Category: Biographies

The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice- Rebecca Musser with M. Bridget Cook

On By Genyc79In Biographies1 Comment

Rebecca muserDefiance is one of the most powerful actions that can be taken by a person.  The ability to stand up in the face of adversity tests our courage and in some cases our morale fiber.  Rebecca Musser exemplified both as she faced former tormentor and leader of the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Warren Jeffs.   Musser is the former wife of Jeffs’ father Rulon and a major defector from the FLDS church.  As she testified, she say stoically in a stunning red dress that surely drew the ire of the once powerful Jeffs.  Today Jeffs continues to serve a life sentence at the Louis C. Powledge Unit in Anderson county, Texas.  The FLDS continues to operate under the watchful eye of State and Federal authorities in Utah and Texas.  Their investigations have shed light on the behind the scenes movements of the secretive and secluded religious faction.  Assisted by defectors from the FLDS, authorities pieced together a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse of both children and adults and forced child labor.  Their efforts culminated in the conviction of Jeffs.

When Rulon Jeffs died, his son Warren seized power and began to enforce an even more draconian system of arranged marriages for himself and others. In the process he married several of his father’s widows.  And some of the brides were as young as fourteen years of age.  As Jeffs made his descent into insanity, his rhetoric became even more radical and his decrees even more bizarre and restrictive.  Without his father there to control his radical beliefs and actions, Jeffs became a dictator drunk on power. His greed and paranoia would lead to his downfall and the exposure of the secretive community.  Musser was a witness to this but the basis of her story is the relationship with his father Rulon as his nineteenth wife.  The true number of wives and children held by Rulon Jeffs will probably never be fully known.  But what is known is that many teenage brides were forced to marry him even though he was long past his eightieth birthday.  To some reading this now, it seems beyond comprehension that a nineteen year old woman was forced to marry a many several decades her senior. This is no practical joke nor is it a fairy tale. It really did happen and this story tells us what it was like on a daily basis. Teaming up with author, speaker and activist M. Bridget Cook, Rebecca takes us back in time to an era where she was a normal child like the others she called her friends. Her nightmare begins as she assigned to marry the elderly leader of the church.  The misogynistic atmosphere and behavior of the senior Jeffs is not only disturbing but in some cases dumbfounding.   Her resistance is formed early in her plight and throughout it all she and Jeffs remained bitter enemies.  Unable to get her to bend to his will, Musser became public enemy number one in the eyes of the next prophet.  Their battle culminated in the courtroom where the woman in red helped seal his fate.

Musser’s sister is Elissa Wall, the author of Stolen Innocence, which tells the story of her marriage to her own cousin and defection from the church. The sisters have become leading voices in exposing the dangers faced by children in the FLDS and their stories are incredible in their own ways.  They both received satisfaction in knowing that Jeffs will never again walk the streets a free man.  And although the FLDS still operates, it is no longer a secret kept in place through intimidation or complicity.  The days of her marriage to Rulon Jeffs and his indiscretions are long gone.  But the memories of that time and the system of dysfunction and exploitation remain as reminders of her former life.  She is now a best selling author and continues to make her voice heard with regards to child exploitation and the practice of underage marriage. If you want to know more about this phenomenal woman and the ordeal she endured on her path to freedom, this is the place to start.

 

ASIN: B00BAXFZQK

For The Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy Of A Mob Life-Albert DeMeo

On By Genyc79In Biographies, Organized Crime1 Comment

DeMeo On January 18, 1983, New York City Police Detectives were called to the scene of a grisly murder all too common in the streets battles of organized crime.  An abandoned Cadillac was found with a surprise in its trunk, the body of mobster Roy DeMeo, the homicidal enforcer for the Gambino crime family.  He had been brutally shot several times before his tragic demise.  During his career, it is believed that he participated in dozens of murders, running a modern-day version of Murder, Inc.  His death came as no surprise to some in law enforcement who know very well that many in that life eventually leave it in a body bag.  But for DeMeo’s family, his disappearance and death, shook the family to its core.

