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Monk Eastman: The Gangster Who Became a War Hero
An intimate biography as well as an epic history, Monk Eastman vividly recounts the life and times of old New York’s most infamous gangster-cum-soldier as he made his way from the sooty streets and dingy saloons of the Lower East Side to the battlefields of the Western Front.Born in 1873 to a respectable New York family, Monk was running wild in Manhattan’s rough Lower East Side by the age of eighteen. He found work as a bouncer—when the saloon owner first turned him down because he had two bouncers already, Monk beat them both up and was promptly hired in their place. He soon developed a loyal following of immigrant toughs, and by 1900, he was the most feared gang leader in lower Manhattan, protected by corrupt politicians and crooked cops, and commanding an army of two thousand pickpockets, thieves, prostitutes, and thugs. But changing neighborhood demographics and shifting political fortunes colluded against after a pitched battle with Pinkerton detectives, he was sent to Sing Sing on a ten-year sentence, and his territory quickly slipped from his grasp. In 1917, no longer safe from the law—or from rival gangs—Monk joined the New York National Guard. As a gangster, he’d been the equivalent of a general; as an enlisted man, Monk was just another private. After several months of combat training, Monk’s division of Brooklyn recruits was thrown headlong into the bitter trench warfare in Europe. His experience in gangland combat served him he was repeatedly cited by his superiors for his bravery and he received a hero’s welcome back in New York and an offical pardon from the governor. But Monk’s gangland past was not so easily erased and caught up with him in the end. In Neil Hanson’s able hands, Monk’s unique and compelling story becomes an emblem of a time of upheaval—for New York and for the nation.From the Hardcover edition.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2010
1 person is currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Neil Hanson
65 books36 followersIt's been a long and winding road... since graduating with a degree in philosophy (now that's useful...) I've been by turns plasterer's mate, holiday camp redcoat, ice cream salesman, exhibition organiser, art critic, rugby league commentator, freelance journalist, editor of the Good Beer Guide, owner of the highest pub in Great Britain and - finally! - a full-time author. It may not be an ideal career path, but it's given me a wealth of experiences that I draw on constantly in my own work.
I'm the author of over 50 published books. Under my own name I usually write narrative non-fiction a.k.a. popular history (though my sales figures suggest that it's never quite as popular as I'd like it to be...), but I have also written a serious novel, a few thrillers, two screenplays, travel writing and even a play-script for a musical as well. And in my day job as a professional "ghostwriter" I've written over forty other books, including a New York Times Number One best-seller.
I've spoken about my work at lectures, writers' festivals and other events all over the world and, when not writing, I'm often to be found riding my bike in the country around my home on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
I'm the author of over 50 published books. Under my own name I usually write narrative non-fiction a.k.a. popular history (though my sales figures suggest that it's never quite as popular as I'd like it to be...), but I have also written a serious novel, a few thrillers, two screenplays, travel writing and even a play-script for a musical as well. And in my day job as a professional "ghostwriter" I've written over forty other books, including a New York Times Number One best-seller.
I've spoken about my work at lectures, writers' festivals and other events all over the world and, when not writing, I'm often to be found riding my bike in the country around my home on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 10, 2012
For pure narration, Neil Hanson would only get four stars, to be honest. But his exacting research, and his drive to reconstruct hundred-year-old events push it over the top. It doesn't hurt that the subject of the book is quite possibly the baddest dude to ever commit crimes in the Big Apple. Monk was the gangster's gangster, always in the forefront of any combat, grabbing life by the throat and squeezing out everything he could from it. And yet he was also an inveterate animal-lover. He was a pimp, and yet thousands of lower-class women showed up for his funeral. Having a complex subject like that just put this book 'way up in the stratosphere for me.
March 10, 2019
Pet shop owner.
Petty thief.
Pimp.
Street brawler.
Leader of a street gang 2,000 strong, the most feared on the Lower East Side of New York City by 1900.
Muscle for the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine.
Convict.
A colorful life, and worthy of a biography....but that was only half of Monk Eastman's story.
Having lost his criminal empire while in prison, he would enlist and go off to fight in World War 1.....where his talent for street fighting, and fearless nature would see him cited for bravery, hailed as a hero upon his return home, and his crimes pardoned.
But Monk's past was never far away....and gaining on him.
An engaging biography of a truly unique individual, and a well researched history of both Old New York.
Highly recommended for fans of The Gangs of New York, or anyone who enjoys a well written biography.
Petty thief.
Pimp.
Street brawler.
Leader of a street gang 2,000 strong, the most feared on the Lower East Side of New York City by 1900.
Muscle for the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine.
Convict.
A colorful life, and worthy of a biography....but that was only half of Monk Eastman's story.
Having lost his criminal empire while in prison, he would enlist and go off to fight in World War 1.....where his talent for street fighting, and fearless nature would see him cited for bravery, hailed as a hero upon his return home, and his crimes pardoned.
