Michael Benson

The true story of Hitler's plot to turn Hollywood's Dream Factory into a Nazi propaganda machine--and the Jewish moguls' clandestine operation to sabotage the Reich's insidious reach. World War II began at Hollywood and Vine. From the moment Hitler took power in Germany in 1933, there was no American city he wanted to rule more than Los Angeles. Control the moviemaking capital of the world and Hitler could control the message that came out of it: As clear as black and white, America and all of Europe would see him as a hero and Jews as the villains. That the industry was run by Jewish men--Adolph Zukor, Sam Goldwyn, David O. Selznick, and the Warner brothers, among them--would make his victory all the sweeter. Unfortunately for Hitler, he had no idea who he was dealing with or what he up against in the City of Angels. Recognizing the threat, the movie moguls pooled their resources and financed a clandestine operation to subvert the sabotage. Their teams of undercover spies would infiltrate the German-American pro-Hitler organizations already gestating in Southern California and take out the vile Nazi agents of chaos one by one--by any means necessary. This mission to protect the American way would span a decade. Unfolding like a real-life World War II espionage thriller, and as explosive as nitrate, Hollywood vs. Nazis is one of the most fascinating chapters in heroic American history--and true movie lore--ever told.

A breathtaking tour of the natural world is offered in Nanocosmos, an examination of majestic topographies revealed by powerful scanning electron microscope (SEM) technologies. The humbling beauty and cosmic immensity of our surrounding universe of planets, stars, and galaxies has inspired humanity since prehistoric times. But what about the vistas at the other end of the size-scale? The tiny worlds here, invisible to our unassisted eyes, are if anything more intricate, complex, and extraordinary than anything so far seen in deep space. Lauded artist and author Michael Benson’s sensational Nanocosmos corrects this oversight with an unprecedented examination of natural design at sub-millimeter scales. Nothing like Nanocosmos has ever been seen before. Benson has produced an exhilarating, aesthetically magnificent examination of complex microscopic worlds. Constructed from SEM scans that he made over the course of six years at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Quebec, the images presented here reveal an eerie, awe-inspiring beauty in subjects taken from the natural world. These include radiolarians, dinoflagellates, and diatoms, as well as many varieties of insects, microscopic flowers, and even lunar samples from the Apollo program. The composite mosaic micrographs in Nanocosmos fuse art and science in revelatory ways, exposing an astonishing sublimity hidden to the naked eye.

A Mafia insider and authentic Hollywood tough guy reveals the explosive secrets he's learned (and kept) for decades in this shocking tell all that unveils the hidden worlds of film and organized crime--from who shot JFK and murdered Jimmy Hoffa to the truth about Marilyn Monroe's death. Foreword by Steve Schirripa, star of The Sopranos, Blue Bloods, and Under the Boardwalk The Kennedys, Marilyn, the Vatican, Vegas, The Godfather, the Mob, and more . . . During a cursed childhood in a Manhattan neighborhood teeming with Italian immigrants, Gianni Russo fended for himself at an early age. It was a quality that didn't go unnoticed by Frank Costello--father figure, mentor, and legendary crime boss. Thanks to Costello, Gianni was only twelve when his luck would change for a lifetime. All of it charmed--and thrilling. With it came Hollywood glamor, Vegas risk-takers, political conspiracies, sex, murder, shadow governments, and secrets. The stories Gianni Russo could tell . . . Now he does in this bombshell confessional. This is the inside account of the Sicilian Mafia, Cosa Nostra, what really transpired in those Mulberry Street clubs, and who whacked whom--including how mobster Tony Spilotro and his brother really died, finally revealed for the first time. This is Gianni, buddy of Frank Sinatra, and intimately more with Marilyn Monroe. What's the cover-up behind her death, JFK's, and Jimmy Hoffa's? It's all here. So is the clandestine role of the pope as the sacred boss of bosses, the glory days and downfall of Las Vegas, and the colorful behind-the-scenes tales of Gianni's role in the greatest movie ever made, The Godfather. The go-getter Frank Costello once called the "Kid" shares his shocking, exhilarating, sometimes violent, and always riveting life with the dealmakers of Hollywood and the Mob. Gianni Russo lives to tell, and spills it all.

Long before Brooklyn was known as the world's hippest neighborhood, it was the deadliest - the seedy, dangerous underbelly of New York City, where mobsters and gangs could commit murder and dump dead bodies without getting caught. For more than a hundred years, the Red Hook section of Brooklyn was Ground Zero for organized crime. Whoever controlled the piers controlled everything. From the infamous Irish gang known as The White Hand at the turn of the century, to the notorious Italian Gallo brothers who ran President Street--and everything else--generations later, the blood-soaked history of Red Hook is the story of American crime at its most powerful, corrupt, and coldly efficient. It's all here: the brutal Mob hits, bullet storms, and backstabbings of the most colorful cutthroats to ever terrorize the streets. A rogue's gallery of killers with nicknames like "The Mad Hatter," "The Executioner," "Wild Bill," and "Peg Leg." The Brooklyn bar fight that gave Al "Scarface" Capone his legendary scars. The godfather of America's first Sicilian crime family whose gruesomely mangled hand could scare men half to death. And, to bring it all home, the author's own eyewitness account of multiple shootings growing up as the son of a Mafia bodyguard. Packed with jaw-dropping stories of public violence and personal vengeance, vivid insights into the Mafia's way of life, and shocking portraits of America's most wanted crime families, Red Hook is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the history of organized crime in America.

