Wikipedia

Smalltime

Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob is a 2021 memoir by Russell Shorto that examines his family's involvement in organized crime. The book centers on Shorto's grandfather, Russ, son of an Italian immigrant to the United States who once served as second in command for the mob in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Shorto stated his mother's cousin, who worked as a numbers runner for his grandfather, asked him to write the book. During prohibition, Russ ran alcohol and built a "small city empire" around Johnstown, with money going to the Mafia in New York City and some to the mob in Pittsburgh. The book follows Russ after the World War II years as he organized gambling operations in the city. Smalltime concludes with Shorto examining his relationship with his father, Tony.

Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob
AuthorRussell Shorto
LanguageEnglish
Subjectfamily memoir
PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
Publication date
February 1, 2021 (paperback)
February 2, 2021 (hardcover)
Pages272
ISBN978-0-393-24558-5

The book received mostly positive reviews upon release, with one mixed review, five positive reviews, and two rave reviews according to review aggregator Book Marks. Multiple reviewers noted Shorto wrote a book mainly on family dynamics, which also happened to deal with the mob.

Author and background

edit

The author of the book is Russell Shorto, an American historian, journalist, and writer.[1][2][3] Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he was also raised,[3] Shorto studied philosophy and journalism at George Washington University.[4] City Journal described him as a narrative history writer, with books previously published on the Dutch history of Manhattan and Amsterdam.[5] Shorto stated his mother's cousin, who worked as a numbers runner for Shorto's grandfather, asked him to write the book.[6] W. W. Norton & Company published Smalltime, with the paperback released worldwide on February 1, 2021, and the hardcover released a day later.[7]

Overview

edit

The book centers around Shorto's grandfather, Russ, son of an Italian immigrant who works with the mob in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. During Prohibition in the United States, Russ ran alcohol and built a "small city empire"[8] around Johnstown, with money going to the Mafia in New York City and some to the mob in Pittsburgh. The book follows Russ after the World War II years as he organized gambling operations in the city. Smalltime concludes with Shorto examining his relationship with his father, Tony.

Reception

edit

The book was met with mostly positive reviews upon release, with one mixed review, five positive reviews, and two rave reviews as of September 30, 2023, according to review aggregator Book Marks.[9] Multiple reviewers noted Shorto wrote a book mainly on family dynamics, which also happened to deal with the mob. In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, journalist and radio host Bill O'Driscoll called the book a cogent and detailed primer on the mob, though the true power in the book came through the author's relationship with his father, about whom he learns the reasons why he did not end up therein.[10] In The Wall Street Journal, Bryan Burrough felt the mafia media space already crowded by other memoirs such as one by Al Capone's alleged grandson, but called Shorto's book fresh, which surprised him.[11] James Pekoll of Booklist called the book a fresh take on an interesting part to American history.[12]

Former museum division director of the Heinz History Center Bill Keyes reviewed the book in Western Pennsylvania History, stating Russell's conversations with his father and his associates dispelled rumors about Russ's criminal career while illustrating the author's own relationship with his father. Keyes called the book moving and unstinting.[13] On Shorto's interviews with his grandfather's associates, journalist Joe Heim of The Washington Post stated his grandfather appears flat as the interviews do not penetrate the surface of who his grandfather was, though the talks themselves are long. Similarly, Heim states the book does not have enough substance on the author's grandfather to make it one the reader could not put down, though when the book focused on Russell's relationship with his father, it resolved well.[2]

Helene Stapinski of The New York Times called the book a family dynamics story, not really one about mobs– and noted the real revelations in the story came from the lives Russ ruined and manipulated.[14] Charles F. McElwee of City Journal agreed with Stapinski's take on family dynamics, and described Russ as "holy trinity of a reprobate—a drunk, a philanderer, and a cheat whose family and friends suffered from the emotional toll".[5] Kirkus Reviews called Shorto's portrayal of local mobsters vivid.[8] A review in Publishers Weekly concluded that "Shorto presents a fascinating institutional history of small-town organized crime and a moving family saga with equal amounts of detail and heart", and said those interested in mob history would love the book.[15]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Going Dutch: PW Talks with Russell Shorto". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Heim, Joe (February 12, 2021). "He knew his grandfather was a mob boss. But was that the whole story?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Russell Shorto". Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Perry, Douglas (October 17, 2008). "Reading: Russell Shorto on "Descartes' Bones"". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  5. ^ a b McElwee, Charles F. (April 14, 2021). "All or Nothing at All". City Journal. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  6. ^ "Writer Russell Shorto chronicles his family's secret mob operation in 'Smalltime'". Fresh Air. NPR. February 2, 2022. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Smalltime". W. W. Norton & Company. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob". Kirkus Reviews. October 26, 2020. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  9. ^ "Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob". Book Marks. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  10. ^ O'Driscoll, Bill (February 11, 2021). "'Smalltime' is a unique tale of small-town mob life". Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Burrough, Bryan (February 8, 2021). "'Smalltime' Review: Johnstown After Dark". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021.
  12. ^ Pekoll, James (February 1, 2021). "Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob". Booklist. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Keyes, Bill (Fall 2021). "Book Reviews: Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob". Western Pennsylvania History. 124 (3): 65. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Stapinski, Helene (February 2, 2021). "Russell Shorto's Grandpa Was a 'Smalltime' Mobster". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Smalltime&oldid=1182505793"