Review

Textbooks, Readers, and References

The title of Robert J. Kelly's book, the Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States: From Capone's Chicago to the New Urban Underworld, promises a very comprehensive source of information about the ubiquitous presence of criminal operations in the United States. The various entries are alphabetically arranged by names of criminals, gangs, major law enforcement investigations, and definitions of common criminal practices. The language is clear and concise but it does not compensate for the significant disadvantage of Kelly's obvious bias for the East Coast and his infatuation with the Mafia, specifically the Italians and their derivatives such as Al Capone and his Chicago "Outfit." On the positive side, for what concerns the Mafia, Kelly has done a thorough job in research and it is interesting to be able to trace the "genealogical roots" of the notorious villains of the past, who now seem to be beatified through movies and autobiographies. Where the Mafia is concerned, the work provides an excellent and careful linkage between the various criminals, their associates and links to other organizations. Apart from brief mention, however, the voluminous other criminal organizations that operate in the United States are conspicuously ignored.	1
While it is true that "La Cosa Nostra" and the old time crime families are still a potent force, the modern criminal organisations beyond the East Coast are more likely to be comprised of biker gangs or ethnic gangs of the politically displaced from countries of social turmoil or to be foreign criminal organizations that regard the wealthy United States as an excellent "franchise" opportunity. These foreign gangsters are not only established on U.S. soil, they also still maintain ties to their home countries and, in some cases, to their former governments, as the recent World Trade Center bombing on September 11, 2001 has shown. Kelly recognizes this, but apart from brief summaries, provides little detail about these organizations and their leaders/members. These linkages would have been more contemporary and the histories more revealing than that of poor destitute Italian immigrants of long ago who "fought their way to the top" from relentless poverty, a motif that has been explored in a plethora of books and films. This bias of scant information is not restricted solely to ethnic gangs as is evident in the superficial research into the outlaw motorcycle gangs that have plagued both the mid-West and the West Coast. The premiere gang, the Hells Angels, is misspelled (the "Hells Angel" name is a registered trademark but Kelly makes the common mistake of inserting the apostrophe in the name) and other major international motorcycle gangs such as the Bandidos or the Outlaws are omitted. Starkly absent is any mention of "Sonny" Barger, the "CEO" of the entire motorcycle movement who organized it into the efficient, international, criminal operation that exists today. Kelly mentions the forerunners of the Hells Angels, the "Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington" and notes their shaky start in becoming an organized gang, but he does not explore that evolution with the same effort of research that went into his Mafia information. The Hells Angels is one of the fastest growing international criminal organizations in the world and their "turf wars" and violence impact the general public in a more direct manner than does the Mafia.	2
Nevertheless, the work itself is well written and would be useful as an initial reference for the college student interested in the "developmental history of organized crime in America" (xiv). It offers cross indexing and suggested readings at the end of each entry, facilitating further research about the subject whether within the book or to outside sources.	3
University of British Columbia Walter M. McKay

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