Empire of Sin
Books | History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
3.9
Gary Krist
From bestselling author Gary Krist, a vibrant and immersive account of New Orleans’ other civil war, at a time when commercialized vice, jazz culture, and endemic crime defined the battlegrounds of the Crescent City Empire of Sin re-creates the remarkable story of New Orleans’ thirty-years war against itself, pitting the city’s elite “better half” against its powerful and long-entrenched underworld of vice, perversity, and crime. This early-20th-century battle centers on one man: Tom Anderson, the undisputed czar of the city's Storyville vice district, who fights desperately to keep his empire intact as it faces onslaughts from all sides. Surrounding him are the stories of flamboyant prostitutes, crusading moral reformers, dissolute jazzmen, ruthless Mafiosi, venal politicians, and one extremely violent serial killer, all battling for primacy in a wild and wicked city unlike any other in the world.
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Author
Gary Krist
Pages
448
Publisher
Crown
Published Date
2014-10-28
ISBN
0770437079 9780770437077
Community ReviewsSee all
"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everything about this book is incredible, not just the history it describes but the way its described as well. Every other chapter, I found myself saying, "This would make such a good TV show." Gary Krist mentions in the author's note that his goal was to only include factual info and refrain from including invented dialogue, and this shows in his informative but no less entertaining tone. The only commentary he provides are logical assumptions based on the context surrounding the situation, prefaced by phrases like "one can presume" and "perhaps." It is pretty lengthy and you may need to make a list of names as you read along to remember who is who but there is never a dull moment in this book. (Also, I'd like to commend Krist's unbiased portrayal of the prohibitionist Carrie Nation, who's often under undeserved scrutiny and, today, is simply labelled as "the First Karen," which is an actual comment I've read on a Youtube video about her)."
Sapphire2319
"An interesting history in story form! "
Drew McClellan