Al Capone

            Alan MacDonald's "Al Capone and his Gang" is a non fiction story about the beginnings, the rise and fall, and the conviction of Al Capone. Alphonse Capone was born in the Italian slums of Brooklyn in January of 1899. Growing up here soon shaped Capone into the most ruthless, rich and powerful gang leader of his time. Life for Capone behind closed doors centered on his family mainly to protect and support both financially and emotionally.
             By a struck of luck and persistence, Capone was moving up the ladder as being the top gang leader of Chicago. He was watching over his shoulder day and night for a long period of time once he became higher on the list. The lowdown on staying alive for Capone was hiring body guards, don't sit with strangers, never show up on time, bulletproof everything, be a night owl, and to travel by armored car.
             Once Prohibition was introduced, this turned Capone into a multimillionaire and eventually the best dressed gangster of all times. Al Capone was soon in the public eye and considered as a "nice guy" to most. The destruction of Capone came quite surprisingly. The group known as the "Untouchables" failed to find the evidence needed to convict him of bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and even murder. The authorities were even perplexed about the evidence found for The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The government's final blow came on a tax evasion charge, putting Capone behind bars. For Al Capone, in the end life wasn't easy, but all of that could have been different if he"d only paid some taxes.
             Because this book is a biography, I feel the thesis is a combination of truth and the unknown. The author reveals the behind the scene stories of Al Capone in hopes the reader will define Capone as a man who was just trying to survive. The start of this book, the author sates that Al Capone was "the greatest gangster of all time and famous as a BAD man." He also states that the people of Chicago would have said he "had more scars than Frankenstein, always carried a machine gun and led a murderous gang.