See Naples and Die.....

 

In Naples you left the Fleet Landing and the first thing you saw was the Castle, which was really the jail and police station. Very imposing. Used to have a moat but was now just a deep grass swale. So, you still had to enter the Castle by drawbridge to cross the swale. Midevial style.

Outside were the hookers; pretty rough looking hookers. They straddled customers on mopeds right in the open. Or else they huddled around trash can fires in the dampness which is Naples in the fall, winter and spring. So they became known as the Campfire Girls. And all of this took place under the watchful eyes of a Priest who stood on an opposite corner in the Park across the street. All night.

The Priest was counting "heads" to make sure he got his cut. Seriously, the girls all gave to the Church and he used to absolve them every morning in return. Great system! Everyone of them a virgin..... the Priest told me so! There were also the he-she's to look out for! They'd call you Joe and swear they were named Josephine. Meantime;  biceps like a fucking weightlifter!

December 16, 2018
See Naples and die ..

"Empire of Sin" by Gary Krist (2014)

This book is an enigma. It begins as an examination of the famous New Orleans Ax Man Murders of the early 20^th Century and just when you are settling in nicely with that gruesome crime, the book becomes a history of jazz and after that morphs into a collective biography of some of the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived.

So, just what is this book? Well, I’ll tell you; honestly this is one of the most invigorating and engaging books on serial killers and jazz musicians which I have ever read. The big difference in the two subjects is that, of course, while the Jazzmen chronicled here may have slayed their audiences night after night with the new sound called “jazz”, the Ax Man murderer was slaying his audiences permanently in private performances all over New Orleans for several years. His crimes are still listed as one of the most puzzling of all serial killers, including the infamous Jack the Ripper.

Mr. Krist is an accomplished author, and it was his name which drew me to the book, the complicated title notwithstanding. Just how he wound up juxtaposing the history of what was happening in New Orleans at the time of the murders with the history of jazz is somewhat of a mystery to me, but the justification for doing so becomes apparent as you read the book.

New Orleans was a wide open Southern city; if you could call it a truly Southern city at all. There was no real segregation and racial intermarriage was quite common before the early part of the 20^th Century. Gambling and prostitution were openly practiced, if not celebrated. And the Port of New Orleans brought together sailors from all over the Caribbean, Europe and Africa; not to mention an influx of Asians and South Americans. And in the days of Reconstruction all of these different people lived together in relative harmony.

At the close of the 19^th Century there was an influx of European immigrants; notably Irish, Italian, German and Jewish. Each group had their own customs; and music. The first race riots in the city were not; as one would expect; between blacks and whites. Rather they were between the whites and the Italians. The Italians had become known as a “mafia” like organization. They were involved in kidnappings and extortion. They also strong armed their own neighborhood grocery stores, and in some cases murdered the owners. But when a group of these men kidnapped a young child and killed him, the city exploded in the violence of revenge.

Against the backdrop of those events in 1890 the author traces the history of crime in New Orleans through to the end of the 1920 election and the advent of Prohibition. As I said earlier, had he only concentrated on this aspect of New Orleans at the time this would have been a great book. However, by choosing to combine and compare the history of crime in New Orleans with the creation of jazz, he has created a fantastic and lively portrait of one of America’s most beloved and eclectic cities.

The book sparkles with the names of the musical legends that gave birth to a new art form. The stories of these men; with names like Jelly Roll Morton; Sidney Bechet; Freddie Keppard; Buddy Bolden; Louis Armstrong and George Baquet; are the history of what became the modern day New Orleans of legend, but also of Storyville itself; that quarter where these men first blew the notes which would come to define an era, and a genre.

Here is a link to the Library of Congress recording of Alabama Bound by Jelly Roll Morton. This is the type of music I was listening to while reading this book. Listening to the music of the time while reading the book enriched the whole experience and made for a delightful reading of this wonderful book by Mr. Krist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjRlVk_IhfY  

"The Immigrant" with Jeremy Renner and Joaquin Phoenix (2014)

When Ewa Cybulska; played by Marion Cotillard; arrives in America with her sister Magda ; played by Angela Sarafyan; she expects to be greeted by her family and become acquainted with her new homeland. Instead, her sister is denied entry due to tuberculosis and she is set to be deported because her relatives never showed up. This is the beginning if an ethereal film which takes you on Ewa’s journey in the America of the 1920’s and Prohibition.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Bruno Weiss, who first meets Ewa at Ellis Island. He spots her in the line of persons to be interred before deportation and offers to help her out. He slips the guard a bribe to let him take her back to Manhattan with her on the boat.

