Matt BirkbeckReviews

Funny title; it refers to a more literal story of the deconstruction of Sammy's life in a real sense than a metaphorical one. Sammy made a mess of his emotional and financial life, and it deteriorated after he died. Due to tax and family problems control of his meager estate and more substantial legacy was contested forever and essentially squandered. Pretty fascinating, if pretty grim, story.

One thing that's notable about this book is the poor copyediting, expecially from a name publisher like Harper. The author is especially allergic to the past perfect tense, and the result is many (a guess is around a dozen) cases where confusion results. A number of typos (especially one "severe" for "sever") also make for jarring reading. One expects more from a Harpe.

While undoubtedly a fascinating and overlooked figure, the untold story of Russell Bufalino largely remains untold, only a little less so. There is more than enough quality content in the book to make it a worth while read, however, it seems the content should have been repackaged as the telling of the impact organized crime has had on Pennsylvania, with Bufalino as a focal point.

It is perhaps a testament to the gangster's ability to remain tight lipped and in the shadows, that the author seemed to struggle to compile an entire book on the man. The book pivots from the early days of organized crime in Pennsylvania, to a recent scandal involving a prominent Bufalino connected businessman (Louis DeNaples)and the politics around him, to Bufalino's story itself.

While the author does a good enough job of breaking down who Bufalino was and how he rose to prominence, there is not enough to fill an entire book, and the flipping between Bufalino's story and the modern day trials and tribulations of DeNaples is random and breaks up the flow of the book.

There were several areas I found to be problematic. The first was the author's insertion of various reports and trial transcripts, which go on for pages at a time. While it is great to have a historical document, I don't think anyone really benefits from reading three pages of Bufalino pleading the fifth. It just comes across as filler after a point. The second was the reliance on "I Heard You Paint Houses". Much of what Frank Sheeran claims has been derided as straight lies or vast exaggerations. Given Sheeran's relationship with Bufalino, it is understandable Brandt's book would be referenced, but Birkbeck passes along Sheeran's version of events with no disclaimer or other heads up as to the veracity of what Sheeran claims.

The other qualm I had was the author makes grand claims and then drops the subject. The most glaring example of this was when he asserted Bufalino was running three crime families at once (his own, the Magaddino and the Genovese families). This is a fascinating and huge claim, but then dropped (and with little to support it).

These factors aside, I think the author did a well enough job with the resources available to him; there is a enough quality content to make this a strong book, but with a different format.

Very detailed look at the mysterious, sad life of Suzanne Sevakis. Frankllin Floyd kidnapped her as a young child, raised her as his daughter and then later married her. Well written.

My guilty pleasure - true crime novels. This one was very sad because "Sheryl" had so much potential despite the terrible circumstances she lived in.

I thought I knew this story but this had a lot of information and details I did not know.

Whoa. Talk about finding out more than you wanted to know via a biography...at least more than you could possibly imagine. Unlike many celebrity bios, this well-researched book doesn't sell sensationalism. That's because it doesn't need to, as Sammy Davis Jr.'s life wasn't something that could even be expanded any further. After reading this book, I promptly found a yellow pages (thought they were obsolete) and started scouring for tax attorneys, even though I don't have any tax issues. If nothing else, this biography taught me to never ever mess with the IRS.

The story uses a different approach to the typical life story, and that is by focusing the book on someone who isn't Sammy. Instead, we learn the story of Sonny Murray, an attorney who ends up picking up the pieces of Sammy's final days. We also have the second main character, Altovise Davis, Sammy's widow. She is quite the character. That's where the "whoa" comes in at the beginning of my review. And finally, there's Davis himself, really the third character.

If you're a fan of Sammy Davis Jr., you'll still get a good view of his background in music, his Rat Pack friendships, and his wacked-out world. You may not like it, but it's there, including a separate section listing all of the court documents involved in the telling of this book. I think the author has done a very good job of getting the reader involved and not trying to create different personas for the cover subject.

Sinatra does NOT come off well here, but Dino does. In fact, Dean Martin and his longtime manager, Mort Viner, are the only ones who seem to have lived in reality. Yeah, it's that kind of book. Whoa.

Book Season = Winter (prepare your taxes)

Beyond the search for identity of Sharon Marshall, this book chronicles the extraordinary ineptness of the American penal system and our timid efforts as a society to protect our children. My complete review is available at my book review site, http://www.tgblogger.com/?p=1577.

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, and Madness is not an actual biography in the traditional sense. Author Matt Birkbeck shares the stories and memories of those that were closest to the iconic entertainer as well as the findings of Sonny Murray, whose investigation into Sammy’s debts encompasses the bulk of the book. This is not a glamorous portrait of a man who was, and still is, a loved entertainer. This is a look at a man who wanted fame and fortune at almost all costs. He spent without reserve, dabbled heavily in drugs and alcohol, married for convenience, neglected his wife and children, had numerous affairs, made deals with the mob, and surrounded himself with an entourage of mostly self-serving individuals. Those around him could see his decline but few, very few, attempted to put a stop to the disaster that was inevitable – they were being paid to say yes.

This was a truly fascinating book. There are so many stories and recollections of other household names. Frank Sinatra “discovering” Sammy and supposedly introducing him to the ways of the mob. Dean Martin was actually a quiet homebody who did not partake in the over-the-top partying of the Rat Pack crew. Sammy ran with a powerful crowd, in the entertainment industry as well as politically. There is even a hint that Sammy knew the true story who shot JFK. What really struck me was how massive the fall from fame and fortune. From buying Chinese carry-out for an entire commercial airliner that was stranded on the runway all the way to his “friends” sneaking into his home and stealing his belongings (furniture, clothes, heirlooms from his friends in the entertainment industry, jewelry) while Sammy Davis laid in bed stricken with cancer. There is also the story of Sonny Murray’s attempts to deal with the largest individual IRS debt on record in 1994 and revitalize Sammy’s name and reputation. The obstacles in dealing with the wife (Altovise), Sammy’s children, the IRS, and Sammy’s former accountants and financial advisors makes for an interesting read.

Reading this book was like peeling back layers with a new revelation in each chapter. Entertaining read!

What a sad book this is. I almost didn't want to finish it, but couldn't put it down. The book is about Sammy, but it is also about the people in his life and what a life it was. I was shocked by what I was reading and saddened that this was the life of one of the most talented men in the entertainment business. There are so many details my head was spinning and my jaw was dropped. It was like a traffic accident. You don't want to look but you can't help yourself. I'm still a fan of Sammy Davis Jr. but will never think of him in the same way as I did before I read the book.

On Monday, October 22, 2007 I wrote.....
Well that was a nice surprise after all.
I started reading and to be honest I thought at first it was not going to be a good book, but after a while I really got into it.
So much so I just checked Internet to see what happened with Robert Durst.

The way this author writes, he makes you really get to know the people involved.
To bad there are still so many questions left. I believe he killed and killed more than once.

Reading on court TV the jury acquitted him, unbelievable to most people, including me. Thank God they found ways to get him behind bars after all.

Very interesting book.

9 out of 10...

on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 I wrote:

Wow this was such a good read.
Finished reading this on May 12Th 2007
This was such a sad story . it grabbed me from page 1.
It is so shocking and unbelievable. Reading the description of the book you would not know
It is sad they still don’t know who Sharon really was. Where her real parents are , what happened.
I hope that one day this will be solved.Planning to check the authors site so now and then. He keeps us readers updated about the cases in his books.

I Highly recommend this book to True Crime Fans.
10

Very good read. This book helps you to understand the state of mind of spouse murderers.