written (there's a blizzard of names on almost every page), the story is still un-freaking-believable. The fact that the city and police in Boston could be this corrupt is truly astounding. The book centers around the speaker of the Massachusetts House, Billy Bulgar (the "corrupt midget") and his brother the drug-dealing Irish mafia kingpin, Whitey Bulgar. Whitey managed to suborn numerous local police and FBI agents (some of whom grew up in the same housing project as the Bulger...more
Jan 04, 2009
kevin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who grew up Irish-Catholic in or around Greater Boston
Shelves:
non-fiction
Herald columnist Howie Carr's utter disdain for the Bulgers and Boston townie politics is evident on every page of this lightly dramatized true crime book.
As someone who lived in the neighborhoods described here, I loved all of the local detail. The prose is journalistic and Carr takes liberties with the public record to recreate conversations, events, (and some particularly gruesome violent episodes.) At times, the chip on the author's shoulder rubbed me the wrong way (multiple potshots at a f...more
As someone who lived in the neighborhoods described here, I loved all of the local detail. The prose is journalistic and Carr takes liberties with the public record to recreate conversations, events, (and some particularly gruesome violent episodes.) At times, the chip on the author's shoulder rubbed me the wrong way (multiple potshots at a f...more
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The book "Brothers Bulger" was written by Howie Carr on how corrupt the city of Boston had become in the time period where the infamous Whitey Bulger had ruled the streets of Boston. Carr explains how Whitey, and his brother Billy, had risen to power in two completely opposite ways. First, he begins with their childhood, the Bulger family had been one of the first residents of the new South Boston housing projects. The Bulger family had then moved into their new home in the newly built housing p...more
It is really sickening the way James "Whitey" Bulger's role as an FBI informant gave him an implicit U.S. government umbrella of protection to his life of villainous, murderous crime through tip-offs of recording devices, etc. This book covers that sordid tale and brother William Bulger's rise as a corrupt Massachusetts/Boston politico. The context of a weak and disorganized Mafia (La Cosa Nostra; "LCN" here) that allowed Bulger and the Winterhill gang to flourish is interesting. There also came...more
This is another incredible story in the saga of Whitey Bolger and incorporates some of his brother's involvement with him. the story is incredible because it outlines the level of corruption he was able to achieve within law enforcement and the FBI. The not so clear aspect is his brother's involvement in criminal activity other than his efforts to protect a fugitive. I found the story embarrassing for the FBI and its honest agents. I know for a fact that this is an anomaly of moral conduct among...more
Let's be honest here: I would not have gotten through this if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook. As an audiobook, however, it wasn't such a chore. I got my information about the Bulger brothers in 20 minute spurts while walking to the library and back home, and that broke it down to manageable chunks. It still wasn't perfect-- the editing is weird, both in the text and by the reader. The text largely has no overall coherent flow, instead jumping from one topic to another with no segue. As...more
Only in Boston, right? Howie Carr dramatizes the rise of the Bulger Bros. in their respective "careers" in this fascinating, harrowing, angry saga. Howie continues to be a polarizing figure in Boston politics and your interest in this book may be determined by how you view his commentary in the Herald. Taken on its own merits though this is a fine book. Howie's old-school tabloid style writing is really the perfect tenor for this kind of street-level reporting. Although Howie's obvious bad blood...more
Very poorly written, but fascinating true story nonetheless. Tells the story of two of Boston's most infamous figures, and is good background for anyone wanting to know the details of organized crime in Boston in the 60s through the 90s. I'm not a big true crime genre guy, but fans of such work will love this. Howie Carr, aside from his transparent (and probably justified) loathing of the subjects of the book, shows more of his bias in the implication that everything in Boston was simpler and mo...more
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I actually listened to this one. After many years listing to Howie Carr promote his book, I decided to listen to this one on the eve of the Whitey Bulger trial. Perhaps it might have made a better read than listen. For the most part, it felt like Carr was (as he shifted from brother to brother) listing the events and then adding his own snide commentary. I got lost in the names before the '90s, but the read became more interesting as Carr began relaying tales about politicians I knew, from more...more
Since Whitey Bulger is sitting in jail, I thought it would be good to refresh my knowledge of the crook and all his nasty work. But, as the title indicates, you cannot forget Whitey's brother, the "corrupt midget", named Billy.