Ewa’s first days are marked by getting to know the other women who seem to all know Bruno. With her limited English Ewa is hard pressed to find out what these girls do and how they all know Bruno, who presents himself as a promoter of some sort. In reality he runs a string of prostitutes and intends to make Ewa one of them.

Bruno’s cousin Orlando; played by Jeremy Renner; is a magician at the nightclub which features “shows” performed by Bruno’s girls. When Bruno puts her onstage for the first time she is savaged by the audience with verbal abuse and erotic suggestions. As a devout Catholic she withdraws within herself to fend off the fear and confusion she feels; not to mention the betrayal by Bruno.

As Bruno draws Ewa more deeply into his world of degradation we see the effect it has upon him. He begins to love her without knowing how to express it. In reality; although she is the one being degraded, Bruno is the one who suffers for it. The irony is that he basically suffers the consequences of his own decisions. While she has her religion to fall back upon; he has nothing.

Meantime, Ewa forms a bond of sorts with Orlando which allows her to transcend the terrible things happening to her as she awaits a chance to get her sister out of quarantine and begin her life without Bruno.

This is a much nuanced film, with beautiful cinematography. It is a bit slow paced; perhaps deliberately so; to let the viewer feel the uncertainty of the events being experienced by Ewa. Real life is like that; things which are unfamiliar seem to drag by until you get used to the routine. The film is directed by James Gray from a script he co-write with Ric Menello .

"Year Zero" by Ian Buruma (2013)

What a book! Author Ian Buruma; whose father was a German soldier; has written a book about the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and how man’s inhumanity to man continued in the wake of the worst conflict the world has ever known. At times he even draws upon the writings of prominent German, French and Japanese authors such as Nagai Kafu and Benoite Groult to augment his narrative about post war life in the defeated countries. In doing so, he has painted a searing portrait of mankind at its worst.

As soon as the guns ceased their firing people were looking for retribution against their former tormentors; be they Nazi’s, Japanese or Russian military; all were targets of the wrath of the millions who had been crushed under the heels of fascism, or been kicked by the boots of communism. There was no middle ground, and without a doubt these retributions were long overdue.

The point of this book is, I believe, to show how inhumanity can take so many different forms. How else to explain what happened in Poland after the war, when the Polish people continued killing Jews, sometimes just to prevent them from reclaiming their homes.  With a twisted zeal the Poles went after the surviving Jews for being Communists, being Fascists, and just for being Jews. After all, hadn’t they caused this war?

In Germany, the Russians were embarked upon an orgy of rape and violence not unlike the Japanese Rape of Nanking in the 1930’s. In just about every other liberated country the scene was the same, as the newly freed turned on the people who had collaborated with the enemy.

The disparity between the Nuremburg trials and the Japanese war crime trials in the Philippines is astounding. While we executed General Yamashita for the Massacre at Manila and the Bataan Death March; events he was not even present for; we let Lt. Gen. Masaji and his assistant, Lt. Gen. Shiro; go free. These 2 men were amongst the most monstrous of the Japanese war criminals, having conducted brutal “medical” experiments on POW’s and civilians alike. Through the efforts of General Willoughby the United States took the position that these experiments were important enough to keep from the Soviets, and so they were spared. Shiro died peacefully in 1959 while Masaji went on to found Green Cross, the largest blood bank in Japan.

Sexual activity was a big part of the end of the war. It was not only an expression of relief by the people who had endured long separations from loved ones; but also an economy unto itself. In Japan the women who “worked the trade” were known as Pan Pan Girls, and they were the object of resentment by their own countrymen. The reason is primal; what could be worse than losing a war and having the conqueror take your women? It was the same in Germany with the “Ruinenmauschen”, or “mice in the ruins”, who actively sought the company of Allied soldiers in order to obtain the material goods attendant to such a relationship.

One of the most emotional points of this book comes when Bergen-Belzen is liberated. Through a typical Army supply line screw up, cases of lipstick are delivered to the survivors in place of the earnestly needed food and medical supplies. The women; some still too weak to stand; were delighted and began immediately to make an attempt to alter their grotesque appearances. The medical officer in charge stated that the lipstick just might have given these women the little boost they needed to begin reclaiming their former identities. This moved me to tears.