Albert DeMeo, his oldest son, stepped into his father’s shoes following the murder and his life changed in ways no one could have predicted.  To the public, DeMeo was a feared mobster whose reputation preceded him but to this family, he was a father and husband who never failed to show his love and teach them the ways of life so that they did not end up in the life that he chose.  Through Albert’s eyes, we see Ray as the stereotypical American father with a wife and three children who lives on a quiet street in an even nice neighborhood.  Albert is aware that his father has a job that is not the standard nine to five but is carefully shielded by his loving father.  After Ray’s death, Albert does not glorify the life or  reveal any smoking guns. But he does recall events involving figures such as Nino Gaggi, Dominick Montiglio, Anthony Senter and Joey Testa.   Senter and Testa became known as the Gemini Twins in mafia circles.

In the beginning, all seems as if there is one big happy family.   But DeMeo’s death changed everything and as Albert tells us, the world turned upside down and those once considered to be Dad’s friends, are seen in a different light as a veil of secrecy develops in the wake of the crime. And it is here that the story changes pace as the fallout begins.  Albert finds himself in the cross hairs as the Mafia wants to see what he knows about the organization and the police want to know what he has to tell about his father’s associates.  He becomes a pawn on a chessboard as two titans wage their war against each other.  The tug of war that ensued would have profound effects on DeMeo and his revelations about the effects on his personal life are eye-opening and tragic.

With this intimate account of his life as a Mafia child, DeMeo joins the group of authors who have published their memoirs that tell the story of life under the roof of an organized crime figure.  And what is clear from his words and theirs, is that life as a Mafia child is exciting as good times come and money flows in but at some point, things inevitably change, typically for the worse and the family is left to pick up the pieces.  In this story, DeMeo picks up the pieces as best as possible but not even he can overcome the adversity that stared the family in the face in the wake of the demise of one of the Mafia’s most prolific killers.

ASIN: B000FC1I4K
ISBN-10: 0767906896
ISBN-13: 978-0767906890

 

 

 

Mafia Prince: Inside America’s Most Violent Crime Family and the Bloody Fall of La Costra Nostra-Philip Leonetti

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LeonettiMarch 21, 1980-Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Bruno is shot to death while sitting in the front passenger seat in a car in front of his house.  The ruling commission in New York appoints Philip “Chicken Man” Testa as the new boss and Nicodemo Scarfo as the underboss.   Less than a year later, Testa himself is murdered when a bomb explodes under his front porch.  After meeting with the commission, Scarfo becomes the new boss and his reign would prove to be the deadliest in the family’s history.  Guided by paranoia and a never-ending thirst for blood, Scarfo weaved a path of destruction that would bring down not only himself but nearly the entire organization before being arrested and convicted due in part to the testimony of his nephew and former underboss Philip Leonetti.  Leonetti, whose defection is perhaps the biggest in mafia history, gave testimony that sent dozens of mobsters to prison and played an indirect role in the conviction of the teflon don himself, John Gotti.  Scarfo continues to serve out his sentence at the Federal Medical Facility in Butner, North Carolina with a projected release date of January, 2033 when he will be 103 years old. Now in his mid-eighties, his life is far removed from his days running the streets of Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

Leonetti, who grew up idolizing his uncle while learning the tricks of the trade, has been a long time member of the witness protection program living with a new identity.  And to this day, there remains a contract on his life. This is his story about being a “mafia prince” in the mob and his ultimate decision to defect and testify against his uncle.  Disillusioned by his uncle’s vindictiveness, street life and the murder of his friend, mob captain and son of Philip Testa, Salvatore “Salvie” Testa, his descent into defection came gradually but steady.  And at the very moment when he agrees to be a cooperating witness, he passes the point of no return.  And as we learn about Leonetti and his past, we are exposed to the deadly life on the streets of mafia member.  Leonetti doesn’t ask for forgiveness but he does show gratitude for being given a second chance in life and does attempt to sway young men away from a life that is most often a road to nowhere.

