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| Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution | 
 enlarge | Author: T. J. English
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $12.72
You Save: $15.23 (54%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 913
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.5
ISBN: 0061147710
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.106097291
EAN: 9780061147715
ASIN: 0061147710
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In modern-day Havana, the remnants of the glamorous past are everywhere—the old hotel-casinos, vintage American cars, and flickering neon signs speak of a bygone era that is widely familiar and often romanticized, but little understood. In Havana Nocturne, T. J. English offers a riveting, multifaceted true tale of organized crime, political corruption, roaring nightlife, revolution, and international conflict that interweaves the dual stories of the Mob in Havana and the event that would overshadow it, the Cuban Revolution. As the Cuban people labored under a violently repressive regime throughout the 1950s, Mob leaders Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano turned their eye to Havana. To them, Cuba was the ultimate dream, the greatest hope for the future of the American Mob in the post-Prohibition years of intensified government crackdowns. But when it came time to make their move, it was Lansky, the brilliant Jewish mobster, who reigned supreme. Having cultivated strong ties with the Cuban government and in particular the brutal dictator Fulgencio Batista, Lansky brought key mobsters to Havana to put his ambitious business plans in motion. Before long, the Mob, with Batista's corrupt government in its pocket, owned the biggest luxury hotels and casinos in Havana, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment, the world's biggest celebrities, the most beautiful women, and gambling galore. But their dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others who would lead the country's disenfranchised to overthrow their corrupt government and its foreign partners—an epic cultural battle that English captures in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory. Bringing together long-buried historical information with English's own research in Havana—including interviews with the era's key survivors—Havana Nocturne takes readers back to Cuba in the years when it was a veritable devil's playground for mob leaders. English deftly weaves together the parallel stories of the Havana Mob—featuring notorious criminals such as Santo Trafficante Jr. and Albert Anastasia—and Castro's 26th of July Movement in a riveting, up-close look at how the Mob nearly attained its biggest dream in Havana—and how Fidel Castro trumped it all with the Cuban Revolution.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 A sure bet... June 9, 2008
88 out of 90 found this review helpful
Crime novels abound. There's no question that we enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction about the gangster element. This is one historical presentation that is certain to please readers.
Unlike other books that often rehash well-known facts about criminals and their actions, Havana Nocturne is an entertaining review of the historical activities of the Mob in Cuba from the mid-1940s until the Castro revolution takeover in 1959. History has often avoided or ignored the Mafia's involvement in Cuba, forgetting that many of the activities there superceded or coincided with the development of Las Vegas.
Rather than a presentation of repetitive facts, however, this book does an excellent job of condensing the political events of the time while also explaining the decades-old Mob interest in Cuba.
Readers will find the story reading like a fantasy as they discover interesting facts surrounding the activities of Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy and the bawdy nightlife of the Caribbean.
For those interested in understanding why the US has avoided involvement in Cuba for 50 years, how Batista ruled Cuba and Castro took control, and how the Mafia nearly rose to power internationally, I strongly recommend this book.
Livin' la vida loca not all that healthy. July 21, 2008
47 out of 50 found this review helpful
I loved this book for a lot of reasons but it didn't make me want to take my clothes off and go dancin' in the rain. In fact, after reading this account of Havana I wonder when it was that Ricky Martin thought such frivolity would be a good idea. The history of the city and the lifestyle surrounding it's golden years seemed exciting but a little dangerous.
Author T.J. English did a wonderful job of researching the happenings in Cuba in his non-fiction winner, "Havana Nocturne." I relish well- researched histories and with about 330 end notes, some 25 insider interviews, and 11 pages listing the books, articles, essays, transcripts, reports, documentaries, television programs, institutions, and FBI files that English relied on for his information, this book certainly qualifies.
Usually that much research material produces a book with the trudging characteristics of a Russian epic that takes several years to read, but not Havana Nocturne. English has deftly woven the information into a tight record of a couple of decades of activity, and produced an entertaining account of what the Mob and the Cuban government was involved in, all the while naming those who participated in some highly nefarious schemes. All the familiar big-city Mafiosi characters are here, along with the hangers-on from Hollywood, Tampa, Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago and Las Vegas-- those who loved the glamour and excitement of a glittering Havana especially prepared to lure them in.
Famous Americans such as John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Steve Allen, Lucille Ball, Marlon Brando, George Raft, Graham Greene, Errol Flynn, Dorothy Dandridge, Ava Gardner, Eartha Kitt, Ginger Rogers, Tony Martin, Johnny Mathis, Donald O'Conner, and Tyrone Power, among many others, became real aficionados of the wild Cuban lifestyle and spent a good deal of time sampling it. Give English credit. He's not a muckraker and lurid details of their visits are sparse, but their presence is acknowledged.