But Monk's past was never far away....and gaining on him.
An engaging biography of a truly unique individual, and a well researched history of both Old New York.
Highly recommended for fans of The Gangs of New York, or anyone who enjoys a well written biography.
September 6, 2016
A gangster, a bouncer, a smuggler, a thief. Many other things and also a war hero. This was Monk Eastman Roaring Twenties Persona.
September 8, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned a lot both about Eastman, and about WWI. The only downside to the book is that there is way more information about the 107th regiment of the 27th Division of the AEF than there is about the Lower East Side. Hanson tried to find information. He filled 1/3 of the book with the Lower East Side even with little or no connection to Eastman. One chapter was on slums, another on Tammany, a third on corrupt policemen. Interesting; but only tangential to Eastman.
Hanson uncovered many facts about Eastman including his real name and origins. He was an American-born middle-class yankee of established roots who even had the added benefit of a wealthy relative who probably supported him before he turned to crime. Eastman's origins and strange choice to turn from working-class Brooklyn to the ghetto is a story unto itself; but can only be speculative. Hanson does not speculate. Perhaps the allure of the Lower East Side's carnival of sin appealed to the teenager. Who knows? Hanson continues to show Eastman's rise to stardom. That does involve some speculation. It is noteworthy to point out that Hanson meticulously cites his sources. However, when Eastman is the subject, the sources are overwhelmingly newspapers or Herbert Asbury. Even Hanson acknowledges that there are problems with both sources. Newspapers sensationalized everything or invented stories along the way. Asbury, writing years after the fact was relying upon oral traditions from current and former policemen.
It is refreshing to see something other than Asbury discussing gangs at the turn of the century. The writing style is refreshing and clear. Hanson is organized and concise. Although he does regurgitate some Asbury, he clearly prefers to use other sources wherever possible. To that end, it is a pleasure seeing him cite Anbinder and Sante who have excellent books and academic credentials. There is also the pictorial work by Riis to support him. These established sources attempt to round out and support the bare bones story offered by Asbury. However, I do not recall any place where Hanson actually challenged Abury's rumors and hyperbole.
Most of the book pertains to WWI. I learned so much about the horrors of that war, that information alone makes the book worth reading. The additional information that he uncovered regarding Eastman's contributions during the war was also amazing. Eastman was not just a volunteer in the AEF, he was a multi-wounded, gassed hero who kept going back for more punishment. Whatever his motivations he served his country.
Overall, I recommend this book for any and all readers. Hanson touches on so many areas - history, politics, war, economics, immigration, poverty, etc. While the book ostensibly focuses on Eastman, there is as much legend as fact about him. Hanson balances the legend with verifiable data on the time and place. The result is as much about the environments in which Eastman traveled as it is about the man himself.
Hanson uncovered many facts about Eastman including his real name and origins. He was an American-born middle-class yankee of established roots who even had the added benefit of a wealthy relative who probably supported him before he turned to crime. Eastman's origins and strange choice to turn from working-class Brooklyn to the ghetto is a story unto itself; but can only be speculative. Hanson does not speculate. Perhaps the allure of the Lower East Side's carnival of sin appealed to the teenager. Who knows? Hanson continues to show Eastman's rise to stardom. That does involve some speculation. It is noteworthy to point out that Hanson meticulously cites his sources. However, when Eastman is the subject, the sources are overwhelmingly newspapers or Herbert Asbury. Even Hanson acknowledges that there are problems with both sources. Newspapers sensationalized everything or invented stories along the way. Asbury, writing years after the fact was relying upon oral traditions from current and former policemen.
It is refreshing to see something other than Asbury discussing gangs at the turn of the century. The writing style is refreshing and clear. Hanson is organized and concise. Although he does regurgitate some Asbury, he clearly prefers to use other sources wherever possible. To that end, it is a pleasure seeing him cite Anbinder and Sante who have excellent books and academic credentials. There is also the pictorial work by Riis to support him. These established sources attempt to round out and support the bare bones story offered by Asbury. However, I do not recall any place where Hanson actually challenged Abury's rumors and hyperbole.
Most of the book pertains to WWI. I learned so much about the horrors of that war, that information alone makes the book worth reading. The additional information that he uncovered regarding Eastman's contributions during the war was also amazing. Eastman was not just a volunteer in the AEF, he was a multi-wounded, gassed hero who kept going back for more punishment. Whatever his motivations he served his country.
Overall, I recommend this book for any and all readers. Hanson touches on so many areas - history, politics, war, economics, immigration, poverty, etc. While the book ostensibly focuses on Eastman, there is as much legend as fact about him. Hanson balances the legend with verifiable data on the time and place. The result is as much about the environments in which Eastman traveled as it is about the man himself.
