---
product_id: 5407164
title: "But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters"
brand: "robert a. rockaway"
price: "A$41"
currency: AUD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/5407164-but-he-was-good-to-his-mother-the-lives-crimes
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters

**Brand:** robert a. rockaway
**Price:** A$41
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters by robert a. rockaway
- **How much does it cost?** A$41 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/5407164-but-he-was-good-to-his-mother-the-lives-crimes)

## Best For

- robert a. rockaway enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted robert a. rockaway brand quality
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## Description

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## Images

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Who knew?
  

*by J***E on Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2023*

A great and easy read. Learned a lot about how murder inc worked.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Phony story well told
  

*by P***Y on Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2022*

I am currently reading this book.  My interest comes from my grandfather who was a close friend of Jake Guzik.  Rochaway’s descriprion of Guzik bears no resemblance to the man my grandfather and my mother knew.  He is described as of subnormal intelligence, personally sloppy, with bad personal hygiene.  He is, at the same time credited with success as Capone’s financial advisor.  That makes no sense whatever.  A man with the IQ of 82 cited by Rockaway, could not have achieved what Guzik actually achieved.  Aside from that my mother described him as a well-manicured guy who wore only bespoke clothing, the opposite of Rockaway’s description.  Also, my grandfather was the same way about himself and would not have been a close friend to the slob Rockaway describes.  I never met Guzik and hold no brief for any of those people.  The stories were fun to hear but I stayed away from having anything to do with those people.Rockaway is an entertaining writer, but I henceforward will doubt what he says about the people he writes about.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Once Upon A Time in America!
  

*by J***N on Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2009*

What a book!  This is not a lengthy biography here.  What you do have is a wonderful compilation of information concerning a band of Jewish criminals.  This was "The Gilded Age of Crime".  Robert Rockaway, the author, offers a nice, easy style which makes the book very clear, and comprehensible.  This is a wonderful book for anyone to embark on their "racketeer reading".  From here, you can pick a certain gangster, and extend your knowledge further by doing more research on this particular individual.Some of my personal favorites listed here are: Meyer Lansky, Lepke Buchalter and Gurrah Shapiro, Abner (Longy) Zwillman, and Murder, Inc. which included Harry Strauss (aka Pittsburgh Phil).  There is a crew of others present within this volume; however I cannot name them all.  One person that I learned a great deal about was Longy Zwillman from Newark, NJ.  Zwillman was a legend in his time. I never knew the power this man possessed.  Longy was a member of the "Big Six" which were the elite -- the premier Jewish Gangster Echelon on the East Coast.  However, that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Zwillman controlled one of the principal bootlegging operations, importing almost 40% of alcohol into the US.  The rest you will have to read for yourself.The book goes into some detail comparing the Jewish and Italian mobs at that time.  Rockaway brings some interesting topics to light - like the fact that a Jewish gangster for the most part was not looked up to in his community. Furthermore, his family was ashamed to discover that such a scoundrel was living among them.  On the other hand, Italian gangsters were worshipped in their neighborhood.  Also, everyone in their family knew that he possessed some kind of power, and demanded a certain amount of respect.  This leads me to an interesting point.A worthy note to appreciate in this book (as in many others) is the following:  Jewish gangsters were a one-time generation of racketeers.  They displayed intelligence, willfulness, cunning, 'moxy', and that all essential - murder instinct. They also proved to have much more common sense than the Italian mobs at the time, in the sense that they were able to pull themselves out of the street environment.  By no means did they want their immediate family, or future generations getting involved in any type of criminal activity.  Jewish mobsters had made their money the hard way -- in the old fashioned streets of America fighting off the `wolf of poverty'. Their children were to have a much more fortunate and cushioned life than the ones experienced by their parents.  The Italian mobs on the other hand, were in the never-ending struggle of consolidating their power in the street.  This is why the Italian Mafia is still around today (barely), and the Jewish community has moved on to bigger and better things...

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*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-01-24*