Very interesting book. Jimmy Hoffa was such a larger than life man. I have a friend who was a teamster for years and he absolutely loved and still does love Jimmy Hoffa. Kind of a dark story but compelling nonetheless.

This was a really good book. First off, I don't know much about Jimmy Hoffa except that he lived in Michigan and he is buried all over the Country! So, this book told a lot about the man and his practices, which were not on the up and up. He was mean and corrupt. Tom Coffey took the rare stand against him for many years (20+) until he finally sold his Company so that he did not bow to Hoffa. Gutsy and honest. The book is told by his daughter, Marilyn. It is well written and I enjoyed her style. It was easy and fast to read. I would recommend it. I did enjoy it.

Both Sides of the Struggle


Anyone who has ever heard of the American labor movement knows who Jimmy Hoffa is. Depending on what side of the fence you were on, he was either a great crusader for the common working man, or a vicious gangster and crook. Marilyn June Coffey’s family owned a trucking business in the Midwest which came into Hoffa’s sights during the effort to organize the Teamsters Union nationally. The book is her view of the struggle and tactics used against her father’s trucking company.

=== The Good Stuff ===

* As you can guess from the title, Coffey is not a fan of Hoffa, his union, tactics or colleagues. She relates tales of bullying, unfair business practices on the part of the unions, and organized campaigns-including violence-designed to punish the trucking companies. She portrays her father as a decent businessman, with happy employees, who is forced out of business by Hoffa’s attempt to gain power.

* Coffey is at her best describing the family life and day-to-day business surrounding a small, family-owned trucking company in the 50’s and 60’s. It was interesting to read of “long-haul” trucking done on gravel highways, or when 35mph was considered high speed travel. She presents her dad as a small-town businessman, known throughout the state, who did business by word-of-mouth and a handshake. Certainly a far cry for a modern logistics company with thousands of employees and vehicles.

* The book does make a point about any struggle. While the “workingman” is held in high esteem by American culture, often some less than savory characters managed his interests, and his tactics could, on occasion, be as bad as the “robber-barons” he battled against. Clearly the author believes her father treated his workers fairly, and that may have been the case. But there were no doubt abuses, and in their struggle to gain a share of power and wealth, the unions destroyed a few businesses along the way.


=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===

* Coffey is at her worst when retelling stories from third parties. She relates the “true” story of what happened to Jimmy Hoffa from another book- which I read and didn’t necessarily believe.

* Some of her explanations of the family business were a little hard to follow. For example, while it may be or have been a well-known term in the industry, I still don’t really know what “peddle-drivers” were, or why they were so hard for trucking companies to manage. The book could have been a little more complete.

=== Summary ===

The “family” and “trucking” parts of the book were excellent, and a thought-provoking look at where the gains of the unions came from. Other parts of the book- those that were not the author’s direct experience- were a little bit sketchier and weren’t as enjoyable for me. Still, overall a worthwhile read, and an interesting look at how trucking companies worked in the middle of the 20th century.

I was still in grade school when Mr. Hoffa disappeared. After reading the book I say whatever he got he deserved. The book was eye opening and told you things that you normally wouldn't read in the papers.

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