July 20, 2023
Catching up on some books that have sat on my shelves for awhile, research for a historical mystery I'm writing. For me as for many others, Low Life by Luc Sante and the somewhat apocryphal Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury (and yes, later the movie) were gateway drugs to a fascination with the seamier side of New York City's history in the 19th century and the early years of the 20th. Perhaps shamefully, I even have a favorite gangster, Monk Eastman's rival Paul Kelly/Paolo Vaccarelli, who's clearly not a favorite of Neil Hanson's.
Monk was a fascinating character -- he was the very prototype for the image of the New York gangster with the heavy "dese, dem, dose" accent, who though the leader of a thriving criminal enterprise, loved to get his own hands dirty. As a middle-aged man, he signed up very early to fight in World War I, where he distinguished himself with honor and courage, loved by his fellow-soldiers. Monk remains enigmatic here, largely because he left no records of his thoughts, and Hanson has had to sort through rumor and reportage, much of it wildly inaccurate, to come to something like the truth. I'm very glad he has.
Monk was a fascinating character -- he was the very prototype for the image of the New York gangster with the heavy "dese, dem, dose" accent, who though the leader of a thriving criminal enterprise, loved to get his own hands dirty. As a middle-aged man, he signed up very early to fight in World War I, where he distinguished himself with honor and courage, loved by his fellow-soldiers. Monk remains enigmatic here, largely because he left no records of his thoughts, and Hanson has had to sort through rumor and reportage, much of it wildly inaccurate, to come to something like the truth. I'm very glad he has.
April 21, 2011
What, you thought that things were bad in New York back in the 1960's and '70's (see review of "Savage City")? Please, get a clue and read your history.
Monk Eastman was a notorious gang leader on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1890's and 1900's, when the Irish were moving up and ceding the tenements to the new immigrants now arriving in great numbers, mostly Jews and Italians.
But the Irish, through the Tammany Hall political machine, ruled all branches of officialdom in the city, and there was always that pesky need to be elected every few years--and that's where Monk Eastman came in.
He could put 1,200 junior gangsters on the street, and he could "get the vote out"--the source of his longevity and protected status--on election day, sometimes "voting" one willing citizen four or five times in complacent precincts.
In addition, Eastman controlled the vice business in lower Manhattan--which was huge at the time, with hundreds of brothels, gin mills and opium dens--and brawled with any rival gangs, foremost amongst them
the "Five Pointers," led by "Paul Kelly" (born Paolo Vacarelli).
This was all occurring at a time of the greatest income disparity in our history, when newly-made millionaires lived "uptown" in palatial splendor while one square mile of lower Manhattan was the most densely populated in the world!
Monk Eastman served a stiff stretch in Sing-Sing Prison and returned to the streets of a changed New York City where he was now powerless and had been mostly forgotten.
The second part of this book relates Eastman's heroic exploits in World War I where his fighting abilities and leadership qualities come in handy (he joins-up and goes overseas with the AEF at the age of 43!).
But I found the first part of this book, with its lenghty and vivid descriptions of life in New York's teeming tenements of the late 19th century, much more interesting.
Monk Eastman was a notorious gang leader on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1890's and 1900's, when the Irish were moving up and ceding the tenements to the new immigrants now arriving in great numbers, mostly Jews and Italians.
But the Irish, through the Tammany Hall political machine, ruled all branches of officialdom in the city, and there was always that pesky need to be elected every few years--and that's where Monk Eastman came in.
He could put 1,200 junior gangsters on the street, and he could "get the vote out"--the source of his longevity and protected status--on election day, sometimes "voting" one willing citizen four or five times in complacent precincts.
In addition, Eastman controlled the vice business in lower Manhattan--which was huge at the time, with hundreds of brothels, gin mills and opium dens--and brawled with any rival gangs, foremost amongst them
the "Five Pointers," led by "Paul Kelly" (born Paolo Vacarelli).
This was all occurring at a time of the greatest income disparity in our history, when newly-made millionaires lived "uptown" in palatial splendor while one square mile of lower Manhattan was the most densely populated in the world!
Monk Eastman served a stiff stretch in Sing-Sing Prison and returned to the streets of a changed New York City where he was now powerless and had been mostly forgotten.
The second part of this book relates Eastman's heroic exploits in World War I where his fighting abilities and leadership qualities come in handy (he joins-up and goes overseas with the AEF at the age of 43!).
But I found the first part of this book, with its lenghty and vivid descriptions of life in New York's teeming tenements of the late 19th century, much more interesting.
December 4, 2012
I wanted to like this, I did. One of the early Gangsters who lost control of his gang by 1910, entered WW1 at 42-performs a number of heroic Acts enough to get a pardon. Yet went right back to crime and was killed a year or so after being recognized as a hero?
What is there about that story not to like?
But I was bored.
What is there about that story not to like?
But I was bored.
April 23, 2016
"Monk Eastman: The Gangster Who Became A War Hero" is a superb book and I highly recommend it. It is well-researched, informative and thorough while still being entertaining, lively and fast moving. This is one book that I'm going to have to get my own copy of, so I can return to it again and again.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews