Tough Luck: Sid Luckman, Murder, Inc., and the Rise of the Modern NFL

TOUGH LUCK                                          R.D. ROSEN

In the long annals of sports and crime, no story compares to the one that engulfed the Luckman family in 1935. As 18-year-old Sid Luckman made headlines across New York City for his high school football exploits at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, his father, Meyer Luckman, was making headlines in the same papers for a very different reason: the gangland murder of his own brother-in-law. Amazingly, when Sid became a star at Columbia and a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback in Chicago, all of it while Meyer Luckman served 20-years-to-life in Sing Sing Prison, the connection between sports celebrity son and mobster father was studiously ignored by the press and ultimately overlooked for eight decades.Tough Luck traces two simultaneous historical developments through a single immigrant family in Depression-era New York: the rise of the National Football League led by the dynastic Chicago Bears, whose famed owner George Halas convinced Sid Luckman to help him turn the sluggish game of pro football into America's favorite pastime; and the demise--triggered by Meyer Luckman's crime and initial coverup--of the Brooklyn labor rackets and Louis Lepke's infamous organization Murder, Inc. Filled with colorful characters--from ambitious district attorney-turned-governor Thomas Dewey and legendary columnist Walter Winchell, to Sid Luckman's rival quarterback "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh and pro football's unsung intellectual genius Clark Shaughnessy; from the lethal Lepke and hitmen like "Tick Tock" Tannenbaum, to Sid's powerful post-career friends Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio--Tough Luck memorably evokes an era of vicious Brooklyn mobsters and undefeated Monsters of the Midway, a time when the media kept their mouths shut and the soft-spoken son of a murderer could become a beloved legend with a hidden past. 

PAT'S REVIEW

This book combines two of my favorite subject’s football and mafia stories. One begins with Sid Luckman who goes from a Brooklyn kid to Columbia University and then is drafted by the Bears. Halas wanted him for the new T formation offense that was going to be put in place. The author takes you through his childhood and the time of him becoming a Bear and really changing football and quarterbacks from the ’40s and forward. He also weaves in the story of Sid Luckman’s dad who was convicted of murder and sentenced to Sing-Sing. While also showing ties with Louis Buchalter who was also part of Murder Inc. He would become the only mob boss to be executed. The author brings you the reader to the fields of football and the trouble Luckman was having at times getting used to the play calling. Then it will take you to the story of the Jewish mob and the troubles that they were causing in New York. Sid Luckman and for the most part the reporters from Chicago would never mention it and whether it was because of Halas or just because the Bears were winning it would never come up. For me someone who likes both I never read anything about those stories about Luckman’s father. I ever read about was the games he played in and who he changed football. He also was the quarterback the day the Bears beat the Redskins 73-0 in the championship game still the largest defeat, though a couple of years later the Redskins would defeat them in the Championship when throughout the year the Bears were the most dominant team. Think of the Patriots now and you get an idea of the Bears from 39 -49 both offense and defense they would lead the league. Being a football fan they had some players who could play in any era Bulldog Turner, George McAfee, Bill Osmanski, Joe Stydahar, I also think Bronko Nagurski could as well but that is just me. I found this book to be a very good read and full of history and football facts that were great. A good book for a Bear fan or just a football fan. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Red Station (Harry Tate #1)

RED STATION                                           ADRIAN MAGSON

Four washed-up spooks. Two dead civilians. One remote and deadly outpost.

Harry Tate is a loyal MI5 officer and a servant of the State. But when two civilians are shot dead during a drugs intercept gone wrong, he is forced to take an immediate posting to the Red Station.

What he doesn’t know is that this remote Balkan outpost is a punishment and he won’t be going home. With an assassination team coming for him and invading Russian forces heading straight for the Red Station, Harry does whatever he can to save himself. But with few allies and enemies everywhere, Harry’s chances of survival shrink with each passing day . . .

PAT'S REVIEW

Harry Tate was a solider and now works for MI-5 as the book opens with him and his team on an op. The op goes bad and days later in order to save whatever is left of his career he agrees reluctantly to go to a place called Red Station. Which is in the Balkans and he begins to notice that the other people there have also been sent because of a screw-up. Not feeling right about his night in question he finds a phone untraceable and contacts a member of his team to look into things. Also seeing what is going on where he is at he begins to feel that the whole situation is not right. Slowly as you are drawn into Harry’s plight the author also takes you to London and you begin to see what is beginning to happen. Will he and the other at Red Station find out as well or will they just be another casualty in a political game. Read this very good book to find out. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

The Jack's Heart (Prison Saints #1)

JACK'S HEART                                         DEMI VICE

If you haven’t guessed it yet, the name’s Jack. For the last seven years, I gave up my freedom for a crime I didn’t commit, and all for money, my retirement, and my dreams.

When it was time to leave, my cellmate asked me for a favor. Find his sister, give her a letter, and leave. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Nothing about Ahri was easy. She was a stubborn beauty, an intoxicating mystery, and a feisty fury. She was nowhere near perfect, but perfection was overrated, and Ahrianna Lore was underrated.

I went along with the lie of who she thought I was—just some guy looking at the apartment next door. It was supposed to be a quick hookup, but curiosity got the best of me.

I read the letter.

Have you ever heard the story about the Jack of hearts whose heart was stolen by a beautiful thief? 

PAT'S REVIEW

The book opens with Jack Barron getting ready to be paroled his cellmate for the last few years tells him a story and then asks for him to deliver a letter to the person use name is on the front. Jack who went to prison for a crime he did not commit is expecting certain items to be met as soon as he is paroled and the first of those arrives immediately. He is a cocky man but in some ways, you have to be coming from where he was. Arriving a few days later looking for Ahri the name on the envelope. She is a woman that has done things to make it live and only worries about herself and a few friends, very few. She has her secrets as well. Directed to where she is she thinks he is the person arriving to be the roommate she was looking for. He listens to her spiel and they go look at the apartment and also look at each other in a more comfortable position without any cloths. Afterward, she goes to work and tells him in the morning that he will need to pass the inspection of the owner downstairs who runs the bakery. What she did not know was that one of his foster homes the woman spoke Polish and so he spoke there language and would also buy them a new industrial mixer. This is the way it goes, for the most part, he would come and go not telling her he had a penthouse. It was after he needed to give her the letter, teller her that her brother was his celli, and why he did not give it to her the first day. There are other things that need to be worked out also. But this is a story that will keep you entertained from the first page until the last, a very good book with excellent characters. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Flashed (Happy Endings #3)

FLASHED                                                  ZOEY CASTILE

A former soccer player, stripper, and model, legendary party boy Patrick Halloran finally gets his big break starring in the summer blockbuster. But when an accident leaves him changed forever, he hides away in his secluded Montana ranch. Only his new housekeeper is allowed inside--with one rule: she's not allowed to see him. But Pat sees her, and she's the most stunning woman he's ever laid eyes on. Even her voice is beautiful. Still, Pat can't allow himself to get close to anyone. Not without a fight at least . . .

Magdalena "Lena" Martel is a long way from Queens, New York. After a rough patch, the aspiring artist is working her way through college--even if it means keeping house for a man whose gruff voice she can only hear through a closed door. Still, Lena senses Pat's got a good heart, maybe even a lovable one. She's intrigued--until his anger sends her running into the freezing woods. Now Pat will have to find her--and when he does he may have found the one woman who can thaw his heart--not to mention the rest of him. But can their new bond survive the paparazzi--and their personal
demons? . . .

PAT'S REVIEW

Patrick Hollran is a former soccer star, stripper, and model and after getting a leading part that he was looking for a top-notched partier. That is until it all came down in a crash. His car crash which left his brother injured and getting back to walking and him scared. Now holed up in his home in Montana he does not want anyone to see him. He has gone through many housekeepers and the last one is a college art student from Queens. Magdalena “Lena” Martel is facing a rough patch as well and really needs this job. Once hired her music and taste in food besides her spice adds to his grumpiness at first but he begins to come around. The story is similar to beauty and the beast but the author does a good job with the characters and bringing everything together. I liked the music she had and wish she would have had some of the recipes for the food she made for all of it added to this story. Overall a very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Take It Off the Menu (Mile High Matched #3)

TAKE IT OFF THE MENU                     CHRISTINA HOVLAND

Marlee Medford just got dumped. Yes, things have become ho-hum in her longtime relationship, but she was two days away from walking down the aisle with the man she thought was her forever when he called it off. Convincing herself that they’d be able to reignite their spark once the wedding craziness settled? That was easy. Suddenly finding herself without a fiancé? Not so much. Marlee needs to regain control of her life, and a weekend away with her friends is a solid first step.

One of Denver’s best up-and-coming chefs, perpetual bachelor Eli Howard, isn’t into serious relationships—especially the kind that ends in marriage. As if to prove his point that they aren’t worth the trouble, the wedding he was supposed to be catering just fell apart. Feeling oddly protective of the jilted bride—his little sister’s best friend—his weekend plans now involve a trip to Sin City with her group of friends. But it looks like he had a bit too much fun in Vegas when he wakes up married…wedding night included.

Marlee’s attempts at getting her life back together are failing miserably. Her ex-fiancé is taking the house, her chihuahua is intent on a love affair with Eli’s sneakers, and she’s now accidentally hitched to the guy who can't even say the word marriage. With their quickie annulment denied, Eli and Marlee just have to hang tight until the divorce goes through. It’s just a little divorce amongst friends, what’s the worst that could happen?

