An action-packed chronicle of deceit, betrayal, and greed.
The remarkable adventures of an expert grifter.
Growing up in Minneapolis in the 1970s, Smith became aware of stark economic inequality. Her family was middle class, but her father, who owned a music venue, interacted with the superrich. “As a child,” she recalls, “I was dazzled by their wondrous shows of glamour and seemingly carefree living.” By the time she was a teenager, though, she was also dismayed by poverty in her community. In her debut memoir, Smith recounts her astounding career in crime, which began with her desire to help the needy. Honing computer skills, she became adept at fraudulent bank transfers. “Between the ages of fifteen and sixteen,” she writes, “I managed to void people’s utility bills, at least temporarily, around three hundred times. I also handled a few overdue mortgages.” Soon, she began to covet money for herself, “caught up in the thrill of transactions, by what money could do and the men it could attract.” Over one summer and fall, she made more than $2 million. She showered men with gifts, including designer clothes, cars, jewelry, and cash. One after another, she discovered they were cheating on her and stealing from her. With a cadre of accomplices, it was only a matter of time until someone slipped up, and soon the police and FBI got wind of her scams. They were sure, though, that she worked for a white mastermind. As one racist detective said, “Neeee-grroes murder, steal, and rob, but they don’t have the brains to commit sophisticated crimes like this.” Smith was convicted of bank and wire fraud, incurring a longer sentence than some famous white-collar criminals. “You know they’re hassling you because you’re Black and a genius,” her lawyer told her, a conclusion that Smith does not dispute.
An action-packed chronicle of deceit, betrayal, and greed.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780316569163
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK TO SCREEN
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Everything about Sabathia is larger than life, yet he tells his story with honesty and humility.
One of the best pitchers of his generation—and often the only Black man on his team—shares an extraordinary life in baseball.
A high school star in several sports, Sabathia was being furiously recruited by both colleges and professional teams when the death of his grandmother, whose Social Security checks supported the family, meant that he couldn't go to college even with a full scholarship. He recounts how he learned he had been drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round over the PA system at his high school. In 2001, after three seasons in the minor leagues, Sabathia became the youngest player in MLB (age 20). His career took off from there, and in 2008, he signed with the New York Yankees for seven years and $161 million, at the time the largest contract ever for a pitcher. With the help of Vanity Fair contributor Smith, Sabathia tells the entertaining story of his 19 seasons on and off the field. The first 14 ran in tandem with a poorly hidden alcohol problem and a propensity for destructive bar brawls. His high school sweetheart, Amber, who became his wife and the mother of his children, did her best to help him manage his repressed fury and grief about the deaths of two beloved cousins and his father, but Sabathia pursued drinking with the same "till the end" mentality as everything else. Finally, a series of disasters led to a month of rehab in 2015. Leading a sober life was necessary, but it did not tame Sabathia's trademark feistiness. He continued to fiercely rile his opponents and foment the fighting spirit in his teammates until debilitating injuries to his knees and pitching arm led to his retirement in 2019. This book represents an excellent launching point for Jay-Z’s new imprint, Roc Lit 101.
Everything about Sabathia is larger than life, yet he tells his story with honesty and humility.Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-13375-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roc Lit 101
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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