A 2020 New York Times notable book One of the Chicago Tribune 's best nonfiction books of 2020 "Complex, turbulent, as haunting as a pedal steel solo" --Jonathan Miles, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "One of 21 books we can't wait to read in 2020" -- Thrillist A New York Times Book Review summer reading pick A GQ best book of 2020 Named one of the 10 best July books by The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor A Kirkus Reviews hottest summer read A Publishers ...
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A 2020 New York Times notable book One of the Chicago Tribune 's best nonfiction books of 2020 "Complex, turbulent, as haunting as a pedal steel solo" --Jonathan Miles, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "One of 21 books we can't wait to read in 2020" -- Thrillist A New York Times Book Review summer reading pick A GQ best book of 2020 Named one of the 10 best July books by The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor A Kirkus Reviews hottest summer read A Publishers Weekly summer reads staff pick The incredible true story of America's original--and forgotten--capital of vice Back in the days before Vegas was big, when the Mob was at its peak and neon lights were but a glimmer on the horizon, a little Southern town styled itself as a premier destination for the American leisure class. Hot Springs, Arkansas was home to healing waters, Art Deco splendor, and America's original national park--as well as horse racing, nearly a dozen illegal casinos, countless backrooms and brothels, and some of the country's most bald-faced criminals. Gangsters, gamblers, and gamines: all once flocked to America's forgotten capital of vice, a place where small-town hustlers and bigtime high-rollers could make their fortunes, and hide from the law. The Vapors is the extraordinary story of three individuals--spanning the golden decades of Hot Springs, from the 1930s through the 1960s--and the lavish casino whose spectacular rise and fall would bring them together before blowing them apart. Hazel Hill was still a young girl when legendary mobster Owney Madden rolled into town in his convertible, fresh off a crime spree in New York. He quickly established himself as the gentleman Godfather of Hot Springs, cutting barroom deals and buying stakes in the clubs at which Hazel made her living--and drank away her sorrows. Owney's prot???g??? was Dane Harris, the son of a Cherokee bootlegger who rose through the town's ranks to become Boss Gambler. It was his idea to build The Vapors, a pleasure palace more spectacular than any the town had ever seen, and an establishment to rival anything on the Vegas Strip or Broadway in sophistication and supercharged glamour. In this riveting work of forgotten history, native Arkansan David Hill plots the trajectory of everything from organized crime to America's fraught racial past, examining how a town synonymous with white gangsters supported a burgeoning black middle class. He reveals how the louche underbelly of the South was also home to veterans hospitals and baseball's spring training grounds, giving rise to everyone from Babe Ruth to President Bill Clinton. Infused with the sights and sounds of America's entertainment heyday--jazz orchestras and auctioneers, slot machines and suited comedians-- The Vapors is an arresting glimpse into a bygone era of American vice.
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Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $2.57, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Good. Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. Could have library markings. Ships promptly!
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $2.92, good condition, Sold by Books For Life rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Laurel, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Book is in good condition. Minimal signs of wear. It May have markings or highlights but kept to only a few pages. May not come with supplemental materials if applicable.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.41, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Add this copy of The Vapors: a Southern Family, the New York Mob, and to cart. $3.43, good condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
