In Hoffas Shadow, Jack Goldsmith
In Hoffas Shadow, Jack Goldsmith
3 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

In Hoffa's Shadow
A Stepfather, a Disappearance in Detroit, and My Search for the Truth

Author: Jack Goldsmith

Narrator: Stephen Graybill

Unabridged: 12 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/24/2019


Synopsis

As a young man, Jack Goldsmith revered his stepfather, longtime Jimmy Hoffa associate Chuckie O’Brien. But as he grew older and pursued a career in law and government, he came to doubt and distance himself from the man long suspected by the FBI of perpetrating Hoffa’s disappearance on behalf of the mob. It was only years later, when Goldsmith was serving as assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration and questioning its misuse of surveillance and other powers, that he began to reconsider his stepfather, and to understand Hoffa’s true legacy.

In Hoffa’s Shadow tells the moving story of how Goldsmith reunited with the stepfather he’d disowned and then set out to unravel one of the twentieth century’s most persistent mysteries and Chuckie’s role in it. Along the way, Goldsmith explores Hoffa’s rise and fall and why the golden age of blue-collar America came to an end, while also casting new light on the century-old surveillance state, the architects of Hoffa’s disappearance, and the heartrending complexities of love and loyalty.

About Jack Goldsmith

Jack Goldsmith is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University. From October 2003 to June 2004 he was assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brett on December 29, 2022

This was very intriguing. I appreciated the historical context of labor, biography of James Russle Hoffa, history of labor unions, the influence of the mafia, abuse of power, and the government's attempts ar getting answers. Charles "Chuckie" O'Brien and his stepson (the author) Jack Goldsmith were......more

Goodreads review by Mark on January 02, 2020

I have been a proud union member, for over 30 years and I was sixteen, when Hoffa disappeared, so I do remember that event, but I really never knew Hoffa's full story. With the film, The Irishman being recently released, along with this well-researched account, it gave me the perfect opportunity, to......more

Goodreads review by Jill on October 05, 2019

You know, there are some crimes that just aren’t going to be solved…at least publicly. One of those is the murder of Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared one Wednesday afternoon in July, 1975. He was 62 years old and was the “retired” leader of the Teamsters Union. A few years before he had left Lewisburg P......more

Goodreads review by Dan on December 21, 2019

There’s a lot to say here. This is like 5 separate, good books. It’s an interesting autobiography. It’s an interesting biography of Chuckie O’Brien. It’s an interesting biography of Jimmy Hoffa. And is both an interesting history/mystery book and an interesting layman’s legal text. I’d recommend it......more

Goodreads review by Deacon Tom on November 26, 2022

This is a terrific book to gives unique insight, and do the background of Jimmy Hoffa.......more


Awards

  • New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year