This addictive book kicks of Alex’s journey in New York. Alex is known by many names, Slugger, Fabian, and Alex, all parts that make up his persona around New York City. Some know him as Alex, the sweet boy trying to court the girl he likes. And Fabian/Slugger, the man with street cred who makes sure that people pay their gang protection payments on time.
I finished this book over a few days, despite being absolutely bogged down with college work. I just had to finish it and find out what happened to Alex! I love historical fiction novels, and this has to be one of my favorite ones of all time. It touches on so many issues that plagued New York in the 1910s, from gang violence to unsafe workplaces and women’s lack of rights. This book plunges the readers into a lively world centered around Alex and those he comes into contact with throughout this section of his life.
It was a little difficult to understand this book at the start as the fact that Alex goes by about three different names confused me. During a few parts of the book, I felt like Alex was speaking to himself due to being confused about these names. I was around halfway through the book when it all started really making sense, and this is when the book really shone. By then end I felt like I really got a feel for who Alex was, and was ready to see how his life would change in the next book of the series.
My second favorite part of the book was the relationships Alex built with those in his community. His gang members truly had to come together as a family to deal with the struggle of keeping the city and its businesses in check. His relationship with rival gangs was a pleasure to read about, as the back and forth will keep you on the edge of your seat. This book also taught me a lot about the culture of Jewish people in NYC, or at least those Jewish people whose lives were intertwined with gangs, during the early 1900s.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a historical fiction novel about NYC’s gangs in the early 1900s. I can’t wait to delve into book 2!
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 books.
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