ASIN: B00J1JPTMK

Fortune’s Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth -Terry Alford

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BoothOn the night of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his wife take in a performance of ‘Our American Cousin’ at Ford’s Theater.  Later that night, Lincoln is shot and fatally wounded and dies the following morning at 7:22 a.m.  Upon being shot he slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness.  Booth flees the theater but not before suffering a fractured ankle, and is shot and killed twelve days later on April 26, 1865.  His body would not find a final resting place until 1869 when he was buried by his mother at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.  But just who was John Wilkes Booth?  And what made him act on that night in April, 1865?

Terry Alford has composed the definitive biography of Booth and his short but intriguing life. As Alford points out early on, there isn’t a wealth of information on Booth’s early life.  However, Alford has done a masterful job researching Booth and putting together the most complete chronology of his life.  And through his efforts, we come to know the complex individual deeply committed to his beliefs and unwavering in his convictions.  Fiercely supportive of the Confederacy and intent on seeing its success, he would go from stage actor to one of the most notorious assassins in American history.   As a fierce supporter of slavery, he opposed emancipation but professed admiration for the abolitionist John Brown.  A gifted actor and favorite of the ladies, he passed over a life of success on the stage for a doomed future of a political assassin.  And his ability to recruit conspirators for the plot would make history for the execution of Mary Surratt was the first time a woman had been executed in United States history.  That record would hold until 1953 when Ethel Rosenberg died in the electric chair at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York.

One hundred and fifty-one years have passed since Booth’s death but his actions and life continue to draw attention and discussions about the Lincoln presidency almost always include his name and infamous deed.  The true reasons for many of his actions and decisions went with him to the grave but Terry Alford has given us window into the past in order to begin to understand the ever mysterious John Wilkes Booth.

ASIN: B00VQVNB6M

The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes On A Latin American Journey-Ernesto Che Guevara

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I always loved hearing stories from my father about his youth, in particular before he met my mother and was just a young man with no set path in life. His stories have  given me a better idea of how he became the man I know as dad. When Che Guevara left Cuba for the last time, he left behind a wife and several children never to see them again.  His oldest surviving daughter, Aleida, provides a foreword to her father’s famous journal about his journey through Latin America with friend and fellow medical student Alberto Granado.  Appropriately titled The Motorcycle Diaries, the book is the story of two young friends who discovery their home continent.   Written during their time as medical students in Buenos Aires, Che’s journal provides us with an insight to the young man who would eventually become the icon for revolutions throughout the world.

Later in his life, Che revised the journal making edits and corrections but the overall passages remain the same and the diary is an interesting look into the early life of the Argentine revolutionary.  The Latin American we know today is far different from the one that Che and Alberto journeyed through on their ill-fated motorcycle named La Ponderosa II.  Their visits to the poor combined with famine and neglect from local governments, helped shaped the ideology and commitment to social reformation that would serve as the basis of his revolutionary beliefs.  The trials and tribulations that occur in the book are also highly amusing revealing the naive behavior that often accompanies youth.   And as he moves through South America with Alberto, the young Che finds himself questioning the meaning of life, love and the future of society.  Upon his return to Buenos Aires, he obtained his medical degree becoming the doctor who would be sorely needed several years later when he became part of the 26th of July Movement under the direction of a young Cuban lawyer, Fidel Castro.  But before the fame, speeches and armed revolution, he was simply Ernesto.

ISBN-10: 1859849717
ISBN-13: 978-1859849712

 

