Description
Book SynopsisUnraveling the truth about the sinister extortion scheme that preyed on innocent Chicagoans
Trade Review"Provides the definitive argument that this form of crime was not imported from Italy. . . . This is a book that needed to be written two generations ago, one that everyone needs to read today to make up for lost time in extricating Italian Americans from the shadow of the Mafia."--
Journal of Illinois History"Lombardo recounts in fine and fascinating detail the dynamics of extortion in Chicago's immigrant Italian community, covering especially the 'hottest' years, 1907-12."--
Italian American Review"Stimulating and informative. This book corrects the record of the criminological phenomenon of the Black Hand for the first time, and it presents the truth of its role in the immigrant Italian community in America."--Arthur J. Bilek, author of
The First Vice Lord: Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levee"A classic treatise on the social construction of crime, with dozens of colorful stories. Italian Americans in Chicago and nationwide will appreciate this book, as will readers interested in criminal justice and ethnic studies."--Dominic Candeloro, coauthor of
Chicago Heights: At the Crossroads of the NationTable of ContentsPreface ix
Introduction 1
1. Italians in Chicago 11
2. The White Hand Society 30
3. The Black Hand Squad 69
4. The Prohibition Years 107
5. The Causes of Black hand Extortion 119
6. The Social Construction of Deviance 161
Conclusion 194
Notes 205
Index 231
