Al Capone and the 1933 Worlds Fair, William Elliott Hazelgrove
Al Capone and the 1933 Worlds Fair, William Elliott Hazelgrove
List: $16.99 | Sale: $11.89
Club: $8.49

Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair
The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago

Author: William Elliott Hazelgrove

Narrator: Chris Andrew Ciulla

Unabridged: 9 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/16/2017


Synopsis

Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair is a historical look at Chicago during the darkest days of the Great Depression—the story of Chicago fighting the hold that organized crime had on the city to be able to put on the 1933 World's Fair.

William Elliott Hazelgrove provides the exciting and sprawling history behind the 1933 World's Fair, the last of the golden age. He reveals the story of the six millionaire businessmen, dubbed The Secret Six, who beat Al Capone at his own game, ending the gangster era as prohibition was repealed. The story of an intriguing woman, Sally Rand, who embodied the World's Fair with her own rags to riches story and brought sex into the open. The story of Rufus and Charles Dawes, who gave the fair a theme and then found financing in the worst economic times the country had ever experienced. The story of the most corrupt mayor of Chicago, William Thompson, who owed his election to Al Capone; and the mayor who followed him, Anton Cermak, who was murdered months before the fair was opened by an assassin many said was hired by Al Capone.

But most of all, it's a story about a city fighting for survival in the darkest of times; and a shining light of hope called A Century of Progress.

About William Elliott Hazelgrove

William Elliott Hazelgrove has a master's degree in history and is the bestselling author of more than ten books, including Forging a President: How the Wild West Created Teddy Roosevelt and Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson. His books have hit the National Bestseller List, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, Literary Guild Selections, History Book Club Bestsellers, Junior Library Guild Selections, and ALA Editor's Choice Awards. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer-in-Residence, where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR's All Things Considered along with features in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Time-Dispatch, USA Today, People, NBC, WBEZ, WGN, and American History TV CSPAN. He also runs a cultural blog, The View from Hemingway's Attic.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Chris on January 01, 2018

This reads like a two-bit knock off of Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City." That book was a well-regarded huge seller about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago - and serial killer H. H. Holmes who haunted it. Well, this looks at the other big fair to take place in Chicago: 1933 Fair, celebrating......more

Goodreads review by Sourojit on January 30, 2018

I enjoyed Bill Bryson's book on 1927, and this felt quite like an extension of the same. Dealing with the great depression after the roaring 20's, it deals with the fall of Public Enemy Number One, and the ingenuity and determination which raised Chicago out of the slump. A bit long winded though, c......more

Goodreads review by Jill on October 21, 2017

A fascinating look at Chicago of the 1920's and 30's. As much as Chicago area people defend their city by trying to minimize the image of a gangster town with tommy guns still in use, it really WAS that bad back then. This author believes that Al Capone ran Chicago and was a real pop star of his day......more

Goodreads review by Therese on December 06, 2021

This could’ve been an intriguing book on the confluence of so many major happenings in the City of Chicago and across the entire country: the Depression, Prohibition, the rise of the gangster control of the economy via bootlegging, Al Capone as the violence-wielding businessman, the planning of anot......more