Lucky Luciano was the most notorious mobster of his time, known as the boss of all bosses. Had you heard of him before reading A Pair of Aces? Lucky, Eunice, and Polly were all prominent figures in their time. Who do you think is the best known of the three of them today? Why do you think that is?
I had not heard of any of these three until this book. I think it’s too bad that Eunice Carter is not a recognizable name.
I’d heard of Lucky Luciano and knew he was a mobster, but hadn’t heard of the other two individuals. I’m not surprised that his name has more recognition these days, though; we seem to have a fascination with criminals. I’d never heard of Dewey, either, and he was also famous at the time.
I had heard & read about Lucky before, so I already had background knowledge on the mobster. I had never heard of Polly or Eunice. As I was reading i did google Eunice just to learn how much of this book was fictionalized. I was very surprised to learn that she was a real DA. Of the three of these characters, I would guess Lucky is the most well known.
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The only one I had heard of was Lucky and that’s due to the large amount of media dedicated to mobsters and the mob lifestyle. It’s unfortunate in all those stories they only highlight the men because as this books shows women played an important role in those stories as well. One of the things I liked about this book was that it was reframing the narrative in a mob story to be female-centric.
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I only heard of Lucky before I read this book. I suppose the historical focus in this country has always been towards men and especially the violence of mobs in the 30s. I think prostitution has long been an uncomfortable topic, at least outside of fiction and movies. Books like this one definitely help bridge the gap between entertainment and pure history.
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This was all new to me. I kept googling what was facts vs fiction.
I had heard of Lucky, had a vague memory of hearing about Polly, but never heard of Eunice. We have a fascination with criminals and true crime and I suppose that is partly why Lucky is more recognizable.
I’ve heard of Lucky, but not the two women. What a shame they did not get any notoriety! I assume Polly would not have wanted any attention, but Eunice deserve credit.
Living in New York, I had heard of Lucky. It made me want to know more especially about the women. I thought it was a very interesting book.
I had heard of Lucky Luciano as a monster and would think his name is still the most familiar. I thought it was interesting that more wasn’t made of Thomas Dewey, guess that’s another story.
I had heard of Lucky Luciano but never about Eunice and Polly. As always when reading historical fiction, I had to look them up and find out more information. I had no idea that he was taken down by women of the day. I’m so glad that authors are uncovering or rediscovering these types of heros and telling their stories. The women tend to be an afterthought even when they are key to these historical events.
I had only heard of Lucky. And like Mary K, I think it was because of all the media attention.
Lucky Luciano was a familiar name to me while Polly and Eunice weren’t. This probably isn’t surprising given the era - 1) Lucky was male, and 2) the public’s captivating with “the Mob.”
I had definitely heard of Lucky Luciano, well-known as a mobster. I have never heard of these two women before. I did not know they were also prominent figures of their time. Lucky Luciano is definitely the best know of the three in my view.
I had not heard of any of them - have enjoyed reading about all of them on the internet. Clearly Lucky Luciano is the best known as there was a plethora of information on him. He helped the US during the war and his sentence was commuted and he was deported to Italy. He continued to operate as a mobster …
Lucky Luciano is the most known - he was a violent, controlling male running a violent,controlling business. That is what likely dominated the news at the time. That unfortunately is also what dominates the movie industry. God Father 1, 2, etc., violence must get more box office turnout.
I have a great deal of research to do. I was not aware of Lucky Luciano. I’m not sure who would be the best known today, my guess would perhaps Eunice, due to her breaking barriers back in her time.
I had heard of Lucky Luciano, but only in passing. I had no knowledge of any details about his criminal activity. Until I read the book I had never heard of Eunice, even though I’m a lawyer, or Polly. Yet again, my education didn’t cover everything because I was unaware that Eunice was among the first African-American lawyers & prosecutors in NY. I really have no idea which woman is more famous, but I’m guessing it depends on what area of interest is the focus, e.g., Black history, mob history, criminal justice, etc.
I knew a lot about Luciano and a bit about Dewey. Whether it was this guilty verdict or another case (I need to research), Luciano was banded from the U.S. He went to Italy but eventually ruled the Mob from Havana, Cuba. The Mob had a huge empire there and entertained many famous Americans in their nightclubs and casinos. The U.S. “installed” a friendly government, pockets lined, until the revolution led by Castro and others.