Island of Vice
Theodore Roosevelt's Doomed Quest to Clean up Sin-Loving New York
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Narrated by:
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Joe Ochman
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By:
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Richard Zacks
About this listen
A rollicking narrative history of Theodore Roosevelt's embattled tenure as police commissioner of corrupt, pleasure-loving New York City in the 1880s, and his doomed mission to wipe out vice
In the 1890s, New York City was America’s financial, manufacturing, and entertainment capital, and also its preferred destination for sin, teeming with 40,000 prostitutes, glittering casinos, and all-night dives packed onto the island’s two dozen square miles. Police captains took hefty bribes to see nothing while reformers writhed in frustration.
In Island of Vice, bestselling author Richard Zacks paints a vivid picture of the lewd underbelly of 1890s New York, and of Theodore Roosevelt, the cocksure crusading police commissioner who resolved to clean up the bustling metropolis, where the silk top hats of Wall Street bobbed past teenage prostitutes trawling Broadway.
Writing with great wit and zest, Zacks explores how Roosevelt went head-to-head with corrupt Tammany Hall, took midnight rambles with muckraker Jacob Riis, banned barroom drinking on Sundays, and tried to convince 2 million New Yorkers to enjoy wholesome family fun. In doing so, Teddy made a ruthless enemy of police captain “Big Bill” Devery, who grew up in the Irish slums and never tired of fighting “tin soldier” reformers. Roosevelt saw his mission as a battle of good versus evil; Devery saw prudery standing in the way of fun and profit.
When righteous Roosevelt’s vice crackdown started to succeed all too well, many of his own supporters began to turn on him. Cynical newspapermen mocked his quixotic quest, his own political party abandoned him, and Roosevelt discovered that New York loves its sin more than its salvation.
Zacks’s meticulous research and wonderful sense of narrative verve bring this disparate cast of both pious and bawdy New Yorkers to life. With cameos by Stephen Crane, J. P. Morgan, and Joseph Pulitzer, plus a horde of very angry cops, Island of Vice is an unforgettable portrait of turn-of-the-century New York in all its seedy glory, and a brilliant portrayal of the energetic, confident, and zealous Roosevelt, one of America’s most colorful public figures.
©2012 Richard Zacks (P)2012 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Following the Civil War, Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, thrived as a cauldron of sex and song, violence and passion. But out of this turmoil emerged a center of black progress, optimism, and cultural ferment. Preston Lauterbach tells this vivid, fascinating story through the multigenerational saga of a family whose ambition, race pride, and moral complexity indelibly shaped the city that would loom so large in American life.
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Narration Speed...It's Half the Battle
- By B. Westman on 03-21-17
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Empire of Sin
- By: Gary Krist
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Empire of Sin re-creates the remarkable story of New Orleans' 30-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.
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very interesting
- By Claireoline on 02-20-15
By: Gary Krist
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The Mark Inside
- A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
- By: Amy Reading
- Narrated by: Richard McGonagle
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1919, Texas rancher J. Frank Norfleet lost everything he had in a stock market swindle. He did what many other marks did - he went home, borrowed more money from his family, and returned for another round of swindling. Only after he lost that second fortune did he reclaim control of his story. Instead of crawling back home in shame, he vowed to hunt down the five men who had conned him. Through Norfleet's ingenious reverse-swindle, Amy Reading reveals the mechanics behind the scenes of the big con.
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Confusing Premise Makes for A Tough Read
- By Grumpy S. Monkey on 06-19-12
By: Amy Reading
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The Teapot Dome Scandal
- How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House
- By: Laton McCartney
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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The Teapot Dome scandal of the early 1920s was all about oil - hundreds of millions of dollars� worth of petroleum. When the scandal finally broke, the consequences were tremendous. President Harding's legacy was forever tarnished, while �Oil Cabinet� member Albert Fall was forced to resign and was imprisoned for a year. Others implicated in the affair suffered prison terms, commitment to mental hospitals, suicide, and even murder.
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Harding's return to normalcy: corruption
- By Paul on 03-05-08
By: Laton McCartney
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The Mayor of Castro Street
- The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
- By: Randy Shilts
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Known as The Mayor of Castro Street even before he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Harvey Milk's personal life, public career, and final assassination reflect the dramatic emergence of the gay community as a political power in America. It is a story full of personal tragedies and political intrigues, assassinations at City Hall, massive riots in the streets, the miscarriage of justice, and the consolidation of gay power and gay hope.
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Excellent historical perspective of an activist.