The sensational, lurid, and wickedly entertaining true story of the brothers who invented Hollywood to become the godfathers of cinema - movie moguls Nicholas and Joseph Schenck - studded with glamorous stars, scandals, mobsters, murders, and one legendary blond bombshell. . . Groundbreaking pioneers of the Hollywood Dream Factory, Joseph and Nicholas Schenck may not have been household names like the Warner brothers or Louis B. Mayer, but they were infinitely more powerful, influential--and ruthless. A pair of Russian immigrants with giant ambitions, the Schencks turned their small nickelodeon business in New York's Bowery into a partnership with Loew's movie theaters and a controlling interest in three major studios: MGM, 20th Century Fox, and United Artists. They painted the silver screen silver, laid the foundations for the all-powerful studio system, and ruled a global movie empire from their Gatsby-sized mansions on the East and West coasts. The Schencks had become moguls. Their story is the stuff of legends--and their scandals are among the greatest stories Hollywood never told. This riveting, behind-the-scenes account reveals the suprising truth about: The union-busting mob deal that landed Joe Schenck in federal prison for four years--on tax evasion charges including deductions for a menage a trois.The cutthroat and merciless political maneuvering that defined the Hollywood studio heads.The lurid murder charges against silent film star "Fatty" Arbuckle--whose legal defense was paid for by Joe Schenck.Joe's secret infatuation with Marilyn Monroe, even though Marilyn's mother named her Norma after Joe's wife The brothers' ingenious creation of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Oscars--and indomitable control over the entire film industry.From the earliest days of silent films and the swinging era of the Roaring Twenties, through the Golden Age of the studio system and the patriotic call of WWII, to the Red Scare paranoia of the McCarthy years, the history of the Schenck brothers is the story of Hollywood itself--and the endurng power of the American Dream. Moguls is a must-read for film fans, history buffs, and anyone who loves the movies.

Now in paperback The stunning true story of the rise of Nazism in America in the years leading to WWII--and the fearless Jewish gangsters and crime families who joined forces to fight back. With an intense cinematic style, acclaimed nonfiction crime author Michael Benson reveals the thrilling role of Jewish mobsters like Bugsy Siegel in stomping out the terrifying tide of Nazi sympathizers during the 1930s and 1940s. As Adolph Hitler rose to power in 1930s Germany, a growing wave of fascism began to take root on American soil. Nazi activists started to gather in major American cities, and by 1933, there were more than one-hundred anti-Semitic groups operating openly in the United States. Few Americans dared to speak out or fight back--until an organized resistance of notorious Jewish mobsters (Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Red Levine, and others) waged their own personal war against the Nazis in their midst, gangland-style . . . Packed with surprising, little-known facts, graphic details, and unforgettable personalities, Gangsters vs. Nazis chronicles the mob's most ruthless tactics in taking down fascism--inspiring ordinary Americans to join them in their fight. The book culminates in one of the most infamous events of the pre-war era--the 1939 Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden--in which law-abiding citizens stood alongside hardened criminals to fight against the Nazis for the soul of America. This is the story of the mob that's rarely told--one of the most fascinating chapters in American history and American organized crime.

In Canada, the era of baby boomers lasted from 1946 to about 1965, a period in which there was a sudden rise in the number of births observed from year to year. The 2021 Canadian census counts a total of 9,212,640 baby boomers; writers Donna White and Michael Benson may only be two of them, but they have a lifetime of stories to tell.From silly childhood antics to serious life reflections, Donna and Michael share their life journeys as baby boomers growing up in a suburb of Toronto called Scarborough, Ontario. History books will talk about Canada in the 1960s as having gained a new national flag, a national pension system, and a health insurance plan. But for a kid in the 1960s, there was more to it than all that. In Scarbro Boomers, Donna dons her poodle skirt and Michael equips his cowboy gear, and together, they show what life was really like for a baby boomer kid in those years-both the lighthearted kid shenanigans and the ever-looming threat of wars, both past and future. Scarbro Boomers is full of short stories from two old friends and is a fun, entertaining read for both those curious about one of the largest age demographics in North America and for those who are boomers themselves.

In Canada, the era of baby boomers lasted from 1946 to about 1965, a period in which there was a sudden rise in the number of births observed from year to year. The 2021 Canadian census counts a total of 9,212,640 baby boomers; writers Donna White and Michael Benson may only be two of them, but they have a lifetime of stories to tell.From silly childhood antics to serious life reflections, Donna and Michael share their life journeys as baby boomers growing up in a suburb of Toronto called Scarborough, Ontario. History books will talk about Canada in the 1960s as having gained a new national flag, a national pension system, and a health insurance plan. But for a kid in the 1960s, there was more to it than all that. In Scarbro Boomers, Donna dons her poodle skirt and Michael equips his cowboy gear, and together, they show what life was really like for a baby boomer kid in those years-both the lighthearted kid shenanigans and the ever-looming threat of wars, both past and future. Scarbro Boomers is full of short stories from two old friends and is a fun, entertaining read for both those curious about one of the largest age demographics in North America and for those who are boomers themselves.

