I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Title: The Snatch Racket: The Kidnapping Epidemic That Terrorized 1930s America
Author: Carolyn Cox
Release Date: 3.1.21
Publisher: Potomac Books
Publisher's Summary:
Although the 1932 kidnapping of aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby was a worldwide sensation, it was only one of an estimated three thousand ransom kidnappings that occurred in the United States that year. The epidemic hit America during the Great Depression and the last days of Prohibition as criminal gangs turned kidnapping into the highly lucrative “snatch racket.”
Wealthy families and celebrities purchased kidnap insurance, hired armed chauffeurs and bodyguards, and carried loaded handguns. Some sent their children to school or summer camp in Europe to get them out of harm’s way. “Recent Kidnappings in America” was a regular feature in the New York Times, while Time magazine included kidnappings in its weekly list of notable births, deaths, and other milestones.
The Snatch Racket is the story of a crime epidemic that so frightened families that it undermined confidence in law enforcement and government in general. In response, President Franklin D. Roosevelt waged a three-year War against Kidnappers with J. Edgar Hoover and his G-men (newly empowered to carry weapons and make arrests) on the front lines. This first U.S. war against terrorism revolutionized and modernized law enforcement in the United States, dramatically expanding the powers of the federal government in the fight against not only kidnapping but many new types of interstate crime.
At the heart of the narrative are some of the most iconic names of the twentieth century: Rockefeller, Ford, Lindbergh, Roosevelt, Hoover, Capone, Schwarzkopf, and Hearst, all caught up in the kidnapping frenzy. The Snatch Racket is a spellbinding account of terrifying abductions of prominent citizens, gangsters invading homes with machine guns, the struggles of law enforcement, and the courage of families doing whatever it took to bring home the ransomed.
My Review:
This shit was crazy! I (vaguely) knew about the Lindbergh kidnapping but I had no idea of the prevalence of kidnappings in in the 1930s. While the stories included in this book were fascinating, it was very heavy on the historical facts and figures. I felt like I was in high school history class again, where I would catch a piece of information but then zone out as the teacher droned on. I really liked the details of each kidnapping story but I started skimming the long sections about the federal government's intervention, etc. I think this would be a great accompanying text for a class covering this time period in America.
Author: Carolyn Cox
Release Date: 3.1.21
Publisher: Potomac Books
Publisher's Summary:
Although the 1932 kidnapping of aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby was a worldwide sensation, it was only one of an estimated three thousand ransom kidnappings that occurred in the United States that year. The epidemic hit America during the Great Depression and the last days of Prohibition as criminal gangs turned kidnapping into the highly lucrative “snatch racket.”
Wealthy families and celebrities purchased kidnap insurance, hired armed chauffeurs and bodyguards, and carried loaded handguns. Some sent their children to school or summer camp in Europe to get them out of harm’s way. “Recent Kidnappings in America” was a regular feature in the New York Times, while Time magazine included kidnappings in its weekly list of notable births, deaths, and other milestones.
The Snatch Racket is the story of a crime epidemic that so frightened families that it undermined confidence in law enforcement and government in general. In response, President Franklin D. Roosevelt waged a three-year War against Kidnappers with J. Edgar Hoover and his G-men (newly empowered to carry weapons and make arrests) on the front lines. This first U.S. war against terrorism revolutionized and modernized law enforcement in the United States, dramatically expanding the powers of the federal government in the fight against not only kidnapping but many new types of interstate crime.
At the heart of the narrative are some of the most iconic names of the twentieth century: Rockefeller, Ford, Lindbergh, Roosevelt, Hoover, Capone, Schwarzkopf, and Hearst, all caught up in the kidnapping frenzy. The Snatch Racket is a spellbinding account of terrifying abductions of prominent citizens, gangsters invading homes with machine guns, the struggles of law enforcement, and the courage of families doing whatever it took to bring home the ransomed.
My Review:
This shit was crazy! I (vaguely) knew about the Lindbergh kidnapping but I had no idea of the prevalence of kidnappings in in the 1930s. While the stories included in this book were fascinating, it was very heavy on the historical facts and figures. I felt like I was in high school history class again, where I would catch a piece of information but then zone out as the teacher droned on. I really liked the details of each kidnapping story but I started skimming the long sections about the federal government's intervention, etc. I think this would be a great accompanying text for a class covering this time period in America.
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