Fulgencio Batista's turbulent career as dictator and his repressive regime through the 1950s is brilliantly chronicled as is his open-pocket acceptance of the Mob's movement into the biggest luxury hotels and gambling casinos in Havana. English parallels the lush life and Batista's corrupt governmental activities with the story of a young revolutionary named Fidel Castro who lives in the Cuban mountains, plotting to overthrow Batista and implement his own ideas for the Mob. The author tells of the Revolution, the ouster of Batista, and the double-cross Castro executes against the American mobsters, a move that virtually sent Cuba into an economic downward spiral from which it has never recovered.
This book was a pleasure to read. The writing is taut: the activity is crisply presented. There are many characters involved but the author never loses the reader to the playbill. I haven't enjoyed a book this much for some time. I highly recommend it.
The real Hyman Roth July 22, 2008
35 out of 37 found this review helpful
The story of Meyer Lansky and his plans to make Cuba into a mobsters' dream: "90 miles from the United States with a friendly (i.e., corrupt and venal) government". Sound familiar? Then you've seen "Godfather II" as I have and believe you're familiar with this story. But there is so much more to it, and T. J. English writes with gusto, amusement and at times admiration at how the American mobsters, led by The Little Man, Jewish Meyer Lansky, dared to dream they could rule Havana aided and abetted by the amoral and corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista. They weren't counting on the Castro brothers and their compatriot, Che Guevera, who had a different vision for Cuba. They became increasingly disgusted at the exploitation of the Cuban people, particularly as sex workers, for the amusement of the gringo tourists. No one gets off easy here, not JFK, not Sinatra, not the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, all of whom were beneficiaries and abettors of the corruption of the Mob. A terrific read and a history lesson which goes down smoothly.
RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "HE COULD SING... BUT HE COULDN'T FLY!" July 11, 2008
23 out of 34 found this review helpful
This wonderfully researched book will be pleasing and enlightening to people who may have two completely differing reading interests. Any Mafia aficionado or student of the history of Cuba, ranging from Governmental corruption to the revolution will be equally mesmerized. The author deftly fits the two stories, which at times precede each other... and at other times post date each other... and of course at times overlap each other... together like a well thought out jigsaw puzzle.
In the eleven years following World War II "direct U.S. business investments in Cuba grew from $142 million to $952 million." (In today's dollars that would be 5-10 times more.) The extent of American interest in Cuba, an island the size of the state of Tennessee, ranked in third place among the nations of the world receiving U.S. investments." The Havana mob which was comprised of American Mafia and their associates, included such historical underworld figures as Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Santo Trafficante, Albert Anastasia, and others. The author skillfully takes you back to Lucky and Meyer's childhood where they grew up together and forged a lifetime friendship and business relationship that eventually led to Meyer Lansky a Jew to be the actual de-facto leader of the mob's dream expansion into Cuba. In case the potential reader isn't aware of the fact; no person can become an official "made-man" unless he's one-hundred-percent Italian. The reader is adroitly taken back through Meyer's entire life, from his growing up tough, despite never rising past 5-feet-4-inches in height as an adult. His absolute love of gambling... but not needing to gamble... is what eventually made him the Mafia's architect in Las Vegas and Cuba. Meyer's idol as a young man was Arnold Rothstein, who was famous within mob circles for a number of things, but perhaps his biggest claim to fame was that; "HE WAS THE MAN WHO FIXED THE 1919 WORLD SERIES!" "From the beginning, Lansky understood that games of chance hit some men where they could not breathe. Gambling pulls at the core of a man, he once famously uttered. Most of his life would be spent profiting from the truth of this maxim". Along with Luciano, Ben "Bugsy" Siegel, was one of Lansky's best friend's since their teenage years, yet history credits (or fingers) Meyer for ordering the hit on Bugsy that entailed so many gunshots, that his "intact" eyeball was later found fourteen- feet away from his body. This murder, that was made famous in the Warren Beatty movie in later years, was ordered with the belief that Bugsy was "skimming" money from his mob brethren while overseeing the building of the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas.
Assisting and making possible the mob's dream of a gaming and hotel jackpot in Cuba was Major General and later President Fulgencio Batista. Cuban corruption was not only rampant... and expected... but was part of Lansky's plan and budget. Once again the author brilliantly details the payoffs as well as the dishonest banks and businesses. The reader will also be educated on Fidel Castro's life from being a child of a well off family, to law student, to revolutionary leader. Included is his historically famous "HISTORY WILL ABSOLVE ME" speech.
