Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

The Gangs of New York

An Informal History of the Underworld
Dec 16, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Well-known now thanks to Scorsese's movie, the book deserves to be rediscovered for its own merits and as a classic of underworld stories. Scorsese only borrowed a few elements (Bill the Butcher, the draft rtots) from this byzantine, bloody and sometimes comic collection of anecdotes, legends and tales of all manner of criminals, from con artists to killers to gang leaders. It has a pungent, disreputable energy and Asbury offers no social commentary or moral judgements. It also evokes a nearly vanished New York City, giving the seedy, violent stories a slight poignancy.