An intriguing exploration of the life, crimes and ventures of Bugsy Siegel in the context of the immigrant experience, the pursuit of the American Dream and the emergence of Las Vegas as it is today.

I would have appreciated some more in-depth exploration of Siegel's life and crimes, perhaps through use of archive material, witness accounts, It seemed to me like much of that was glossed over, especially his violence against women, especially his partner Virginia Hill.

If by amassing a huge amount of wealth is seen a having capitalized on the promise of the American Dream then are gangsters were different to the individuals and companies that operate today (money laundering,tax evasion etc,)?

I never knew much about Ben ‘Bugsy’ Siegel. He was a powerful man that led to his demise. The mafia man of Las Vegas casino world he was a wheeler & dealer who went to great lengths to stay ‘clean’ and remove people who tried to dirty him. His array of female partners, especially Virginia Hill, were key players in his life.
I liked the narrator - he read at a consistent pace and great inflection.
I would recommend this book especially to readers interested in the life of the Mob.

⁶Everyone knows who Bugsy Siegal was, but do they know was a Jewish gangster? The most interesting part of his life to me was about his daughter's burial. Chabad Rabbi Mandy Harlig went to visit a Jewish woman in a Las Vegas hospice, not knowing anything about the woman who had his visit. Millicent Rosen was Siegel's daughter, and the rabbi made the arrangements for her funeral services and to be buried in the Jewish cemetery. As she did not have funds to pay for the burial, I am sure the Chabad picked up the tab. I have a close friend that is a Chabad rabbi, and they routinely visit hospitals and prisons. In fact, a Jewish friend of mine was in a nursing home, and he belonged to a Reform congregation. He told me the only that ever rabbi came to visit him was the Chabad rabbi.

I am not sure where my fascination with the NY mob and Vegas comes in. Possibly my father's life in the trucking industry. Who knows. I welcomed this listen.

The. book is well laid out, nteresting and very well researched. The author provides a true understanding of how Bugsy Siegel became who he was. More than just a little bit hotheaded, the prohibition opened the world of illegal booze and encouraged his desire to become rich and a celebrity. He mingled with the best of them.

There are few stones left unturned in this book - the building of his LA home, his marriage, children and love Virginia Hill. The friendship with Lucky Luciano I found to be a solid piece of research. The building of Vegas from the perspective of his hotel The Flamingo and how it all goes up in flames. Greed.

I think I would have preferred reading the book as I didn't enjoy the narration. It was very slow and without expression. That said, if it was only available from audio - I would definitely recommend the listen.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great thorough biography of Bugsy Segal. With in-depth detail of old Hollywood and mobster lifestyle. Would definitely recommend to anyone that loves history and I really enjoyed it.

An excellent example of a biography for a controversial person. Shnayderson does a good job of noting when conflicting sources... conflict. Such as "This biographer includes this story, while another biographer doesn't, and the source seems reliable."
Siegel was a complicated character, and this book does a good job explaining why his decisions may have made sense to him.

Michael Shnayerson’s book about Bugsy Siegel is a very enlightening and entertaining book about a man and his mob connections. The son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Bugsy was bigger than life at points and his life of crime was a way of life for him. I was not very familiar with his life until I listened to this audiobook and through it learned many interesting things about Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. He was violent at times, loving and generous at times and was found to be a man of his word. The author brings to life the man who died as a gangster and left his legacy in Las Vegas NV.



Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who knows very little about American gangsters and the mob, this audiobook was enlightening! I had never heard of Ben (Bugsy) Siegel until last week, so I was fascinated to hear about his life and the infamous reputation he created for himself. From trying his luck in Hollywood, becoming the front runner for casinos in Vegas, to his notorious demise, this book captured Ben Siegel's life perfectly, referring to him as "Gatsby with a pension to kill."

It didn't drag on and allowed readers to get an inside look into the life of this Jewish gangster.

One of my favorite parts has to be when the housewife came to Bugsy's home to see if she could buy his mansion, and he agreed to sell it to her for $1!!

As I set my headphones down for the final time, I feel like I have newfound knowledge of American gangsters' crime life, along with a hunkering to learn more about these people who brought such terror and respect in the USA!

Positive content: 2⭐️
Language: 3⭐️
Sexual content: 2⭐️
Violence: 5⭐️
Age: 16+

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a pre-release copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own!*

Author Michael Shnayerson explores the brief life of Benjamin "Bugsy Siegel."  The son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Siegel saw a way out of the Lower East side with a life of crime. The first book in the Jewish Lives series to follow a criminal, Shnayerson has the difficult task of not only discussing the dark side, but also exploring the difficulties surrounding Siegel's life. Skillfully narrated by Steven Jay Cohen, this audiobook is perfectly paced and fascinating.  I personally did not know the reason for the Bugsy nickname, or the emotional roller coaster of his dating and home life.  If you're interested in true crime or mafia warfare, this audiobook is an excellent place to start.

