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Empire of Sin

A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
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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    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 23, 2015
      This well-researched book captures an exciting chapter in the history of Louisiana’s most vibrant city. During the late Victorian era, New Orleans reformers hoped to confine the city’s notorious vices to one officially sanctioned district, Storyville, in order to protect the wealthier neighborhoods from seediness. Brothers, saloons, and jazz halls filled the lively, violent neighborhood, from which larger-than-life figures emerged, such as Tom Anderson, the “major of Storyville,” jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton, and the “Axeman of New Orleans,” a serial killer with a penchant for grocers. Narrator Dean excels in delivering this rich look at the birth of New Orleans and the struggle over its morality. His voice, a deep clear baritone, delivers the countless stories of shootings, seductions, and crime lords with enough solemnity to underscore the historical evolution of the city, but inflects the perfect touch of wryness while relaying the scandalous events and outrageous characters. An entertaining, educational listen. A Crown hardcover.

    • Library Journal

      October 1, 2014

      This engaging work covers the brief and exciting history of Storyville, an 18-block area of New Orleans where the city's brothels, bars, and nightclubs thrived in the early 20th century with the tacit approval of city leaders. Krist (City of Scoundrels) delivers on his lurid subtitle with stories of the flourishing sex industry, the birth of jazz in New Orleans, and the unsolved case of the "Axman," a serial killer who may or may not have been tied to the "Black Hand," an early version of the Italian Mafia. Prominent local figures emerge throughout the book, including Tom Anderson, the Irish bar owner who was known as the "Mayor of Storyville"; Josie Arlington, a successful madam who struggled to hide her occupation from her devoted niece; and a young Louis Armstrong, who began his musical career in the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. These histories are loosely related, tied together primarily by their setting and by the decades-long and ultimately successful struggle by local reformers trying to clean up the city. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in New Orleans and also for those looking for a readable collection of true stories from one of America's most fascinating metropolises. [See Prepub Alert, 5/4/14.]--Nicholas Graham, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

      Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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