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	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Maren Wiederhold
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Politics & government

GANGSTERS VS. NAZIS

Michael Benson

How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America

Now in paperback! The stunning true story of the rise of Nazism in America in the years leading to WWIIand the fearless Jewish gangsters and crime families who joined forces to fight back. With an intense cinematic style, acclaimed nonfiction crime author Michael Benson reveals the thrilling role of Jewish mobsters like Bugsy Siegel in stomping out the terrifying tide of Nazi sympathizers during the 1930s and 1940s.

As Adolph Hitler rose to power in 1930s Germany, a growing wave of fascism began to take root on American soil. Nazi activists started to gather in major American cities, and by 1933, there were more than one-hundred anti-Semitic groups operating openly in the United States. Few Americans dared to speak out or fight backuntil an organized resistance of notorious Jewish mobsters (Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Red Levine, and others) waged their own personal war against the Nazis in their midst, gangland-style . . . Packed with surprising, little-known facts, graphic details, and unforgettable personalities, Gangsters vs. Nazis chronicles the mob's most ruthless tactics in taking down fascisminspiring ordinary Americans to join them in their fight. The book culminates in one of the most infamous events of the pre-war erathe 1939 Nazi rally in Madison Square Gardenin which law-abiding citizens stood alongside hardened criminals to fight against the Nazis for the soul of America. This is the story of the mob that's rarely toldone of the most fascinating chapters in American history and American organized crime. Michael Benson, who has partied with the Hells Angels on both coasts, is the author of 41 books. His most recent works include Betrayal in Blood: The Murder of Tabatha Bryant, and Inside Secret Societies: What They Don't Want You to Know.Russ Austin, a nationally recognized expert on choppers, is the owner and head designer of Precious Metal Custom, a custom chopper shop where he builds 40 choppers a year for private customers.

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Book Published 2024-07-23 by Citadel

Comments

Michael Benson's nonfiction masterpiece Gangsters vs. Nazis reads like speculative fiction at its very best, even though the incidents the book portrays are very much real.One of the most rivetingly relevant reads I've ever encountered, chock-full of real-life heroes and villains who are every bit the match for the best that thriller fiction has to offer.

As criminologists the world over have shown, when government institutions fail to provide the people, or a sizable segment thereof, with the goods and services they desire, collateral institutions, some illegal, will. Michael Benson, a renowned organized crime writer in his own right, suggests this constant was alive and well in the 1930s. .Gangsters vs. Nazis is quite worthy of exploration and attribution.

Told in a colorful, Runyonesque style, the tale is about one of the strangest campaigns of the late 1930s. It shows how the Jewish American community organized to fight the German American Bund and other fascist groups in the United States in the years prior to America's entry into World War II. To break up Nazi rallies and bust heads, the community enlisted Jewish gangsters, the author claimsnot "good guys" protecting the American way. This is a fascinating and entertaining read.

It is a colorful tale. It reads in many places like a mid-20th century Jimmy Cagney movie or Mickey Spillane novel come to life. It occurs in the same settings and the author uses the Runyonesque language of the genre. The mobsters deal out knuckle sandwiches and whack foes on the noggin. At one point Benson urges readers to think of one team as "The Dirty Dozen with some Yiddish thrown in.

Benson is a master of true crime.

Michael Benson's nonfiction masterpiece Gangsters vs. Nazis reads like speculative fiction at its very best, even though the incidents the book portrays are very much real.One of the most rivetingly relevant reads I've ever encountered, chock-full of real-life heroes and villains who are every bit the match for the best that thriller fiction has to offer.

Enlightening and colorful. a lot of riveting stories in Gangsters vs Nazis told in an extremely entertaining manner. Those who enjoy reading about the mob or find catharsis in the bloodying of Nazis will thoroughly enjoy Michael Benson's work. Highly recommended reading.

From indoctrinating youth camps to jack-booted rallies promoting Adolf Hitler, pre-World War II America was threatened by the rise of Nazism. Gangsters vs. Nazis is a must-read, eye-opening account that brings to life the violent struggle between these home-brewed storm troopers and an army of unlikely patriots; gangs of fist-swinging Jewish mobsters willing to break bones and crack heads in order to turn back the Nazi menace.

licensed for Hebrew Rights to Matar licensed for Hungarian Rights to Corvina A documentary is active development by Atlas Media whose most recent project is LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story- it premiered last month at the Tribeca Film Festival to outstanding reviews & press - currently 100% "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.

Benson tells this little-known chapter of American Jewish history well and with passion. The prose is colorful and direct.