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Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair: The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago

(Hardback)


Publishing Details

Full Title:

Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair: The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago

Contributors:
ISBN:

9781442272262

Publisher:

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Imprint:

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Publication Date:

15th September 2017

Country:

United States

Classifications

Readership:

General

Fiction/Non-fiction:

Non Fiction

Main Subject:
Other Subjects:

History
History of the Americas

Dewey:

977.311

Physical Properties

Physical Format:

Hardback

Number of Pages:

280

Dimensions:

Width 159mm, Height 236mm, Spine 26mm

Weight:

549g

Description

Al Capone and the 1933 Worlds Fair: The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago is a historical look at Chicago during the darkest days of the Great Depression. The story of Chicago fighting the hold that organized crime had on the city to be able to put on The 1933 World's Fair. William Hazelgrove provides the exciting and sprawling history behind the 1933 World's Fair, the last of the golden age. He reveals the story of the six millionaire businessmen, dubbed The Secret Six, who beat Al Capone at his own game, ending the gangster era as prohibition was repealed. The story of an intriguing woman, Sally Rand, who embodied the World's Fair with her own rags to riches story and brought sex into the open. The story of Rufus and Charles Dawes who gave the fair a theme and then found financing in the worst economic times the country had ever experienced. The story of the most corrupt mayor of Chicago, William Thompson, who owed his election to Al Capone; and the mayor who followed him, Anton Cermak, who was murdered months before the fair opened by an assassin many said was hired by Al Capone. But most of all its the story about a city fighting for survival in the darkest of times; and a shining light of hope called A Century of Progress.

Reviews

In the years leading up to 1933, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two rich Chicago kids, murdered another boy for fun; the U.S. was mired in the Great Depression; Charles Lindberghs baby was kidnapped and murdered; Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany; and Al Capone, who had used Prohibition as a way to expand his criminal empire, was the de facto mayor of Chicago, even though he was, technically, a prison inmate. Amid all this turmoil, the Chicago political powers that be thought it would be a great idea to throw a Worlds Fair. But how do you fund a $20 million extravaganza when the city is broke How do you keep the gangsters from running rampant The fairs planner promised the people of the city that gangsters 'will be gone' by the time of the fair, but how could he possibly follow through Enter the Secret Six, a group of businessmen who joined forces for a most dangerous mission: to eradicate organized crime in Chicago by the time the fair opened. This is a thrilling and frequently surprising story about larger-than-life people and their larger-than-life ambitions. * Booklist *
This book is intense and exciting and brings to life a piece of history thats thrilling and fascinating. * Kenosha News *
Love it. He keeps supplying my bookshelf with things that I love. William Hazelgrove is prolific and he becomes, with each book, a better writer. Al Capone and the 1933 Worlds Fair is a fascinating and fabulous book that tells the story of a sadly relatively unknown but successful Worlds Fair. This was obviously an enjoyable project for Hazelgrove; he brings it to life. -- Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, WGN Radio
A great thrill ride through Al Capones Chicago, filled with sizzling action and unforgettable characters. -- Jonathan Eig, author of Get Capone/ ALI

Author Bio

William Elliott Hazelgrove has a Masters in History and is the best-selling author of ten novels and two works of nonfiction, including Forging a President: How the Wild West Created Teddy Roosevelt (2017) and Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson (2016). His books have hit the National Bestseller List, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, Literary Guild Selections, History Book Club Bestsellers, Junior Library Guild Selections, and ALA Editors Choice Awards. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer-in- Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR's All Things Considered along with features in The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, NBC, WBEZ, WGN, and American History TV CSPAN. He also runs a political cultural blog, The View from Hemingway's Attic. http://www.williamhazelgrove.com

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