- By Chris on 04-14-15
By: Randy Shilts
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Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination
- The Untold Story of the Actors and Stagehands at Ford's Theatre
- By: Thomas A. Bogar
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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April 14, 1865. A famous actor pulls a trigger in the presidential balcony, leaps to the stage, and escapes, as the president lies fatally wounded. In the panic that follows, forty-six terrified people scatter in and around Ford's Theater as soldiers take up stations by the doors and the audience surges into the streets chanting, "Burn the place down!" This is the untold story of Lincoln's assassination: The forty-six stage hands, actors, and theater workers on hand for the bewildering events in the theater that night.
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Stars of an Unrehearsed Impromptu Drama
- By William G. Stuart on 08-17-15
By: Thomas A. Bogar
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The Devil's Gentleman
- Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The wayward son of a revered Civil War general, Roland Molineux enjoyed good looks, status, and fortune - hardly the qualities of a prime suspect in a series of shocking, merciless cyanide killings. Molineux's subsequent indictment for murder led to two explosive trials and a sex-infused scandal that shocked the nation. Bringing to life Manhattan's Gilded Age, Schechter captures all the colors of the tumultuous legal proceedings.
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A Book Without an Accompanying Wiki Page Is Always A Treat
- By Carolina on 02-27-17
By: Harold Schechter
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Devil in the Grove
- Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America
- By: Gilbert King
- Narrated by: Peter Francis James
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Arguably the most important American lawyer of the 20th century, Thurgood Marshall was on the verge of bringing the landmark suit Brown v. Board of Education before the US Supreme Court when he became embroiled in a case that threatened to change the course of the civil rights movement and to cost him his life. In 1949, Florida's orange industry was booming, and citrus barons got rich on the backs of cheap Jim Crow labor with the help of Sheriff Willis V. McCall, who ruled Lake County with murderous resolve....
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the fight for civil rights
- By Jean on 01-17-14
By: Gilbert King
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Triangle
- The Fire That Changed America
- By: David Von Drehle
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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On March 25, 1911, as workers were getting ready to leave for the day, a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York's Greenwich Village. Within minutes it spread to consume the building's upper three stories. Firemen who arrived at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their ladders simply weren't tall enough. People on the street watched in horror as desperate workers jumped to their deaths. It was the worst disaster in New York City history.
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Interesting but Loong
- By JAS on 04-21-18
By: David Von Drehle
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The Brothers Bulger
- How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century
- By: Howie Carr
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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This fresh account of Massachusetts' infamous Bulger brothers unveils a stunning criminal alliance, and with its dual biography format, goes deeper than the New York Times best-selling Black Mass. For the first time, journalist Howie Carr reveals the real story behind the infamous Bulgers, two brothers from South Boston who grew up to control a state.
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ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz
- By Tory on 11-18-06
By: Howie Carr
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Duel with the Devil
- The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery
- By: Paul Collins
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In the closing days of 1799, the United States was still a young republic, its uncertain future contested by the two major political parties of the day: the well-moneyed Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the populist Republicans, led by Aaron Burr. The two finest lawyers in New York, Burr and Hamilton were bitter rivals both in and out of the courtroom, and as the next election approached - with Manhattan likely to be the swing district on which the presidency would hinge - their animosity reached a fever pitch.
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The Trial of the Century
- By Jean on 09-06-15
By: Paul Collins
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American Brutus
- John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies
- By: Michael Kauffman
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In American Brutus, popular historian Michael W. Kauffman delivers a history that reads more like a best-selling novel. This definitive masterwork dispels commonly held myths and reveals the truth about John Wilkes Booth. Luring Southern sympathizers into a “noble” presidential kidnapping, Booth stunned his puzzled pawns by murdering Lincoln. From Booth’s early life and acting career to his escape and death, this meticulously researched book re-examines it all using a wealth of primary sources.
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informative
- By Sue Ogle on 11-27-20
By: Michael Kauffman
What listeners say about Island of Vice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andy
- 04-11-12
the good old days....or were they?
Quite a detailed view of how Teddy Roosevelt spent a couple of years trying to "clean up" the Big Apple. The politics of the day are tightly woven-in throughout the story. No doubt about it, the guy was on a mission.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Zahid Ahmad
- 10-22-17
Informative and Interesting book
The book provides an important lesson that vice shall never be suppressed by brute force. Instead it should be accepted as an integral part of society and contained in managed compartments accessible to all that need it. Unfortunately the self righteous never learn. Our government has by harsh laws against drugs, prostitution and other such human entertainments have actually expanded crime.
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- Carrie Taylor
- 04-22-12
Interesting and informative
What did you love best about Island of Vice?
Provided a very good understanding of turn of the century (19th to 20th) NY and national politics, morals, and how Theodore Roosevelt tried to put NYC on a better path against overwhelming odds.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Island of Vice?