This book is pulls together all the parts and pieces--FBI informants, government wheeling and dealing, good cops and bad feds. Mr. Howie Carr, pulls it all together is a clumsy, yet colorful narrative. He might not be a literary genius, but he is a reporter and pulls the...more
This book is pulls together all the parts and pieces--FBI informants, government wheeling and dealing, good cops and bad feds. Mr. Howie Carr, pulls it all together is a clumsy, yet colorful narrative. He might not be a literary genius, but he is a reporter and pulls the...more
Good book and and quite easy read.Brothers who grew up to be a feared gang boss and corrupt politician. Found the sections on Whitey more interesting than those on Billy which seemed to over emphasise what he had done as Howie Carr obviously had his own axe to grind in writing this book, having received death threats from Whitey. Having said that Billy is the perfect Irish politician in that like those we still have in Ireland in that he cannot remember for definite whether he did or did not say...more
The story is great, incredible in fact when you consider what these guys have done. My interest is due to the upcoming Affleck/Damon film I heard is in the works (I'm no expert, BTW, but ran across this and thought I'd give it a try). I read some true crime occasionally and mobster crime is always interesting. At times though it was a tad boring and drawn out--so many names! I recommend if you like mobster and true crime along with some history. There's lots of political figures in there from Ma...more
The SCOPE of the interaction between Whitey Bulger and the Boston FBI is unequalled in known history. Whitey essentially had the entire Boston FBI working on his behalf to protect him and his close associates against both the Mafia and the State Police. His brother and president of the Massachussetts Senate Billy Bulger, with his HUGE distribution of patronage jobs and coordination of political favors also helped corrupt FBI agents with sweet jobs upon their retirement.
This book documents some...more
This book documents some...more
This is a fascinating and frightening story of corruption and terror. Billy Bulger, President of the Massachusetts State Senate and his gangster brother, Whitey, manage to poison and corrupt Boston's FBI office. Agents on the take look the other way as a crime wave wreaks havoc on the neighborhood of South Boston. Dozens of murders are ignored by authorities.
It's an incredible story but Howie Carr is not the man for this job.
Throughout this book he takes shots at people who have nothing do to...more
It's an incredible story but Howie Carr is not the man for this job.
Throughout this book he takes shots at people who have nothing do to...more
The Brothers Bulger chronicles the epic story of corruption, power and crime in Massachusetts through two of the most powerful people ever to come out of the Bay State: James "Whitey" Bulger and his younger brother, former President of U-Mass Amherst and the Massachusetts Senate, William "Billy" Bulger. The story stylizes and explains how Billy conquered Massachusetts politics and dominated its state landscape for 30 years; and how Whitey dominated local crime finally becoming one of the most wa...more
This will probably come off incredibly trite, but I don't care. As a Boston-area native with parents who grew up in the city in and around Bulger associates, family and friends, I found this book to be an amazing resource in a couple of ways. 1) It's a fantastic quick and dirty history of twentieth century Boston politics, and a less-quick, but exponentially dirtier history of 1960s-1990s Boston politics and crime, the era in which my parents came of age and established their families and career...more
Having lived in Winter Hill and other ares Howie Carra writes of this book, and during the time periods he writes of, I highly this book for the not just the great reporting, but also the style. Howie Carr gets inside the uses of language, the tone of words, the inflections of accents and the thinking expressed in the clipped gallows humor phrases used by the denizens of the worlds he presents. It's a brutal, grim, raw world filled with some of the most outrageous and preposterous forms of pagen...more
What a book. Fascinating subjects notwithstanding, the lack of footnotes or verifiable research makes this non-fiction tome read like a fantasy. Nary a Pulitzer Prize winner, Carr's tabloid-esque style of writing grated my nerves throughout the book. Working at the Boston Herald for a career does not a journalist make. While I shared Carr's disdain for the Brothers Bulger, his contemptuous tone and haughty treatment of the characters read like vengeance. Revenge probably well placed, but it detr...more
Howie Carr isn't a particularly good writer. He's not terrible, but he's not great either. He uses far too many ellipses, and is often repetitive in his use of adjectives and imagery. But despite the book's flaws, Carr does an excellent job of providing the reader with the background and history of the Winter Hill Gang and organized crime in Boston. I learned a lot from this book, and it was entertaining reading - never dry and boring. Despite Carr's technical shortcomings, it was an excellent r...more
Excellent read from both sides of the story both the political and criminal, specifically how both of these organizations were actively, whether known or not, to be working together. It also has the reader questioning exactly what Whitey Bulger's brother has known and not known about his brother's criminal activity. It also shows the corrupt nature of Massachusetts state politics during this time frame. Overall, an excellent book covering the many layers of the Whitey Bulger story.
