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The Purples
by
W.K. Berger (Goodreads Author)
Elvis Presley sang about them; Al Capone was afraid of them. The legendary Purple Gang rose from a Jewish ghetto in Detroit to rule the river during the Motor City's booming 1920s heyday. Their dramatic story is revealed in THE PURPLES, a novel blending rich historical detail with nonstop suspense, narrated by the gang's leader"the cool, savvy, unforgettable Joe Bernstein....more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published May 6th 2010)
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The cover quote from Michael Balkind says, "Fast moving and funny, The Purples has a hard edge, a soft heart, and an original voice." I've never read a more apt blurb.
The first page hooked me with the image of a bored gangster creating an igloo out of sugar cubes. A house of sugar. The builder is part of the notorious Sugar House gang. A symbol? Maybe. Because when his hand crushes his little project from shock at seeing Joe Bernstein--previously believed killed by other Sugar House members--it...more
The first page hooked me with the image of a bored gangster creating an igloo out of sugar cubes. A house of sugar. The builder is part of the notorious Sugar House gang. A symbol? Maybe. Because when his hand crushes his little project from shock at seeing Joe Bernstein--previously believed killed by other Sugar House members--it...more
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I have just now finished reading The Purples by Warren Berger. It is the fictional story (albeit anchored in fact and well researched) of a group of Jewish mobsters in Detroit during the 1920’s and early 1930’s. It is told through the words of Joe Bernstein himself -- leader of the gang, and a guy you can’t help liking, however you resist the urge. Brutally pragmatic, Joe makes you see the world through his eyes, and a savage world it was, peopled by the quirky, sometimes disgusting but always f...more
“The Purples” by W.K. Berger tells is a (mostly) fictional story told through the eyes of real life Jewish mobster Joe Bernstein. Joe is the head of the “Purple Gang” who ran booze across the Detroit River from Canada during the Prohibition era.
Afraid of the worker’s unions in 1920’s Detroit Henry Ford’s agents, under the guise of fighting communism, arrest a multitude of people. Rachel is one of those people only that Rachel’s boyfriend is Jewish mobster Joe Bernstein.
Joe starts the “Purple Gan...more
Afraid of the worker’s unions in 1920’s Detroit Henry Ford’s agents, under the guise of fighting communism, arrest a multitude of people. Rachel is one of those people only that Rachel’s boyfriend is Jewish mobster Joe Bernstein.
Joe starts the “Purple Gan...more
Feb 03, 2013
Britt Vasarhelyi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
adults
Recommended to Britt by:
found it on amazon
I reviewed this book on Amazon last November but had read it some time before. I still think about it occasionally and will probably re-read it at some point. It's definitely a gangster book so if that's not your metier, I suggest not wasting your time. But for those who do enjoy this genre, I found it to be far different from anything else out there I've come across and very well done.
NOTE: I only review books that I can assign a 4 or 5 star to. I do this because I am also an author and I know...more
NOTE: I only review books that I can assign a 4 or 5 star to. I do this because I am also an author and I know...more
The Purples, a fictional story by Warren Berger,is reminiscent of Harry Grey's The Hoods but only because it is peopled with Jewish mobsters of the 20s and 30s and is eminently readable. There is not one iota of plagiarism. The prose is powerful and takes the reader forcefully by the literary lapels to hold his attention right from the start. The characters, peopling a plot that requires little suspension of disbelief, are larger than life but well rounded. It is obviously well researched.
The au...more
The au...more
This is an excellent "gangster" novel. More "readable" than "The Godfather", it tells the story of Detroit's Purple gang of the 1920's and 30's. Told from the point of view of the gang's boss, it is a somewhat sanitized version of the gang's activities. Again this is understandable from the point of view being used. Based on historical fact, it only hints at some of the real gang's activities, such as a relationship with the Capone organization in Chicago as well as possible involvement in the "...more
One of my favorite things in reading is being completely (and pleasantly) surprised by a book that I expected virtually nothing from; this is exactly that kind of book. I’m not sure how or why I had this book on my Kindle, as it’s been there for awhile; I think it was a freebie I grabbed at some point because the plot sounded somewhat interesting. I’m often disappointed by these books, as I do believe we get what we pay for. Not so in this case.
I quickly found myself absorbed in the plot, charac...more
I quickly found myself absorbed in the plot, charac...more
An entertaining crime drama with dark humor, set in my home town of Detroit, back in the roaring '20s. Lots of well drawn characters and plotlines. I liked this because it was different than the usual yuppie angst books I read. Also, because my husband wrote it!
It took Berger 10 years to write and I tore through it in a day and change. As something of a maven for Detroit history, I loved the way he took actual events and weaved them into a convincing story.
Apr 30, 2013
Mike Moss
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