No matter how you slice it, war is hell. And, we never really focus on anything past the joy brought about by the end of hostilities. We all know about the Berlin Airlift and the Marshall Plan. We all know that there was great deprivation in both Europe and Asia after the war was over. But this is the first book I have read which focuses entirely on the year 1945 and the conditions resulting from the end of the war.

For a good follow up to this book I recommend viewing the film “Germany, Year Zero”, which the author mentions and obviously influenced his work. Directed by Roberto Rossellini and released in 1948, this film follows a young German boy as he attempts to navigate life in his war torn country. Having been born and raised in the United States, books and films like these are important reminders of just how lucky we have been for so long.

The Frozen Ground" with John Cusak and Nicolas Cage (2013)

Alaskan State Trooper Jack Halcombe, played by Nicolas Cage, realizes that something is drastically wrong when the department does nothing to investigate a series of murders which he considers related. All of the murders were of young women, mostly prostitutes, who were lured to “photography” sessions with the promise of several hundred dollars.  All were subsequently killed, over a period of years, and left in the frozen grounds outside of Anchorage. All, that is, but one.

Vanessa Hudgens plays the women who escaped, Cindy, only to be judged by the very police who were supposed to protect her. It becomes her word against their professional reputations, with the results being that justice is denied. Now, with the killer, Robert Hansen, played by John Cusak, looking for her; as well as her former pimp; she has nowhere to turn.

Jack Holcombe enters the picture with a sure fired conviction that these cases, although spanning a dozen years and at least 11 victims, are all connected and the result of one man; Robert Hansen. But proving it is difficult unless he can enlist the trust, and testimony of Cindy. She is, of course, reluctant to stick her neck out any further than she already has.

Based on the real life case of Robert Hansen, this film, written and directed by Scott Walker, will rivet you with its stark revelations of what depravity the human mind is capable of. Superb performances by all really seal the deal of this one, and make it a very tense and edgy drama.

"Island of Vice" by Richard Zacks (2012)

1896 was a crucial year in the history of New York City. The annexation of all 5 boroughs was less than 2 years away. The City of New York, comprised at the time of the island of Manhattan, was in the throes of a crime wave the likes of which would never be seen again. Literally, as the title of this book suggests, it was a city of sin. This was also the beginning of the end for Tammany Hall, the political party which had ruled the city for decades.

In a story propelled by the likes of characters such as Nellie Bly, the female reporter of crime at the New York World; and Reverend Charles Parkhurst, the leader of an anti-crime crusade; this book rips and roars its way through the final years of the 19th century, ably guided by the skillful authorship of Richard Zacks.

Much of the story centers on Theodore Roosevelt, who would in short order become famous for his exploits at San Juan Hill during the war in Cuba, as well as becoming President of the United States at the dawn of the 20th century. And what a story it is!

Think of any criminal enterprise in operation today, and it was available then. The only difference was in the technology used in committing the crimes; as human nature has not changed much in the intervening years.

For instance, in the place of todays "chop shops", which alter automobiles, the horse thief of the 19th century merely rode the animal to one of the scores of stables dotting the riverfronts on both sides of the island, and had the animal dyed, the mane clipped, and the saddle changed. The rider then emerged on a "horse of a different color"; so to speak; free to gallop away out of the city to sell his stolen steed.

Gambling was rife, with hundreds of illegal gaming establishments throughout the city, all under the protection of the Police. Prostitution, in every known form, was also readily available in all areas of the city. Women, respectable ones, did not roam about freely at night. Even gentlemen did not stroll after dark without a sense of foreboding.

Into this scenario came Theodore Roosevelt, who had been raised in New York, but had spent the last several years in Washington, D.C. He was now back in New York, determined to clean up the city, as well as make a name for himself. He lost no time in doing both.

Teaming up with Reverend Parkhurst, as well as with Jacob Riis, these men set out to put the city back on course to become the greatest metropolis ever known.  Riis and Roosevelt had become great friends, and mutual admirers, after Roosevelt read Riis' "How the Other Half Lives", which was published in the 1880's when Jacob Riis was working as a Police Reporter for the Evening Sun.

The photos, and their accompanying stories, shocked the city into a social awareness which would spark the changes affecting the most disadvantaged citizens Manhattan.