A Raisin In The Sun-Lorraine Hansberry

On By Genyc79In Biographies, Civil Rights MovementLeave a comment

20181205_232138In March, 2014, I had the privilege of seeing Denzel Washington on Broadway when he starred in a new production of  Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin In the Sun’.  Hansberry’s classic play has graced the Broadway stage repeatedly throughout the years and even caught the eye of Hollywood being adapted to movie and television formats.  When she wrote the play, I don’t know if she knew then that it would go on to become a classic, but I do believe that she was fully aware that her play would have an impact on American society and the never-ending issue with race.   The play is set in a time where segregation and racial discrimination were highly prevalent throughout the United States.  We are introduced to a small American family struggling to live the American dream.  Living in a small apartment as a typical nuclear family, Walter Lee, Ruth, Travis and Lena, represent the social status of millions of African-Americans at the time.  The death of Lena’s husband results in a life insurance payout and the family now is faced with the question of what to do with the settlement.  While Walter Lee has his own idea, Mama has her own plan, one that will test every member of the family.  Her vision to buy a house in predominantly white neighborhood is the crux of the play and the most intense.  The visit by Mr. Lindner on behalf of the resident’s association highlights the discrimination and fear that gripped suburban communities as minorities attempted to leave the turmoil of the inner city during the middle of the 20th century.

Although the issue of the house is critical to the development of the play, the characters we meet are equally just as important.  Through them we are able to re-evaluate our own thoughts on marriage, religion, parent-child relationships and the relationships we have with our friends.  Hansberry’s masterpiece continues to open eyes and hearts and is a crucial piece of literature that ranks high among the works of all celebrated authors.  The true tragedy is that she didn’t live to see the legacy her play developed following her death.   Had she lived, I think she would be amazed at how far America has come since the Youngers dared to challenge social norms and make a case for integration on their own. And she would never hesitate to remind that it’s okay to sit awhile and think.

ASIN: B005U3Z5MA

Under Fire: An American Story-Oliver North and William Novak

On By Genyc79In Biographies1 Comment

NorthI vividly recall watching Oliver North give testimony about his role in the explosive Iran-Contra scandal that came to light during the administration of President Ronald Regan.  North looked stoic in his military uniform and remained defiant through grueling testimony.  Today he occasionally makes appearances and for those who remember the story, they either despise or respect him.  Prior to the scandal and outside of military circles, North was largely unknown by the American public.  Literally overnight, his face was flashed across television screens throughout the nation and in the process he became a household name.  President Regan absolved himself of any wrongdoing or foreknowledge of North’s assignment.  At first it seemed as if the decorated Soldier had possibly become an enemy of the country he served. But we know in hindsight that he was not an enemy of the state and his actions were approved by his superiors with full knowledge of the details.  At the end of the scandal, he was given 1200 hours of community service and fined by the government.  Subsequently, he has tried to live as normal of a life as reasonably possible.  Under Fire is his story, part autobiography and part political memoir.  From the beginning, the book engages the reader and is hard to put down.  North is candid with his words and comes across very direct.  Perhaps it is his military background that is the reason but it gives the book a sharp edge to it that complements the story that is being told.

I had picked up the book based on Amazon’s suggestion and the reviews I read from others who enjoyed the book.  Having read it, I can say that I do not regret buying it and only wish I purchased it sooner.  North has a great story to tell only if the reader is willing to indulge.  But just who is Oliver North? Is he simply a general that became corrupt and found himself embroiled in a political scandal? Or he is truly an American patriot that was resigned to do unpopular things in service of the country that he loves?  Well what we do learn in the book is his life story which includes marriage, fatherhood, the Marines, Vietnam and intelligence work on behalf of the U.S. Government.  And at each stage of his life, he has plenty of lessons to give to the reader that he has learned through trial and error.  His background is that of a typical American kid who believes in the USA and as adolescent, answers the call of the U.S. Marines.  Southeast Asia proved to be a testing ground and provided him with the mental and physical scars he carriers with him to this day.  As a father and husband dedicated to the Marines, his personal life took on a turmoil of its own and North is brutally honest about his shortcomings and the roller coaster ride he and his family endured because of his career and actions relating to the scandal.

