Bummy Davis VS. Murder Inc.: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia

Ron Ross recreates a world of candy stores, pushcart vendors, tenement apartments, petty thugs, corner gyms, notorious gangsters, and the struggle for life and dignity admist poverty, crime, and prejudice. Vivid, colorful, and often humorous, it's also grim, unblinking, and heart rending.

A great book for students of Jewish-American history, for boxing enthusiasts, for organized crime buffs, and for those who simply appreciate a great story.


devasting story of trying to survive the depression...   June 22, 2004
what a masterpiece....it parrallels the rise and fall of jewish mobsters and al "bummy" davis during the great depression in brownsville, brooklyn, the toughest neighborhood around ...davis rose above it to become a top lightweight contender during the late 30's...he had his ups and downs crossing paths with murder inc, who prevented him from fighting for the championship...however, his story is more....he's a fierce customer in and out of the ring, but does have a heart of gold...he doesn't want to be rich and famous, he wants to buy his parents a house and have a wife and family....he stands up to the mobsters admirably, even at his own loss....the book details the candy stores, shops and pushcarts of depression life,of which "bummy" got his start....there's a cast of characters named, "bugsy" "puggy" and "fat yerna" etc...your emotions will be stirred as to what happens to them...i'm glad i read this book and would like to say i have more admiration for al "bummy" davis than anyone else except my own father who grew up in similar surroundings in the bronx...


A Great Human Interest Story   February 11, 2004
You don't have to be a fan of boxing to enjoy this book. It is more of a human interest story than anything else. Once you start reading this book, you will find it very difficult to put down. As you are reading this book, you feel like you are transformed back to Brownsville, Brooklyn with all of the characters and living in that time period. Congratulations to Ron Ross for his hard work and research of an ill-fated boxer who had a heart of gold and got a bum rap from the press and the media. This book is simply a must read for everyone who enjoys reading.


Depression era Brooklyn   February 5, 2004
Ron Ross' dazzlingly descriptive biographical novel does a wonderful job in the recreation of the Brooklyn Jewish ghetto of Brownsville during the throes of the Great Depression. Ross exhaustively researched his material to give us a feel for the sights, sounds, smells of the crowded, sometimes squalid tenement that Brownsville was, complete with Yiddish expressions and verbiage common for the time.

Brownsville spawned both Murder Inc., the Jewish Mafia, and Albert Abraham Davidoff, better known as Bummy Davis, a dynamic lightweight boxing contender with a thunderous left hook. Murder Inc. was headed by Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. He used local Jewish thugs such Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss and "Buggsy" Goldstein to enforce policies
of protection, loan sharking, extortion, prostitution, and bootlegging. They terrorized the community using murder to keep everyone in line.

Davis, whose dad was a local merchant, had an older brother Willie who was a Lepke henchman. Davis who was a loyal, thoughtful, industrious and respectful guy, could never shake a negative image brought about by the exploits of his brother. After working as a fruit peddlar from a pushcart at the tender age of 10, he soon discovered that his fighting skills learned on the streets could be honed into productive boxing skills.

He turned professional at 16 lying about his age and became a money making prize fighter with exceptional skills. He used his money to buy his parents a home and refused to be controlled by the mobsters in cohoots with Murder Inc.

The story goes on to chronicle both the rise anf fall of the Brownsville Jewish mafia. Unfortunately the storied life of Bummy Davis was also abbreviated. At the tender age of 25 having retired from boxing due to the rampant corruption and prejudices that existed and about to begin a new career, he was gunned down in a bar room stick up trying to protect his friends.


MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2003   December 30, 2003
ALL I HAVBE TO SAY IS WOW... WHAT A GREAT BOOK. THE DOPES IN HOLLYWOOD HAD BETTER MAKE THIS INTO A MOVIE FAST. THIS BOOK READS LIKE THE BEST FIGHT STORY OF ALL TIME. I ESPECIALLY LOVED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUMMY AND HIS BROTHER. DON'T WALK... RUN TO BUY THIS BOOK. I READ IT IN ONE NIGHT.

RON ROSS KEEP IT UP. I THINK YOU HAVE ANOTHER 10 BOOKS IN YOU JUST FROM THIS ONE. INCLUDING THE STORY OF LEPKE, GURRAH AND THE OTHER BOYS. HOW ABOUT ONE ABOUT ALL THE JEWISH BOXERS INCLUDING BENNY LEONARD AND RUBY GOLDSTEIN?

THIS IS A CLASSIC.