Review of Paddy Whacked Essay - 2607 Words

English, T. J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish-American Gangster. New York: Regan, 2006, 442 p.p Throughout his career T.J English has written five books and a multitude of articles for the LA Times, The New York Times, Playboy, and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. All of his books (The Westies, Born to Kill, Havana Nocturne, and The Savage City) and articles cover some aspect of the criminal world, whether it be the criminal themselves, or the act that they carry out. T.J English was awarded the New York Press Club Award for Best Crime Reporting back in 2010 and had already written two books about organized crime which shows that he is more than qualified to write a book about Irish American Gangsters as a†¦show more content†¦Another misconception I had was that gangsters/mobsters controlled only corrupt policemen and judges when in fact, they controlled people at all levels of the government, occasionally even the president. Important characters like president James K. Polk, the Kennedy’s, and several senators had a relationship with Irish American gangsters that contributed to the politician as well as the gangster’s success. Their strongest relationships though, were with the police force. Becoming a policeman was encouraged by the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants because â€Å"who better to take on the dangerous, low-paying job than a Paddy?† (61) And so, Irishmen who often had grown up with famous mobsters ended up as the majority of the police force; mobsters not only gained more power in the local area due to this, but the stage was now set for corruption at all levels as well. In addition to the educational facts, I also learned some neat fun facts about gangsters and their traditions. â€Å"Old Smoke Morrissey† was the first true Irish Mob Boss, and as such he was the one who established the looks, desires, and attitude that we derive our stereotypes from. He started the tendency of wearing striped suits, hats, big rings, and pocket watches, as well as having a well-kept beard and hoping to be accepted by aristocratic society through money. The famous book The Great Gatsby was actually inspired by the mixture of glamour and danger that