Anecdotes captured from letters, journals, etc. detailing Roosevelt's hands on approach to changing the cutlure in the NYPD.
Any additional comments?
Excellent book that is very readable/listenable. I have read several TR books and thoroughly enjoyed the detailed material focusing on TR's time as a Police Commissioner and the insight it provided into big city machine politics. While this book is entertaining, it is not a historical fiction nor is it intended to read like a novel. Bottom line, this book kept me entertained during 15hrs of commute and exercise time and I was smarter at the end; it was worth my credit and I have recommended to others.
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6 people found this helpful
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- thomas
- 03-28-16
Roosevelt Loses But Wins in the End
Would you consider the audio edition of Island of Vice to be better than the print version?
I didn't read the print version. The Audible version was great, really enjoyed this book.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Island of Vice?
Roosevelt for all his success and likeable qualities was somewhat of a pedantic, lecturing do gooder who knew nothing about the way common people lived. His role in NYC politics was naive because of the way he grew up. A sheltered book reader who didtn understand the lives of impoverished people and what they were up against. He could come to a greater understanding, but this naivety was at the heart of his life long approach to problem solving.
Which character – as performed by Joe Ochman – was your favorite?
Roosevelt. I am a big fan of Teddy Roosevelt. This book gives a nuanced and mufti-dimensional view of a person who was flawed like all of us. Must read for Roosevelt fans and historians. This is not a critical book, it lays out the history based on meticulous research. Teddy met the Tammany Hall machine and couldn't get leverage, which was not entirely his fault. His policies however would lead to a stronger party machine that still lingers today.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I didn't realize how much his brothers death affected his politics. Very sad story, that in a modern era might have ended differently for both men.
Any additional comments?
I enjoy history books that tell the story of the lives of the common citizen. The life of NYers in the late 1800's was difficult, and its not hard to imagine that this period ultimately made the NY we know today. Fascinating book.
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- Kristi R.
- 05-01-12
A lesson lost for Prohibition!
Where does Island of Vice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This one is in the middle. I enjoyed it, but it isn't the best I have listened to. Great story, great narrator.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Island of Vice?
The character of Theodore Roosevelt. I believe he must have been OC/D. Everything to him was either black or white. He could never do anything half way. A remarkable man.
Which scene was your favorite?
The scene when the policeman arrested everyone at this one bar, and then the judge releasing everyone (about 200 men and women) except the owner. Craziness!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Theodore Roosevelt really wanted to do what was right. He wanted to obey all the laws. Unfortunately, no one else in New York City wanted him to enforce the Sunday laws of no liquor. It was a poor man's only day they could drink and relax and he just couldn't understand why they wanted that. A case of a rich man being way out of touch with regular working people.
Any additional comments?
If only the Temperance movement had taken to heart the lesson from New York City trying to regulate morality maybe the Prohibition era would have never happened. What if???
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4 people found this helpful
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- Jean
- 07-17-12
The making of a man
TR, at age 35. left a comfortable job in Civil Service in 1895 to become the chief commissioner of New York's police department. He was ill-prepared for the bureaucratic tangles that faced him. He set out to inforce ALL laws and clean up a corrupt police department. The city was one of the countries most violent, crooked, crime-ridden place. Other biographers has skipped this two year period of TR's life but Zack covers it completely. The book bogs down in too much statistics of crime therefore is an overkill trying to prove that the corruption and crime was rampant. The book does point out the crucial period in the evolution of TR. The job did much for TR in that he learned the impracticality of bitter feuds, the dangers of impulsive crusades and toughened his skin and established him as a reformer. If you can get through the repetition of data the book provides an interesting look at New York City in the 1890's and the making of TR. Joe Ochman did a good job with the narration.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Mr
- 06-06-12
Interesting but dry
I had high hopes for this book, but it didn't really deliver for me. It comes across as a rather dry, stale retelling of the events that took place - like a history textbook - when it could have been so much more.
It's an interesting slice of American history, and the narrator does a good job, but I wasn't that engaged with the story, and never really cared about any of the characters.
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3 people found this helpful
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- NICHOLAS
- 03-30-12
tough to follow
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
It read like a history book that was poorly written.
Has Island of Vice turned you off from other books in this genre?
Somewhat
What didn’t you like about Joe Ochman’s performance?
Voice wasn't bad but no inflection
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
no didn't get through it
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ants
- 05-10-18
not as exciting as I expected
I somewhat struggled to get through this. The performance isn't bad but the story and plot just isn't as exciting as I thought it would have been
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- CP
- 07-11-13
Not very intersting. Book kind of drags on and on
Any additional comments?
Not very intersting. Book kind of drags on and on. I would not recommend this book.
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