But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters

by Robert A. Rockaway

Often typecast as superficial, vicious men who would kill at the drop of a hat, the men featured in this book are now shown in a different light. No longer the one-dimensional persons we have seen in other books, or portrayed in the press, this book now brings to life men like the legendary Arnold Rothstein, Dutch Schultz, Bugsy Siegel, and Meyer Lansky to name a few. Within these pages, we have an opportunity to alter our viewpoint for the first time, and see both sides of how these gangster celebrities really lived, and how they viewed their vast criminal enterprises simply as businesses, not evil.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Jewish, Judaica, Biography

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1993

Reviews

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an academic, this was a disappointing book. It is one of the few books that discusses lesser-known Jewish gangsters like Kid Cann, Max Hoff, and Abner Zwillman. The book also has some rare photos of gangsters. Finally, it also includes some first-hand accounts of former gangsters. However, there is some disbelief. Rockaway quotes Meyer Lansky in a few places; but says that Lansky felt betrayed after the publication of book based in part on interviews with him.

Only in one place does Rockaway question his sources. When it came to the first-hand account of Jimmy Fratianno and his dealings with Mickey Cohen, Rockaway uses multiple sources to refute Fratianno. Unfortunately, he does not analyze his other sources. Some of his book is based on The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano and The War of the Godfathers. Both of these are largely fictional even thought they are disguised as historical. Scholars have debunked the Last Testament since the 1970s. Most people who have read War of the Godfathers regard it as fictional, even though most of Bill Roemer's other books are historical.

Rockaway also relies heavily on some other problematic sources, especially the Mafia Encyclopedia by Carl Sifakis and various books by Jay Robert Nash. Both of whom include fictional information. The result of using unreliable sources causes him to make numerous inaccuracies such as labeling Murray Humphreys as being Jewish or saying Milford Jones was killed in 1927. Perhaps it is because Rockaway covers so many lesser-known gangsters that this book is not totally refuted. The use of poor sources, incomplete referencing, and a general lack of analysis makes this a surprisingly poor book from an academic historian.

[Jonathan Meola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Rockaway's "But He Was Good To His Mother" contains quite a number of interesting anecdotes and stories that bring to life an almost-forgotten period in the American Jewish experience. Starting with Arnold Rothstein, the man most famous for fixing the 1919 World Series, Rockaway covers all the bases in his work, with special attention paid to the rise and fall of well known figures such as Lepke Buchalter, Meyer Lansky, Longy Zwillman, Bugsy Siegel, Mickey Cohen, and many others.

[Joel Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly compelling book and one of a kind. The apt title was chosen due to a response Rockaway’s mother gave when he was talking about a Jewish gangster – “But he was good to his mother!” What seemed to be common among most Jewish gangsters was the fact that they had strong family ties, and were unwilling for any of their families to get involved in any of their heinous crimes. In some cases what they did was a mystery to their families.

The book is engaging and touches on the lives of the most notorious Jewish American gangsters. With the ‘main’ Jewish gangsters mentioned, Rockaway gives an entertaining background into their upbringing, life of crime, death, and if they survived, life after crime. It gives an insight into the psychology behind these gangsters which is fascinating. The writing style is an easy read and leaves you wanting to know more about them. It certainly whets the appetite.

Although hard to put down, the book does have its flaws. I cannot comment on historical accuracy, although the information is gathered from numerous sources, including FBI files, family members, and hearsay. One flaw with the book is that the pictures of the gangsters are in random places. It would have been more helpful to either have them all in one place, either at the beginning or in the centre of the book. As a result the book can be a bit confusing. Furthermore, Rockaway does have a tendency to jump around with the characters. This however, could also be a positive as they didn’t live their lives in isolation of one another, although it could have possibly been better handled.

On the whole a most enjoyable read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good stories. liked learning more about this topic

[Ben Pashkoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow - does this ever need an editor. Like readin a stream-of-concousness novel written by someone with ADHD.

[Barbara Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up in Detrot and had heard about the Purple Gang from my older relatives who lived through Prohibition, so I was interested at finding a book that talks about. Not a great book, but an illuminating dive into an aspect of American-Jewish history that they don't teach about in Hebrew School. If you are interested in the role of organized crime in the U.S., this book is for you. Ditto if you are interested in this lesser known aspect of Jewish contribution to American life.

[Gerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read with a great Bibliography loaded with information. The story was written about a period of time I knew little to nothing about and the notorious Jewish American gangsters and their power and how they took over so many things. Loved the humorous antidotes that the author added throughout the book.

[J K Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and reading about a mostly overlooked aspect of organized crime, but the author almost entirely ignored Chicago, making reference to only two or three Chicago-area Jewish gangsters.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a singular generation of Jewish gangsters, their lives and criminal endeavors.
The only thing holding it back from four stars was the haphazard organization of the content, including photos of the criminals often placed nowhere near the text regarding said individuals.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informational and I like the informal, non-condemning tone.

[Rabbi Yitzchok Dubovick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read better, IMHO he did not organize it chronologically, but it was informative

[Michael Shuter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with great stories. It’s not all inclusive but more of an overview of Jewish Gangsters and their lives. I enjoyed it.

[Parliament · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight angle.

[Steven jb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but there were several areas that needed editing. The book's description alludes to research done for the book and interviews. While research must have been done to produce this book, not much of the information seemed new, and while there seemed to be an interview mentioned, the interviews did not seem to be extensive. Nevertheless, the book offered an interesting viewpoint. If the reader is not familiar with the information contained in this book on the various old time mobsters, this is certainly a worthwhile read.

[Ben Ring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Covers the era and backgrounds of Jewish gangsters and how they meshed with the Italians and Irish.

[Leslie Rupley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stories with detail about the lives of Jewish gangsters including Meyer Lanky, Bugsy Siegel and Longy Zwillman.

[Penni · Rating 3 out of 5]

it really deserves 2 stars for being clobbered together sloppily.
the third star is for the gangsters. for actually being interesting. the only saving grace of this book.

[Frank Palardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those books more about the myth of gangsters. Of course, the mob often was like a myth, but it did actually exist.

[Vader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I liked the title and it was interesting but the writing seemed raw.

[Dario · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice stories but does not go beyond that