Violence as Opportunity in America

Bullying and brawling were common ways to get things done in 19th‑century America.

In Gangster of New York, we see how violence was accepted and rarely punished on the streets of Boston and New York. It was woven into the political, economic, and social fabric of the cities, and hard men helped those in power stay on top.

Author Andrew Wender Cohen illustrates this by following the life of Louis Bieral, whose exploits stretched across six decades. Gambler, pimp, fixer, thug, patriot, and Civil War hero, Bieral used his courage and fists to remain a force and a necessary evil during those times.

We tend to think today's world is more violent than ever, but in Bieral's world assaults were a common and accepted way of standing your ground. Cohen notes that people of the era enjoyed seeing a good thrashing. Punishments were light for this behavior. In one court session, a burglar received a three-year sentence, while three men convicted of assaults received a $20 fine, 30 days in jail, and a $25 fine, respectively.

One of the great strengths of the book is Cohen's ability to put the reader on the city streets. The fear, the slums, the grimy gutters, and the uncertainty of life are all on display. Life was hard and mean; one wonders how the people of those times endured when pain was the currency of the day.

Academics and researchers will applaud the thorough account of how violence shaped Louis Bieral's life and what it meant to the country. As a lay reader, the repetition and the over‑detailing of minor characters, events, places, and assaults slowed the pace for me. I didn't need to know the aliases of every prostitute. Still, the book delivers on its promise. We might judge him harshly now, but Bieral's methods, and the men who shared them, moved America forward.

I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley.