I AM GOING TO MAKE HIM AN OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE, LASAGNA AND A BILLY GOAT
Over the years I have read my fair share of biographies about Al Capone, most written by authors who had never met the man. Who would have thought that over sixty years after his death, we would be blessed with a first-hand account from Al’s grand-niece, Deirdre Marie Capone.
From a historical perspective this book includes several groundbreaking, jaw-dropping revelations. I have spent years wondering what ever happened to Al’s vast treasure after becoming incarcerated. After Al’s death, his wife, son and the rest of the Capone clan – while certainly comfortable – were not exactly living the lifestyle of the fabulously rich and infamous. Remember that the U.S. government believed that Al and the boys grossed 105 million dollars in one year alone. (Turns out my own theories on the matter were as wrong as Geraldo Rivera’s.) So what actually did happened to the families’ share? I do not want to steal all of the author’s thunder, so I feel honor-bound by the Outfit’s code of “omerta”to clam up. The answer is in the book!
“I AM GOING TO MAKE HIM AN OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE!”
Sorry, Don Corleone from New York City, but the Godfather of Chicago used this phrase decades before the movie hit the big screen. The family recalls Al once using those exact words when thinking about “convincing” Mr. Wrigley to secretly sell him the Chicago Cubs. Angry that poor management(over EIGHTY years ago) was killing the Cubbies’ chances for winning a World Series, he devised a plan to turn them into contenders. All I know is that any billy-goat that tried to put a curse on a team owned by Capone would have been dead meat!
Now most of us just write a check when we pay our “fair” share, but the Capones once paid Uncle Sam with four million, seven hundred thousand pennies. When the government hit up the family for fines and court costs related to Al’s conviction, they fulfilled their civic duty by loading up two vans with bags full of pennies. The Feds had no choice but to accept the legal tender and count 4,700,000 pennies, one Abe Lincoln at a time. (I’ve done the math and we need 147 million pennies to fill up Chicago’s parking meters.)
The book includes a collection of brutally honest quotes that will give you an insight as to why Al was well-liked and respected by those who met him, covered him or worked for him. Let’s face it, in a town thirsty for the beer that made Milwaukee famous, the laws on Prohibition were not popular or obeyed. I’m reminded of this wise old Irish proverb, passed down by my Irish ancestors that says: “Let he who is without sin, quit bragging and buy the next round.” That’s deep; but the reality is Al made money selling to a public willing to justify breaking the law buying what he had to offer.
Those of us who call Chicago home are well aware of the enduring impact of the Capone legacy. Our Chicago History Museum registers as many as 50,000 hits per month on its website from people from all corners of the world requesting information about the “King of Crime.” Fame and fortune has its price and the high cost of that fame can get passed on to one’s family.
Uncle AlCapone is a compelling tale about Deirdre Marie Capone and her family. Above all that’s what makes this book worth reading. I love the history but her personal journey touched my heart.
Mixed in between a wide range of personal family photographs and authentic Capone family recipes, (for making everything from lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs to old-world dandelion soup) are childhood memories about your typical all-American Sunday family dinners at Al’s home, with armed bodyguards. Her life’s perspective was shaped in part from being on the inside of the family looking out, as well as the outside looking in. This insight is the heart and soul of her story.
She dedicates the book and credits her life’s success to her father Ralph Capone Jr., the son of Al’s brother, Ralph Bottles Capone. Her father was never mixed up in the rackets and received an engineering degree from De Paul University and a law degree from Loyola. He was not allowed to practice law for simply being a Capone, and every attempt to begin a new life would be cursed by the “sins of the father.”
Deirdre lost her father at the tender age of ten when he committed suicide. At the time of his death the man with two hard-earned degrees was employed as a bartender. She eventually left Chicago and began a new life in Minnesota, keeping her Capone connection secret from even her children.
I LOVE THIS BOOK because of the down-to-earth and from-the-heart approach of the author, Deirdre Marie Capone. This is by no means a scholarly work, writtenby some Professor Muckity Muck interpreting history. This is the long overdue story from the family that lived it!
They call me Chicago Kenny and I conduct historical tours of Chicago. With our book reviews it is our intent to place the right book into the right hands. If you would like a personal recommendation about which Chicago themed book to read, please, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.
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