| Beyond the Mafia: Italian Americans and the Development of Las Vegas Revised Edition Contributor(s): Balboni, Alan (Author), Edwards, Jerome E. (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0874176816 ISBN-13: 9780874176810 Publisher: University of Nevada Press OUR PRICE: $19.76 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2006 Annotation: For thousands of Italian Americans, Las Vegas has amply fulfilled the American dream. In this fast-paced, readable book, Alan Balboni argues that Las Vegas afforded Italian Americans unusual opportunities for rapid economic and social advancement, and that they were allowed to be assimilated into the community at a much quicker pace there than anywhere else in the country. In return, they brought talents and interests that hastened the city's development from a dusty Mojave Desert railroad stop to the entertainment capital of the world. While a few were among the early twentieth-century Las Vegas pioneers, the great migration of Italian Americans occurred after World War II. Italian Americans played key roles in the establishment, staffing, and growth of the Strip and Glitter Gulch hotels. Of the headline entertainers of the fifties and sixties, one quarter were men and women of Italian-American background, and they were also well represented among the lounge performers, musicians, developers, architects, and contractors who transformed Las Vegas into a major city of the American Southwest. In addressing the issue of organized crime, Balboni acknowledges the substantial Italian-American presence among the ranks of men with shadowy pasts who brought capital and gaming expertise to Las Vegas. He contends, however, that the ethnic group as a whole received much undeserved adverse publicity due to the myth of the Mafia - the belief that all organized crime is ultimately controlled by a few Sicilian crime families. Beyond the Mafia is authoritative and thoroughly documented, yet it has all the vitality and immediacy of the more than 150 interviews of key individuals that form its core. Thebook provides a valuable window on the productive and progressive Italian-American community within Las Vegas. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - West (ak, Ca, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, Wy) - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - General - Social Science | Popular Culture |
| Dewey: 979.313 |
| Series: Wilbur S. Shepperson Series in History & Humanities (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.48" H x 6.16" W x 9.27" (0.64 lbs) 200 pages |
| Themes: - Geographic Orientation - Nevada - Locality - Las Vegas, Nevada - Ethnic Orientation - Italian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: When Beyond the Mafia first appeared in 1996, it was hailed as a significant contribution to the history of Las Vegas and of ethnic minorities in America. Author, Alan Balboni traces the history of Italians in Las Vegas from the founding of the city in 1905, recording their activities in the fledgling settlement. As Las Vegas grew, Italian Americans participated in every aspect of the city's society and economy, including construction, retail establishments, hotels, and - after the statewide legalization of gambling in 1931 - the casino industry. Basing his research on well over a hundred interviews, as well as the records of Italian American organizations, public agencies, and other sources, Balboni has produced a sparkling, farsighted, and thoroughly documented account of the history of one of Las Vegas' most progressive and productive ethnic minorities. This new paperback edition includes an afterword by the author that brings the story of Las Vegas' Italian Americans up to the present. |