378. Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans
Rating: ☆☆☆
Recommended by: Suann MacIsaac
Author: Gary Krist
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Crime
432 pages, published October 28, 2014
Reading Format: Audio Book on Hoopla
Summary
Empire of Sin tells the story of New Orleans in the early 20th century, immersing the reader in a time when commercialized vice, jazz culture, and endemic crime defined the Crescent City. The book focuses on Tom Anderson who ran New Orleans’ notorious Storyville vice district and fought to keep his empire intact as it was attacked from within and without. We also learn the stories of flashy prostitutes, moral reformers, jazzmen (including Louis Armstrong), Mafia enforcers, venal politicians, and an extremely violent axe murderer.
Quotes
“It is no easy matter to go to heaven by way of New Orleans.”
“New Orleans, it was often observed, was the first American metropolis to build an opera house, but the last to build a sewage system.”
“New Orleans’ rebellious and free-spirited personality is nothing if not resilient. And so the disruptive energies of the place- its vibrancy and eccentricity, its defiance and nonconformity, and yes, its violence and depravity- are likely to live on.”
“So much, it would seem, for the music that would eventually be regarded as the first truly American art form.”
My Take
I liked, but did not love, Empire of Sin. There just wasn’t enough of a compelling story or characters to really pull me in. Which shouldn’t be too big of a problem when New Orleans is your source material. I read this book in anticipation of my first trip to NOLA. I loved the Crescent City and wished I would have had a better book to get me ready for the visit.