Boston Herald reporter and WRKO radio host Howie Carr has tracked the Bulgers for more than 25 years. This fresh account of Massachusetts's infamous Bulger brothers unveils a stunning criminal alliance, and with its dual biography format, goes deeper than the New York Times bestselling Black Mass.
Listen to The Brothers Bulger on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Listen to The Brothers Bulger on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
A Very intriguing & often confusing story of two southie brothers who grew up & eventually took control of the very state in which a lot of us reside. 1 brother i do believe is in hot water and as far as i can tell a disgrace to the state of Massachusetts. The other brother....Whitey, is out there somewhere, hoping, praying that he never gets caught. A must read for those of us out there who like Organized Crime Novels & material about La Costra Nostra & beyond.
I've been meaning to read this book for years, and recent events prompted me to download a copy. As a resident of the Spring Hill neighborhood (adjacent to Winter Hill, home of the Winter Hill Gang), so much of the landscape is familiar. It's so weird to see how intertwined the Mob has been in day-to-day life in Boston, so many familiar names and places. I've only just started, and while I am not a huge fan of Howie Carr's writing, it's fascinating so far.
I was SO naive as to just how freaking corrupt Boston politics were (or are?). This was especially interesting that my university president is mentioned, although not directly involved, with the bad guys. The only drawback is there are simply too many people associated with this decade of mess that there was no way I could keep it straight. After a while, it was just one felon or after another, after another.
Brothers! Blood! Boston! This heart-warming tale of two brothers, one "bad," one "good," traces the history of organized crime in Boston and exposes the startling corruption that exists within the political system and the FBI when it comes to taking down notorious murderer Whitey Bulger. I can't believe no one has offed Howie Carr, although I hope no one ever does. A very entertaining book.
Compelling history of two prominent brothers spanning the many years of their influence and corruption within Massachusetts government and beyond. Having lived in MA during their "reign" of power I was still amazed with the stories of alliances and influence over many political elections including the Presidential
Elections. Fascinating, chilling story especially for those of us who lived amongst these people during that time.
Elections. Fascinating, chilling story especially for those of us who lived amongst these people during that time.
This book was a who's who of state and federal government. I always expected corruption in politics, but the extent to which Carr accuses the Bulger's to have influenced is nearly unbelievable.
Maybe I'm naive, but were they so powerful that the Kennedy's, Bush, and Cllnton all kept their distance from the brothers?
I started this book a couple days before Whitey was caught. I certainly have a better idea of the charges he's facing now.
Maybe I'm naive, but were they so powerful that the Kennedy's, Bush, and Cllnton all kept their distance from the brothers?
I started this book a couple days before Whitey was caught. I certainly have a better idea of the charges he's facing now.
I had read some of Howie Carr's columns on the mob in Boston, and was slightly less than blown away -- so when I read this book, I WAS blown away. It's great. This is top-notch mob journalism, covering the corruption of Billy Bulger's career as president of the Massachusetts Senate, as well as his brother Jim "Whitey" Bulger's career as the principal hood in South Boston. Stands with some of the best accounts of political corruption and organized crime. A great read and immensely informative.
This book proves that sometimes fact can be more interesting than fiction. This true story is riveting. The book is full of real crime and corruption so intense it's hard to believe it actually occurred. If you like crime novels, you'll love this book. And if you don't like books about crime, you'll still most likely love this book.
I kept wondering to myself if this guy is actually a journalist, as he's one hell of a lousy writer. Names jumble together everywhere, and his obvious bias almost obliterates his credibility.
ALMOST.
If I hadn't been semi-familiar with a lot of the story before I picked the book up, I'd have found myself doubting it. But it's a true, incredible story.
Decent story, poorly written, but hard to put down if only to see what these two could get away with next.
ALMOST.
If I hadn't been semi-familiar with a lot of the story before I picked the book up, I'd have found myself doubting it. But it's a true, incredible story.
Decent story, poorly written, but hard to put down if only to see what these two could get away with next.
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Howie Carr is a columnist for the Boston Herald and hosts a radio talk show syndicated throughout New England. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the true crime biographies The Brothers Bulger and Hitman, and author of the crime novel Hard Knocks. In 1985, Carr won a National Magazine Award, and in 2008 he was elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame. He lives in suburban Boston with...more
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