Roosevelt and Riis, in disguise, went on a series of midnight journeys into the seediest parts of the city, seeking to document the criminal activities, and then tear them down. Acting upon the heels of Reverend Parkhurst's own campaign against vice, in which he too, toured the city at night under the protection of Detective Charles Gardner, the city was rocked by scandal after scandal, as the veneer of corruption was laid bare for the people to see.

The Police Department was so corrupt that Roosevelt canceled the 1895 annual Police parade, declaring that the force was unworthy of the honor. When he went on his midnight tours he found himself threatened by his very own officers! With tireless effort, and knowledge that his crusade was a just one, he re-enforced the Civil Service laws, giving the city a better police force with which to fight crime.

With a bold and exciting style of writing, Mr. Zacks has created a veritable visual montage of New York in the not so "Gay Nineties", putting truth to the sepia colored images we all hold of that era. Illustrated with some of the best photos ever of old New York, this book is a "must read" for anyone interested in, or in love with, the history of Old New York.

"Rain Gods" by James Lee Burke

I don't read much fiction; outside of classical fiction, which always has a deeper meaning than the story being told on the surface. Like "Moby Dick", classical fiction can be read on several different levels. Most contemporary fiction lacks that depth. So, I generally confine myself to non-fiction. But when James Lee Burke writes fiction it is always a current and accurate assessment of what is really going on in the world. He just changes the names.

If you have never read any of Mr. Burkes previous novels, this one is a good place to begin.To establish his bona-fides, think of Alec Baldwind with Teri Hatcher and Mary Stuart Masterston in "Heavens's Prisoners", the book and film which have both been reviewed here. Writing with an almost lyrical cadence, and with an insight into the personal demons that dog us all, Mr. Burke creates characters who are so vividly real they actually feel menacing. In "Rain Gods", the author draws you into the seamy world of drug smuggling and the forced sex trade. Nothing is what it seems and all real motives are obscurred.

His previous works have largely concentrated on New Orleans and former Detective Dave Robicheaux, his struggles with alcholol, women and his own inner demons. In this book he takes on the new character of Texas Lawman Hackberry Holland, who, along with Deputy Pam Tibbs, find themselves in the middle of a Russian syndicate running Chinese prostitutes across the border while smuggling heroin in their stomachs. When the ballons in their bodies begin to burst the girls are all systematically killed by a man known as the Preacher.

All of the characters in this book will be recognizable to you if you have spent any time at all on the seamier side of things. And if not, you will be fascinated by what really goes on out there. From the evil doings of the Preacher, to the innocence of Vikki and her ne'er do well boyfriend Pete, a confused and wounded Iraqi veteran, these characters are as real as you can write them. His Deputy, Pam, is as sensitive as she is tough when it comes to protecting the Sheriff. Mr. Burke is a potent and skillfull writer with a talent for creating characters that cannot be dismissed or ignored.

With one witness to the crime, and a whole lot of people double crossing one another, this book will keep you reading, and guessing, right up until the end. One of the most engaging qualities of Mr. Burkes' writing is his deep insights into the human soul. Take this paragraph, all by itself, out of context from the book;

"He had learned long ago as a Navy Corpsmen that Morpheus did not bestow his gifts easily or cheaply. The sleep that most people yearned for rarely came this side of the grave, except perhaps to the very innocent or to those willing to mortgage tomorrow for tonight. Tying off a vein, watching the blood rise inside a hypodermic needle, staining a mint-bruised mug of crushed ice with four fingers of Jack Daniel's were all guaranteed to work. But the cost meant taking up residence in a county no reasonable person ever wanted to enter."

You can't write like without having been there. This book reads like a film. It's simply that fluid. And along the way Mr. Burke always manages to drop in some history and psychology along with a mind bending adventure that is often very close to the stories behind today's headlines. This is another triumph for James Lee Burke and the reader.

"The Poker Bride" by Christopher Corbett

This is a multi-faceted book. It is the story of a Chinese concubine named "Polly" and her life as the wife of a gold miner. She seems to have arrived in 1851 and the story follows her through the early years of the Gold Rush and on into a life of seclusion with a husband in the secluded area of the Salmon River in Idaho.

It is also the story of the first Chinese in America and the various jobs they held. From camp cooks to railroad workers, the Chinese immigrant of the time did so much to change the face of America. The Chinese women, who came later, were largely bought over as concubines for the more wealthy, and as prostitutes for the more desperate.