North is blessed with a razor sharp memory and shows no signs of inability to remember key names and dates.  In fact, he is spot on with regards to his recollections.  He does admit that some things could have possibly have been done differently.  But in no way did he ever see himself as a traitor to the country he loved then and still does.  One of the key parts of his story is that if forces us to ask ourselves what the true meaning of a patriot is.  North is seen by some as a patriot of the highest calling who is willing to do what is needed to protect America and its citizens.  Others believe he is a criminal who acted illegal and should have been imprisoned along with Reagan and others in the administration.   President Regan is now deceased and unable to give any more insight into what really did happen.  His statements are on the record for history and will remain so permanently.  Incredibly, North does not bear any ill will towards the late president. In fact, he’s very open-minded regarding the actions and statements of President Reagan.  And although they did meet, they really did not have direct regular contact thus ensuring a buffer between the two and plausible deniability.

Before reading the book I did not know what to make of North.  I had faint recollections of his statements and heard in name in passing in conversation on sparse occasions.  After reading his story, I can no say that I do know who he is and why his story is so important to American history.   His legacy will be questioned long after he is gone but the fact remains that he is one of the most important figures from the 1980s and the 20th century.

 

ISBN-10: 1618689991
ISBN-13: 978-1618689993
ASIN: B00FAY6AUA

Arnold: Education of a Bodybuilder-Arnold Schwarzenegger and Douglas Kent Hall

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ArnoldSeveral weeks ago reigning Mr. Olympia Phil Health won his fifth consecutive title.  Last year’s second runner-up Kai Greene, was absent from the contest due to personal reasons.  The two giants of bodybuilding had been primed for an epic showdown in the biggest bodybuilding contest in the world.  The contest was created in 1965 as result of the vision of Ben and Joe Weider.  Since its inception, it has featured the best bodybuilders on earth including 7-time Mr. Olympia, former Governor of California and actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.   He is often referred to as the king of bodybuilding and has inspired millions of young men and women to hit the gym and start pumping iron.  Among those millions of people is yours truly.  Incredibly, the last contest Arnold competed in was in 1980, more than 30 years ago. Nonetheless he still continues to inspire and draws millions of followers on social media and through interviews regarding the current state of professional bodybuilding.

His evolution into action start is well-known and he has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters we have seen.  His role as “The Terminator” cemented his legacy in cinema and was supplemental by other roles most notably as that of “Conan the Barbarian”.  There is another side to the Austrian Oak that garners little attention but is the focus of this post.  Schwarzenegger has written several books mainly regarding physical fitness and bodybuilding.  This is his story of his evolution as a bodybuilder and the long arduous path he took to accomplish his goals in life.  Teaming up with Douglas Kent Hall, Arnold tells his story from the beginning and explains to the reader how he reached the top stage in the bodybuilding world.  The book became a national bestseller and is highly ranked among the hundreds of books on weight training.   The beauty in the book however, is not the routines he gives or the explanations of certain exercises. What is truly fascinating about the book is Arnold’s personal story.  It is not a complete autobiography and there are several topics which he could have gone into much larger detail but would have necessitated a much longer book.  Instead the focus remains on his discovery and involvement with bodybuilding and he career that ensued.

Fans of the sport will find the book to highly entertaining and surprising in some ways.  Behind the glory, the trophies, press coverage and bulging muscles are personal stories of sacrifice, failure and ultimately, redemption. And as Arnold himself has often said, we should never be afraid to fail. His life and its accomplishments are in many ways the epitome of the American Dream. From his humble beginnings in his hometown of Graz in Austria to the beaches of Venice in California, he continues to evolve and takes us along for the ride on the road to achieving the top crown.  And although many years have passed since Arnold was crowned Mr. Olympia, he is still the king.

ASIN: B007USA6RC

Mayada: Daughter of Iraq -Jean Sasson

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IraqMany years have passed since the U.S. invasion of Iraq but the effects continue to linger.  The conflict continues to rear its ugly head and provokes fierce debate.   When Saddam Hussein was finally captured and subsequently convicted, many Muslims in Iraq and other nations breathed a sigh of relief.  The region continues to deal with social and political issues, but the days of Hussein and his power-hungry sons are long gone.  Stories of their inhumane treatment and the barbaric conditions of the country’s prisons are never-ending.   Exiles from the country have opened up and revealed what they remember from their time under the brutal Hussein regime.  This is the story of  Mayada Al-Askari, a divorced mother of two who ran a local printing shop and was wrongfully accused of spreading anti-government. She was arrested, incarcerated and tortured on a regular basis by prison officials determined to find the source of the anti-regime literature.  She was eventually released when it was determined that a subordinate of hers was the real culprit behind the printings.

