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Wicked Newport: Kentucky's Sin City
Controlled by the heavy hand of the mob and fueled by government corruption, Newport evolved through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries into a notoriously robust center of criminal activity.
With top political and law enforcement officials often on the take, the seedy status quo became so excessive that a May 1961 issue of Time magazine declared, "Newport has developed such a gaudy brand of gambling and prostitution that it stands today as one of the nation's most blatant sin centers." Eastern Kentucky University Professors Gary Potter and Thomas Barker, both experts on organized crime, along with Jenna Meglen, offer up a captivating chronicle of Newport's criminal development, complete with thought-provoking assessments of the possible advantages that organized crime brought to the city commonly considered to be Las Vegas's predecessor.
With top political and law enforcement officials often on the take, the seedy status quo became so excessive that a May 1961 issue of Time magazine declared, "Newport has developed such a gaudy brand of gambling and prostitution that it stands today as one of the nation's most blatant sin centers." Eastern Kentucky University Professors Gary Potter and Thomas Barker, both experts on organized crime, along with Jenna Meglen, offer up a captivating chronicle of Newport's criminal development, complete with thought-provoking assessments of the possible advantages that organized crime brought to the city commonly considered to be Las Vegas's predecessor.
131 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2008
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About the author
Thomas Barker
61 booksLibrarian note:
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There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 18, 2018
Disappointing lack of depth. Much more research could’ve and should’ve been performed. This is rich material, but the result from these authors is but a general summary that any fan of history could’ve gleaned himself from reading old newspapers.
April 25, 2020
Not especially heavy on detail & anecdote, but it is thorough. For a book on organized crime, bootlegging, prostitution, & gambling, it's not terribly exciting.
July 11, 2021
A morbidly fascinating, chronological look at vice, corruption, and organized crime in Newport throughout the 20th Century, and the efforts to reform the city.
While the book is filled with fascinating facts, information, events, and names of people and places I remember having grown up south of the center of action, a few things are omitted. The authors often neglected to include years when discussing specific events. That would have been helpful. I also wish the book had ended with the Newport of today, with its family-friendly aquarium and Newport on the Levee, a revitalization I’ve only heard about, but which is the result of the reform efforts that started in the 50s and 60s. That would have served as a nice contrast. Still, I recommend it to anyone who is familiar with Newport or who has an interest in real life crime or the crime syndicate.
While the book is filled with fascinating facts, information, events, and names of people and places I remember having grown up south of the center of action, a few things are omitted. The authors often neglected to include years when discussing specific events. That would have been helpful. I also wish the book had ended with the Newport of today, with its family-friendly aquarium and Newport on the Levee, a revitalization I’ve only heard about, but which is the result of the reform efforts that started in the 50s and 60s. That would have served as a nice contrast. Still, I recommend it to anyone who is familiar with Newport or who has an interest in real life crime or the crime syndicate.
May 9, 2021
Well written but I think it should’ve been longer and more detailed. It’s clear from reading it the author is smart and has a very in depth understanding of the topic but it’s only 100 pages and an in depth google search could probably produce just as much information
May 26, 2022
Newport
I grew up in Newport, knowing some mentioned. It was an Interesting read about the city I grew up in, but how it ended up like it did in the 70’s & 80’s creating a place we were not encouraged to spend time.
I grew up in Newport, knowing some mentioned. It was an Interesting read about the city I grew up in, but how it ended up like it did in the 70’s & 80’s creating a place we were not encouraged to spend time.
November 30, 2020
Being from Cincinnati/Northern Ky I found this book brought back so many memories, stories my parents told, and places we have been
Definitely loved it
Definitely loved it
February 20, 2021
The wiring style was a bit more like reading a report than a story, but it was well organized and still a very interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews