A Battle for the Soul of New York: Tammany Hall, Police Corruption, Vice and Reverend Charles Parkhurst's Crusade Againist Them,1892-1895

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A Battle for the Soul of New York: Tammany Hall, Police Corruption, Vice and Reverend Charles Parkhurst's Crusade Againist Them,1892-1895
enlarge	Author: Warren Sloat Publisher: Cooper Square Press Category: Book List Price: ~~$27.95~~ Buy New: $19.95 as of 7/30/2010 15:31 CDT details You Save: $8.00 (29%) New (9) Used (8) from $15.73 Seller: Grey Thunder Trading Rating: 3 reviews Media: Hardcover Edition: 1 Pages: 504 Number Of Items: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7 Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 ISBN: 0815412371 Dewey Decimal Number: 363.4409747109034 EAN: 9780815412373 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days



Editorial Reviews: Product Description Sloat's book examines the movement Rev. Charles Parkhurst led to reform New York's corrupt police department in the 1890s, and how his successful crusade ushered in the United States' Progressive Era.

Customer Reviews: You can fight city hall! December 3, 2002 Shane Keats (Brooklyn, NY United States) 8 out of 9 found this review helpful My wife gave this to me because she knows I like the turn of the century (everything from Henry James to Caleb Carr to the trust busters and so on) but I was skeptical. Who knew? Who knew this would read better than the best fiction? Who knew it would be charming, gripping, infuriating, uplifiting? At times, I felt like I was reading Serpico. It's amazing how no matter how much things change, the more they stay the same. Wasn't it just a few years ago that we were reading about the Mollen Commission investigating police corruption? And it's amazing still that people can make a difference. Terrific personal stories of immigrants, cops, anarchists, prostitutes, and Parkhurst himself -- Pacino has the power to do him justice in the film version though I bet they go with someone more "uptown." A great read. Captivating from beginning to end March 2, 2005 John G. Tweed (NM) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful A Battle For the Soul of New York by Warren Sloat captivated me from beginning to end. Clear and graphic prose paint a vivid image of late nineteenth century New York with its crime, poverty and corruption. The narrative reads like a great novel despite it being a factual account of the war waged on Tammany Hall by the Reverend Charles Parkhurst who goes underground to make his case against the bribery and extortion that were rapant in New York during his time. Forces pitted against one another, the sights and smells of The Lower East Side and the deliciously bawdy accounts of life in the saloons and brothels of the day combine to make this one of those books you wish would go on forever. --The Rev. John Gregory Tweed Former President of The Manhattan Coucil of Churches Puritan mets the Devil, guess who wins? March 29, 2004 Mark Mills (Glen Rose, TX USA) 0 out of 6 found this review helpful While full of colorful stories, the book reads in what can best be described as farcical puritanical pomposity. I had a hard time keeping a straight face while the brave Presbyterian minister forces himself to drink strong whiskey and watch can-can dancers lift their skirts. Oh, it was so horrible!, but our fearless leader held his drink with the best of men. I'm sorry, but this isn't history, it is pure wishful thinking. Drawing a puritanical line between good and evil is hardly useful for understanding what makes New York tick.