The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century

The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century | Howie Carr | Compelling Read

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The Brothers Bulge...

	The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century Howie Carr Grand Central Publishing, 2006 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 134 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This fresh account of Massachusettss infamous Bulger brothers unveils a stunning criminal alliance, and with its dual biography format, goes deeper than the New York Times bestselling Black Mass. For the first time, journalist Howie Carr reveals the real story behind the infamous Bulgerstwo brothers from South Boston who grew up to control a state. With political corruption on one side and deadly force on the other, the Bulgers shared a diabolic and destructive alliance for decades. James Whitey Bulger, the bad son, blazed a murderous trail to become Bostons most feared mobster and remains one of the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. William Billy Bulger, the good son, wielded the gavel as president of the Massachusetts State Senate and the University of Massachusetts, but was eventually forced from both positions. The parallel stories of these two brothers, rich in anecdote and shocking in their revelations, read like an unholy hybrid of All the Kings Men and The Godfather.

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I love it I have two copys of it one for me and my family as a gift

I love this book it has details of my fathers death and my uncle joe as well finally a real book on the true crime and the sick bastards that took so many life's fathers humans and friends form south Boston and Medford Mass.

Compelling Read

"The Brothers Bulger" tells the story of James "Whitey" Bulger and his brother Billy. From an early age Whitey was headed in the wrong direction in life and he soon became one of the most feared men in Boston and is currently in the top ten on the FBI's most wanted list. For a long time Billy seemed to be on the straight and narrow, at least to the public, as he became involved in politics, eventually becoming president of the Massachusetts State Senate. But "The Brothers Bulger" shows the Billy earned his nickname of "The Corrupt Midget".

I'm not a big fan of Howie Carr's newspaper column in The Boston Herald and almost didn't read "The Brothers Bulger" because of that. I'm glad I did. Newspaper column to the contrary, Carr can actually write and does a good job telling the Bulger's story. I've lived in the Boston area my entire life and while aware of the Bulgers I wasn't aware of the extent of Whitey's crimes or the extent of the corruption. I was also surprised at the number of local politicians and other well known Bostonians who knew what was going on with the Bulgers and looked the other way including Michael Dukakis, Kevin White, Joe Moakley, Bill Weld, and Cardinal Law.

Of the two brothers, Whitey's story, not surprisingly, is the most compelling. He is truly a brutal man, not caring who he killed, be it man or woman. One of his killings was so brutal I cringed while reading it. His dealings with the FBI are mind boggling and not very reassuring. While Billy's story is less compelling, it was still interesting to read how he maneuvered his way through Boston politics and managed to snag himself a nice sized pension from U-Mass Boston. What was especially interesting about all this is the numerous mistakes he made politically and still came out on top for a long time.

As of right now, Whitey Bulger is still at large and wanted by the FBI. If he is ever found (and after reading this book I have to wonder how hard the FBI is looking for him), I hope Howie Carr is able to write a book about Whitey's years on the lam, which I'm sure would be quite interesting.

"The Brothers Bulger" is a compelling read.

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Excellent

Great take on one of the great true crime stories in America. A must read if you are interested in the story of Whitey Bulger, and how can you not be?

Villainy in Boston

The Publisher's Weekly review and the audio file review are very good descriptions of this narrative. Two brothers in Boston, one a politician and the other a mobster, shaping politics and crime in Boston for decades. Whitey Bulger, who is still an international fugitive, makes an excellent precursor, if not template, for Jack Nicholson's role in the film "The Departed". The author is an award winning newspaper columnist who clearly knows Boston intimately, along with who is connected to whom on both sides of the law, however, it can be a little confusing for the reader to keep up without a table of organization or flow chart. Frequently, Carr states facts or describes events that it is assumed he acquired from court transcripts, police reports and street sources but the reader is often left to take it simply on faith because the hard evidence or source isn't referenced or cited. Still, it's an interesting saga of the backrooms and chicanery in Boston over the past five decades.

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