After becoming friends with Jean Sasson, the noted author of multiple books about the Middle East including Growing Up Bin Laden, she tells the story of how and why she was arrested and the many horrors she heard and saw during her incarceration at the infamous Baladiyat prison.   Finding herself crammed into a cell with a large number of other women, most of whom are also imprisoned on false charges, she forms friendships with several women who server as a keeper for one another fearful of the barbaric nature of the guards assigned to their floor.   In the effort to create a sadistic and deadly environment, a daily regimen of physical and psychological abuse is enforced to break the spirit and mind of every inmate.  From executions to severe beatings, the savagery and merciless abuse reveals a cultural mindset bent on submission at any price. The stories in the book are tragic and horrific and they served as a reminder of the dark side of the Hussein regime.  The number of atrocities committed by Hussein are well-known and repulsive.  Mayada’s story helps to give a voice to thousands of other woman and men who were falsely imprisoned in Iraq and forced endured treatment of the worst kind.

ISBN-10: 0451212924
ISBN-13: 978-0451212924

Hitler’s Hangman: The Life of Heydrich- Robert Gerwarth

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On June 4, 1942, Reinhard Heydrich died from injuries he sustained several days earlier in an assassination attempt carried out by Czech exiles trained by the British Operations Executive.  He is only thirty-eight years of age.  The former SS-Gruppenführer left behind a widow and four young children. His death sends shock waves through the Nazi regime and causes Hitler to erupt in a monumental rage.  Shortly thereafter, the small village of Lidice is seized by the Germany army and razed to the ground as retribution of Heydrich’s murder.  And as Hitler proclaimed, it was erased from the earth permanently.  Lidice is mentioned in documentaries and books about the Third Reich and serves as an example of the unrestrained barbarity used by the regime to crush any opposition to the expansion of German rule.  In death, Heydrich is turned into a martyr and is held in high regard as the poster boy for the Reich’s belief in racial superiority. Several years would pass before the Third Reich collapsed and Germany was forced to surrender to the Allied forces. The loss of the war and the exposure of the criminality of the leaders of the Reich, cast devastating blows to the supremacists rhetoric employed by the fanatical Hitler and his subordinates.  Heydrich had remained a martyr in the eyes of many Germans throughout the war but the reality is that his story is much darker and far more sinister than meets the eyes.

Robert Gerwath has composed this outstanding biography of the officer Hitler called the man with the iron heart.  Following the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the Reich began to annex smaller neighboring countries typically by coercion but in some cases, through armed invasion. In the process, military commanders were appointed as as rulers in the newly acquired territory.  Heydrich, whose final post was as the Acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, served as the agent of death and is said to have been even more ruthless than his mentor, the infamous SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler.  He ruled with an iron fist and set an unwavering goal to expand Germany domination across Europe beginning with Czechoslovakia which he intended to make completely Judenrein (Jew free). His vindictiveness and insatiable thirst for blood lead propelled his ascension to the top of the Reich and earned him a position as an architect of the dreaded Final Solution.

I forewarn the readers that his story is not pleasant at times and there are many disturbing aspects of his life which are shown in the book.  The horrors of the Holocaust and the extreme ideology embraced by Heydrich are just one example of the campaign of death the Nazis unleashed across Europe.  But for those who are able to tolerate the facts as they are revealed, you will find that the book is a great examination of his life and career. He died several years before the war’s end and was not able to join his co-conspirators in the defendant’s section. Had he survived the war, I believe he would have been led to the gallows like other high-ranking officials.   More than 70 years have now passed since the world’s deadliest conflict raged but we can still look back at those who played critical roles in its development and execution.  And as we look back, we have stories such as this that show us what evil truly looks like.

ISBN-10: 0300187726
ISBN-13: 978-0300187724