Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series

Arnold Rothstein may be best remembered as the "mastermind" behind the 1919 Black Sox scandal, but author David Pietrusza delves behind the front-page news stories to provide a complete picture of the man who made organized crime a big business. With a reputation that found his life chronicled as fictional characters by the top authors of the time - "Meyer Wolfsheim," in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, and "Nathan Detroit," in the Damon Runyon story, The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown - Rothstein was a larger-than-life character in an era when crime did pay and those who could beat the system rocketed through the late-teens to the "Roaring Twenties." Through it all, Rothstein was a "businessman" who could beat any rap, but he could not escape the life in the shadows that made him (in)famous. On November 3, 1928, Rothstein was shot and mortally wounded - dying a day later at age 45 - allegedly the victim of a hit due to not paying a $320,000 gambling debt from a high-stakes card game. Pietrusza covers all the bases in this excellent biography on a genius who understood the dark side of human nature and that nearly everyone has a price when playing the vicious little games in daily life.

Although the 1919 Series is in the title, the book goes beyond that, so if you're a curious baseball fan this book might have more than you are game for. Pietrusza seems to know his New York criminal element of the era, and the books travels down spokes out from the Rothstein hub into these areas, which certainly helps to put Rothstein into perspective, at least from a "buisness" standpoint. I have uncovered additional info about Rothstein's personality with simple google searches, and in other books; the sources seeming to be reliable. Presuming these are accurate, they do help to supplement what we learn about Rothstein here. That's no big criticism, but the book left me with some unanswered questions about Rothstein's personality -- answers that might or might not be difficult to answer. Rothstein was not a well-kept secret, even in his era, and there seems to have been enough written about him that I would think it might not be difficult for an author to give us more about his personality. This author choose to focus on dozens of peripheral characters, and if you're a history fan that proves to be illiuminating, but does not always illuminate Rothstein, just places him in a context. Still, readers can argue the "business" of Rothstein and his fellow criminals is the compelling part of his personality, and speaks volumes itself.

This is a wonderful book, evocative of the Roarin' Twenties. Grab your fedora and get ready to join Mr. Big in his private booth at Lindy's. "Rothstein" is a journey back in time through this well-researched and well-written account by David Pietrusza. Obviously it's a biography about gambler and fixer par excellence, Arnold Rothstein, variously known as The Big Bankroll, Mr. Broadway, The Brain. He is the mastermind who is credited with rigging the 1919 World Series that became known as the Black Sox scandal. But this book is much, much more. Pietrusza transports you to those days of yesteryear in Manhattan in which Damon Ruynon's guys and dolls frolicked and boozed. It was an era of Prohibition, chorines and hoods with colorful nicknames. The Jazz Age may have become glorified, but it was a deadly serious time for this dapper mobster, with the emphasis on deadly. After all, he also was the overlord behind what became the modern American drug trade. The author details the complexities behind the Big Fix of the Chicago White Sox and breaks new ground in how it actually happened. As Pietrusza notes, this was "the ultimate corruption of American heroism, period." He also solves the murder of Rothstein in clarifying detail. A.R. is pictured as the creator of organized crime, involved in bootlegging, bookmaking, loan sharking, fencing, Wall Street and real estate manipulation and, of course, all forms of gambling from craps and cards to the race track. As the book's subtitle claims, Rothstein was indeed a criminal genius.

After reading David Pietrusza's book on Arnold Rothstein I have come to the conclusion that Rothstein was a man with only one love in his life, that of gambling. He doesn't appear to be an individual who was able to develop any genuine feelings of affection to another human being. Any interest in another person was limited to what they were able to do for Arnold. His only interest in sports was limited to what the gambling odds were. Although married he spent his evenings, not at home, but sitting at a table at Lindy's Restaurant conversing with business associates, not friends. The author also relates Rothstein's role in developing the drug trade in America. Gambling and bootlegging were activities that you need not be embarrassed about. Trafficing in drugs, however, was something that was considered dirty and he masked his interest in the drug trade. The book also goes into detail of Rothstein's role in the 1919 World Series and others involved in the crooked World Series. Details of Rothstein's death by shooting in the Park Central Hotel in New York by George McManus are also provided. The author admits that some of the details are speculation, and will never be known for sure. This is a book that will take you back to the era of turn of 20th century New York and through the 1920's. It is also the story of people from the world of sports, theatre, politics, and the gangsters that made up this time period. The book is most certainly worth your time and money.

As a baseball fan, I can tell you that David Pietrusza's "Rothstein" is a fascinating look into the Black Sox scandal. Most other books look at the 1919 World Series from the point of view of the ballplayers and fans, but this book looks at the series from the perspective of the criminals behind the scenes. But this book is so much more. Rothstein was New York's criminal genius of late 1910's and early 1920's, and was involved in a wide web of criminal activities. Pietrusza gives you glimpses into Rothstein's childhood memories, everyday life, and many of the biggest fixes and "businesses" that Rothstein set up. Along the way, Pietrusza describes the city leadership and police force of the time, making it a bit easier to understand how the man who bankrolled the biggest crimes in New York-the same man who shot three policemen-could have died without having any fingerprints in police files!Pietrusza writes clearly and cleanly, with attention to detail but a focus on the story. I fully recommend this book to anyone who would like to step back into 1919 and walk with one of the people who shaped that world.