Intermixed with the gambling and Cuban government are riveting scenes of Frank Sinatra transporting millions of dollars in a suitcase from America to Cuba, acting as no more than a "bagman" for his pal Lucky Luciano. You'll feel like a fly on the wall as Sinatra and Lucky are involved in a wild orgy, which is interrupted, when security in the hotel mistakenly lets a nun and some girl scouts in to the room where the orgy is being held. You'll learn about Senator John F. Kennedy's orgy during a trip to Cuba in December 1957, paid for in full by a Mafia boss.
The legendary "MURDER INCORPORATED" is dissected including the story of Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, "who was a "canary" who "sang like a bird". Before he was done singing "he had given details on some two-hundred murders, he had personally participated in or had intimate knowledge of, leading to forty-nine prosecutions. Several top killers went to the electric chair, including the murderous Louis Lepke."
In 1941 "Kid Twist" "was still giving information and building cases for the Brooklyn D.A.'s office. "Next in line to be prosecuted was Albert Anastasia. The D.A.'s office announced that they were on the cusp of "the perfect case" against the feared BOSS of Murder Inc. The most prized informer in the history of organized crime was being held in a room at the Half Moon Hotel, on the boardwalk in Coney Island. He was guarded round the clock by a contingent of six cops, proud members of New York's finest. Somehow, "Kid Twist" took the plunge. The cops said they didn't know how it happened. They were dozing off when "Kid Twist" tried to escape and "fell" six stories to his death. Or maybe he tried to commit suicide. Forever after, some in the press and public believed that cops had been paid off and were part of the hit. "Kid Twist's" demise led to one of the more famous epitaphs in mob history:"
******* "HE COULD SING BUT HE COULDN'T FLY!" *******
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How Notorius Mobster Myer Lansky Misculated Fidel Castro and his cohorts July 19, 2008
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
Between 1952 and 1959 Havana was a city of spectacular growth with incredible casino and hotel development, tourist resorts, new highways and where the allure of organized gambling, fantastic nightclub acts and sexy beautiful women seduced many to invest, particularly the mob, which at the time was much under the influence of the notorious mobster Myer Lansky.
It is against this backdrop that T.J. English's Havana Nocturne: How The Mob Owned Cuba...And The Lost It To The Revolution vividly captures the rhythm of a vulgar era when the mob thought they could do no wrong and that their dream of creating a gambling and tourist mecca would never be crushed. It was also a period in Cuba's history that witnessed the combination of Lansky and the dictator Batista assemble a financial universe that would change the course of the country's history. However, just a little digging below the surface would reveal that the wealth that was reaped from these ventures was not evenly spread around and was in the main used to fill the pocketbooks of corrupt politicians, the mob and their followers. The needs of the ordinary man on the street were never met and this ultimately was the recipe that proved to be the catalyst for revolution and, as we all know, Fidel Castro was able to cleverly capitalize on this discontent.
The inspiration to create this decadent world was initiated with a December 1946 Mob conference in Havana attended by some two dozen of the most well known underworld bosses including Luciano, Trafficante, the Cellini brothers, and Vito Genovese, who would play a vital role in the development of Havana as a corrupt playground for those who could afford it over the next several years. The brains behind the meeting was, without doubt, Lansky who believed that there was enough for everyone and his idea was to coalesce as a behind-the-scenes force in Cuban affairs thus enabling the mob to carry on without intervention or intimidation.
The result eventually led to Lansky becoming Batista`s gambling czar and he succeeded in overlooking a rapidly developing empire, dividing percentages and spreading the wealth, however, always with an eye toward peace and tranquility among the members. As noted in the book, representatives from New York, New Jersey, Miami, Tampa, Cleveland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Las Vegas, all received a piece of the action in Havana. Lansky was able to keep it all together and oversee the payouts with a minimum of discord. Nonetheless, there was some conflict with one of the members, Albert Anastasia, who eventually was brutally murdered. Until today, no one really knows who ordered his elimination.
Unfortunately for Lansky and his gang all was not as rosy as it appeared due to the fact that he and Batista had miscalculated and underestimated Fidel Castro. This in turn would turn the Havana Mob on its head resulting in the loss of millions of dollars of their own investments and the demise of El Presidente who escaped just on time in the night to Portugal without any prior warning.
Lansky never involved himself with Cuban politics nor did he understand the depth of disenchantment among the population. He always believed that no matter who was in power, and as long as payola would be a way of life, he and his underworld associates would still be permitted to continue business as usual. Castro had other plans.
Combining extensive research with a poignant narrative, English has crafted a book that is both informative and entertaining. He neatly balances keen historical analysis, biographical detail, and journalistic insight resulting in a compelling work of non-fiction that throbs with the feeling that you are actually in the middle of all that was happening during these exciting years in Cuba.
Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures
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