Thank you to @goodreads and @tantoraudio for a free copy of this audio book for an honest review.

This is an interesting listen about the gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel who made Las Vegas as it is now.
It starts from his humble begins up to his death in Los Angeles.
Bugsy was a complicated man; a violent gangster, but also very generous and devoted to his family (even though he left his wife and children for another woman).
Siegel parent's were immigrants who ran up against the realities of the American Dream and had to do low paid labor to survive. Siegel instead turned his back on the American dream and became a gangster.
I love a good autobiography and this is definitely one!

As someone who had only heard in passing of Bugsy Siegel, this book piqued my interest because I thought it would be an exciting nonfiction examination of a figure immortalized as a New West icon. Shayerson did not deliver. I wondered throughout where his editor was. His writing seemed to follow his research process, rather than a logical idea, sub-idea, background info structure you'd expect -- more stream of consciousness than anything that was outlined, then filled out, then edited. This format made it hard to enjoy the content of the book.

Nice background of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegal. Well researched book covering his life and family. He was the son of poor immigrants and rose to prominence as a gangster.

Thank you to @goodreads and @tantoraudio for a free copy of this audio book for an honest review. Very interesting listen about the gangster who is widely credited for making Las Vegas, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. It covers his impoverished humble begins right up to his death in Los Angeles shortly after opening his dream Casino/Resort, The Flamingo, in Las Vegas. Buggy, a name he hated, was a complicated man. He has a violent gangster who was ruthless, but also was very generous and giving to causes. He was deeply devoted to his family, but yet left his wife and children for another women.

I thought Mr.. Shnayerson did an excellent job showing both sides of Bugsy Siegel. He used a variety of sources that lent credence to what he was talking about. He doesn’t shy away from the dark side of Bugsy, but also gives us glimpses of a softer side as referenced in his letter to his estranged wife on how to parent his daughter.

It was an easy listen that told like a story, but still provided a lot of knowledge about the life of Bugsy Siegel. If you are interested in the beginning of “Sin City” or learning more about a famous gangster in his time, this book is well worth you time.

Brief interesting biography of the Jewish gangster that made Las Vegas what it is today. the most interesting part of the story for me was situating his life in the context of the immigrant experience. Siegel parent's were immigrants who ran up against the realities of the American Dream and had to do low paid labor to survive. Siegel's brother (partially funded by his bother's ill-gotten money) embraced the American Dream and became a doctor, but Siegel himself, viewing how normal society crushed his father, turned his back on the American dream and became a bootlegger and eventually a top West Coast gangster. It was interesting though, to see how Siegel wanted to keep his public record spotless and wanted acceptance in Hollywood and greater Los Angeles. A good introduction to the realities of gang life in the 20th century; makes me want to learn more.

What a life! A master of covering his tracks, Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel had a fascinating life, starting in poverty stricken Brooklyn, finishing in the dazzling excitement of Las Vegas. This is a memorable account of the very colourful life of an ambitious gangster. He was a ruthless and violent, but also charismatic, man who aimed to make money and build a business regardless of the people he had to eliminate to succeed. I found it fascinating that he could be so violent with his business associates and yet so caring about his family. I enjoyed listening to the narrator in this audio book. Thank you to Michael Schnayerson, Stephen Jay Cohen, Net Galley and Tantor Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got this as an audio book to give my eyes a rest, as I’m really having trouble with them. I very much enjoyed listening to this look at the life of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, as I really hadn’t known a lot about him beyond the casino and his gruesome end. It’s a good dive into his life as a Jewish gangster who had to really work his way up from nothing, and became fairly powerful in his own right. He was always just a bit full of himself, and I think it came back to bite him later on. He felt he was invincible and it turned out that he was not. The description of his final evening after he gets home becomes quite graphic and beyond. Overall, it was a good experience, I enjoyed the narrator’s voice and the book was good. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Michael Shnayerson, and the publisher.

Bugsy Siegel's name has been on multiple episodes of true crime and unsolved mysteries podcasts. I saw this book as the opportunity to learn more about his life.

Siegal is an American mobster most famous for creating the Las Vegas Strip. Siegal was always very careful about his outward appearance, which contributed to his success and power. He kept himself clean from the FBI and avoided the law at every turn.

Overall it's an eye opening book about the famous Bugsy. But only really worth reading if you are interested in him.

Narrator notes: painfully slow narrator. I listened at 1.75-2.0