Mirroring the sex trafficking of the present, Chinese families were often forced, by economic hardship, to sell their daughters into servitude. This often meant sending them to America where they would become "camp girls" or prostitutes. Lucky ones, like Polly, would be wagered at poker games and some, like Polly, would fall into the hands of a kind man and become wives. This is what happened to Polly.

Charlie Bemis was a native of Connecticut when he caught the "gold fever" and headed west. There he set about, like so many others before and after him, to seek his fortune up and down the "gold coast". It was during this period that he engaged in, and won, a poker hand that included "Polly" as part of the stakes. He wins and then takes her hand in a marraige that spans decades.

More than just the story of Polly Bemis, the book is a chronicle of life in San Francisco from the first cry of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 to the 1930's and rural Idaho. By that time, Polly Bemis was a widow and cared for by two prospectors who lived on an adjoining piece of land. Mrs. Bemis left them her land in exchange for their years of care.

Twice yearly she made a trip down the mountain and into the town. It is there that she sees her first automobile and moving picture show. But she always returns to the seclusion of her home.

Incorporated into this book is a history of the Gold Rush Era as well as a sociological look at the make up of mining towns. Composed mostly of men, chores usually left to women become the province of the men. Laundry, cooking and cleaning were relagated to the Chinese workers who came by the droves to earn money in the gold fields.

It is interesting to note that neither James Marshall, nor John Sutter, the owners and operators of the sawmill where the gold was first discovered, ever made much of their lives after the discovery. Marshall became a drunk, while Sutter spent the rest of his life trying, without sucess, to sue the government over land rights associated with his claim.

This is also a book about San Francisco and it's early growth from a small port to a great metropolis. The author explores the social, as well as the financial, aspects of this growth. It takes you into the history of the Chinese "hatchet men", who were the forerunners to the Triad and the counterparts to the Italian Mafia.

One section of the book deals entirely with prostitution. It describes some of the myths surrounding the issue. For instance, in a typical gambling hall, the women were free to engage in sex or not. Their primary purpose was to entice the men to drink and gamble. To that end, women became croupiers and dealers. It was far easier to get the men to a table where a pretty woman presided over the games.

Dancing halls were also a way for the women to make money and stay vertical. The price of a dance was one dollar. A woman was expected to dance with fifty men a night and split the money with the owner. A good dance hall girl could make up to $100 a night. This was more than the average prospector could hope for.

This is a fast paced and informative book that will leave you with a new impression of the Old West.

"L.A. Noir" by John Buntin

This book is a real page turner. Los Angeles has a very colorful and sordid history. From the 1920's through the 1960's is like one big film noir story.

In this book Mr. Buntin explores that history and the characters involved in the making of the legend that Los Angeles has become. This story involves Bugsy Seigel, Mickey Cohen, Clark Clifford, Billy Graham and a host of others. The Billy Graham-Mickey Cohen connection is truly amazing all by itself. The whole book is one long narrative of how crime, vice, politics and religion play such a large role in our daily lives. In this case the connection of these forces shaped the direction of a major city.

If you have ever seen the movie "LA Confidential" you will be amazed at how much of that movie was taken from real life. "Bloody Christmas" really did happen in 1951 Los Angeles. This was a time when people left bottles of whiskey on the corner for the police to pick up for the annual holiday bash at Central Division.

Illegal wiretapping, beatings, prostitution and gambling are the mainstays of Organized Crime and Los Angeles is determined to keep Organized Crime out of the city. They had their own "Combination" going and wanted no competition. The battle was on for control of the city and its' criminal enterprises.

With the advent of the Kefauver Committee in the 1950's Robert Kennedy enters upon the scene as counsel for the hearings. This role helps pave the way for his brother John's Presidential run in 1960. And Los Angeles would be the site of that years Democratic Convention. It is also the city where Robert Kennedy would be killed in 1968 at the height of his own Presidential campaign.

There is a scene in the movie "Mulholland Falls" in which Nick Nolte and his fellow detectives take an out of town hood and throw him off a cliff. If it seemed far fetched in the film- it wasn't. In real life it actually happened- more than once.

The book is gritty and carries the tension of the struggle between law enforcement and the Mob on every page. The personal peculiarities of Mickey Cohen and his henchman make dramatic and sometimes amusing reading.

The book is extensive and follows the history of crime in Los Angeles from the 1930's through the racially charged times of the Watts Riots in 1965 and beyond. It is well written and has an extensive bibliography. And through this book I have learned that Mickey Cohen wrote an autobiography. You can be sure I will be reading that one!