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adorkablesmile 's review for:
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
Always a gripping read, it charts the rise of Detroit's sporting accomplishments in the 1930s, winning pendants and cups in baseball, football, and hockey, alongside the growth of a notorious white supremacist organisation now lost to history: the Black Legion.
Whilst the two stories share their moments, most of the connections feel speculative and coincidental at best - there are no sporting legends who were part of the movement, no member of the baseball team is a part of it - the closest we get to a connection is Tigers player-manager Mickey Cochrane's friendship with Ford factory union buster Harry Bennett, who may have been an influential Legion member.
Amidst all the speculation, the first half provides a gripping rise for the Detroit Tigers and boxer Joe Louis, surrounded by shadowy Legion activities in fringe towns, followed by the epic fall in the final third, which exposes the legions activities and paints a more detailed picture of the investigations into their myriad crimes.
It's a book that feels apt nowadays, with the Lions staging a comeback season amid the growing shadow of the far-right in America. While it's not the best-connected twin tale, it's dual histories - sports and murder - provide gripping-enough material to entertain and educate each on their own merits.
Whilst the two stories share their moments, most of the connections feel speculative and coincidental at best - there are no sporting legends who were part of the movement, no member of the baseball team is a part of it - the closest we get to a connection is Tigers player-manager Mickey Cochrane's friendship with Ford factory union buster Harry Bennett, who may have been an influential Legion member.
Amidst all the speculation, the first half provides a gripping rise for the Detroit Tigers and boxer Joe Louis, surrounded by shadowy Legion activities in fringe towns, followed by the epic fall in the final third, which exposes the legions activities and paints a more detailed picture of the investigations into their myriad crimes.
It's a book that feels apt nowadays, with the Lions staging a comeback season amid the growing shadow of the far-right in America. While it's not the best-connected twin tale, it's dual histories - sports and murder - provide gripping-enough material to entertain and educate each on their own merits.