PAT'S REVIEW

Marlee Medford has found herself single once again. The problem is that she was to get married in two days. The groom has said that the spark is gone because of all of this wedding craziness. Now she has realized that she does not either but during the course of the day and the next, she sees her parents siding with him. Since they both worked at her father’s firm she now feels that she has lost her parents and fiancé amongst other friends. Her real friends. Her posse has her back and comes in and takes her to Las Vegas for a true getaway. The only male is the older brother Eli Howard who was going to carter the wedding but now has gone back to his old duties as getting his sister and friends out of trouble. Well, that would be good except he wakes up with Marlee in the morning and they are married. Having to wait a day for court and his sister needing to go back for a case they are to handle it themselves and let’s just say that when they are returning to Denver they are still married. That is just one of the funny scenes, when she tries to cook in their apartment not good or when she tries to help him at his business. She does find working next door at the florist fun and easy and something she is good at. She also comes up with a plan to get back at her ex who is still living in her house, working for her father, while her parents cut off her trust. She does not go back to them, as a matter of fact, she walks out on them and does not return their call telling them it was he who called off the wedding not her. There is so much more to this story that you just must read it. The characters are all good and this is a fun story. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

The Red Kelly Story

THE RED KELLY STORY                       LEONARD "RED" KELLY

When Boston coach Lynn Patrick was asked who he’d pick between Rocket Richard or Gordie Howe he answered, “Neither! I’ll take Red Kelly!” The only player to have won eight Stanley Cups without playing for Montreal, Red began his life in hockey on the cedar swamps near Port Dover, Ontario, and went on to win accolades and championships as a Detroit Red Wing and Toronto Maple Leaf.

Go back in time with Red as he reminisces about his childhood: the time he nearly drowned; when he brought St. Michael’s College to three provincial championships; and his jump into a career with the NHL where sportsmanlike conduct won him multiple Lady Byng trophies. While playing with the Leafs, he served as a member of parliament in Lester Pearson’s government. After retiring in 1967 as a player, Red coached for a decade in the NHL with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. This is a fascinating biography of a life well lived — on and off the ice.

PAT'S REVIEW

I must say this is someone that I had never heard of before. He won eight Stanley cups without playing with the Montreal Canadians. He played for the Detroit Red Wings from 1947 to 1960 he was going to be traded to the New York Rangers and he said he would rather retire than play for them. He was then traded to the Maple Leafs even though they passed on him because a scout said he would only last 20 games. That was before he signed with the Red Wings. Now he was going to Toronto and would play there for 8 seasons and they would win 4 Stanley Cups. After his retirement, he would become the King's first coach and lead them to the playoffs two years in a row. He would then leave and go, coach Pittsburgh, he would also lead them to their first-ever playoff appearance. He would coach other teams and finally be done with hockey at the end of the 76 -77 season after 30 years. He was also a member of the Canadian Parliament from June of 62 – November of 65. Kelly passed away on May 2 of 2019 at the age of 91, this was not in the book. I found this to be an interesting book and an easy read about old-time hockey. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

In Memory of Bread: A Memoir

IN MEMORY OF BREAD                        PAUL GRAHAM

When Paul Graham was suddenly diagnosed with a serious wheat allergy at the age of thirty-six, he was forced to say goodbye to traditional pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and more. Gone, too, were some of his favorite hobbies, including brewing beer with a buddy and gorging on his wife’s homemade breads. Struggling to understand why he and so many others had become allergic to wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other dietary staples, Graham researched the production of modern wheat and learned that not only has the grain been altered from ancestral varieties but it’s also commonly added to thousands of processed foods.
     In writing that is effortless and engaging, Paul explores why incidence of the disease is on the rise while also grappling with an identity crisis—given that all his favorite pastimes involved wheat in some form. His honest, unflinching, and at times humorous journey towards health and acceptance makes an inspiring read. 

PAT'S REVIEW

A story about a man named Paul Graham and how he struggled with being ill until he was diagnosed with celiac disease. What I did not know is what can happen if it is not treated. You can eventual have any or all of these happen to you diet is not changed, there can be serious neurological consequences such as diabetes, MS, epileptic seizures, dementia. The author takes you through an honest journey when first given the diagnosis and still tries to eat some of his favorite food but either in small amounts or different bread. This does not work, and when he goes through this part of his journey he had me. I felt here is someone giving you all of the facts and he is even telling you he did not believe what the doctor was saying because he had never heard of it before. Now, of course, we hear of it all of the time and I think some people have changed the diet for health reasons. I don’t think all have the true celiac as is described by this man and what he had been going through. (Not to say it is not true what people are feeling, my personal belief). He shares his feelings about not being able to eat cake, birthday cake, and other things. These are being taken away from him and I could relate because I love food as well. I know what it is like when you can’t eat a portion of food anymore for whatever the reason is. His wife bless her supports her husband and does so by giving up the same items as him and she explains what she went through as well because we do not know that we have certain likes until it is taken away. I found this book to be really helpful since my daughter was diagnosed with celiac and I have started supporting her changing eating, my wife had done so already, I had by cooking and baking different but now our home is like that as the book. A very eye-opening book and very honest look into this man’s journey. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com