From the godfathers of American Mafia history, the brutal and blood-stained biography of Carmine Galante, the ruthless Bonnano boss who rose from tenement street thug to masterminding the legendary global heroin trafficking network, the French Connection - always with a cigar in his mouth. HIS WAR CRY: "I RULE EVERYTHING." FOR HALF A CENTURY HE ALMOST DID. The son of Sicilian immigrants, Camillo Carmine Galante was raised in Manhattan's Little Italy and by all accounts born bad. At age ten his home away from home was juvenile detention. By fifteen he was terrorizing the streets of New York's Lower East Side, scoring high marks for the "errands" he was running for his La Cosa Nostra elders. When he turned twenty, Galante was already one of the mob's top enforcers­-a sadistic thrill killer and clinically diagnosed psychopath with big dreams: whack his way into controlling organized crime the world over, vowing to kill Mafia chieftains Tommy Lucchese and Carlo Gambino and take control of their mob families. Carmine "Lilo" Galante's rise to Mafia star was infamous: hit man for the Luciano and Genovese crime families; named consigliere by Joseph Bonnano; he wiped out eight members of the Gambinos; on behalf of Mussolini he assassinated the publisher of an anti-Fascist newspaper. "The biggest dope peddler in the country" according to law enforcement, Galante helped orchestrate one of the largest heroin trafficking operations on record--a power move too dangerous for his rivals in the narcotics trade. The heads of the five New York families decided that the psychotic Galante had to be stopped. On July 12, 1979, finishing his lunch in a Brooklyn restaurant, Galante got what he'd dished out his whole life: a shotgun blast to the face, his trademark cigar still clenched in his teeth...

The stunning true story of the rise of Nazism in America in the years leading to WWII--and the fearless Jewish gangsters and crime families who joined forces to fight back. With an intense cinematic style, acclaimed nonfiction crime author Michael Benson reveals the thrilling role of Jewish mobsters like Bugsy Siegel in stomping out the terrifying tide of Nazi sympathizers during the 1930s and 1940s. Goodreads Top Nonfiction of 2022 " A] masterpiece. One of the most rivetingly relevant reads I've ever encountered." --Jon Land, Providence Journal As Adolph Hitler rose to power in 1930s Germany, a growing wave of fascism began to take root on American soil. Nazi activists started to gather in major American cities, and by 1933, there were more than one-hundred anti-Semitic groups operating openly in the United States. Few Americans dared to speak out or fight back--until an organized resistance of notorious mobsters waged their own personal war against the Nazis in their midst. Gangland-style. . . . In this thrilling blow-by-blow account, acclaimed crime writer Michael Benson uncovers the shocking truth about the insidious rise of Nazism in America--and the Jewish mobsters who stomped it out. Learn about: * Nazi Town, USA: How one Long Island community named a street after Hitler, decorated buildings with swastikas, and set up a camp to teach US citizens how to goosestep. * Meyer Lansky and Murder Inc.: How a Jewish mob accountant led fifteen goons on a joint family mission to bust heads at a Brown Shirt rally in Manhattan. * Fritz Kuhn, "The Vest-Pocket Hitler" How a German immigrant spread Nazi propaganda through the American Bund in New York City--with 70 branches across the US. * Newark Nazis vs The Minutemen: How a Jewish resistance group, led by a prize fighter and bootlegger for the mob, waged war on the Bund in the streets of Newark. * Hitler in Hollywoodland: How Sunset Strip kingpin Mickey Cohen knocked two Brown Shirters' heads together--and became the West Coast champion in the mob's war on Nazis. Packed with surprising, little-known facts, graphic details, and unforgettable personalities, Gangsters vs. Nazis chronicles the mob's most ruthless tactics in taking down fascism--inspiring ordinary Americans to join them in their fight. The book culminates in one of the most infamous events of the pre-war era--the 1939 Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden--in which law-abiding citizens stood alongside hardened criminals to fight for the soul of a nation. This is the story of the mob that's rarely told--one of the most fascinating chapters in American history and American organized crime. "A must-read." --Larry Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers "A fascinating and entertaining read." --The Epoch Times

Who really killed "Crazy Joe" Gallo? At last, the truth can be told. And it wasn't Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran as he claimed. From acclaimed true-crime author Michael Benson and real-life Mafia Survivor Frank Dimatteo, the shocking and brutal story of Carmine DiBiase--aka Sonny Pinto--the elusive Mafia killer who went from small-time street punk to FBI's Most Wanted list to Death Row--only to be released on the streets to kill and kill again...among those who died by his gun was Joey Gallo. "Sober, he was nothing, but drunk he would blow your head off." That's how Pete the Greek described Carmine "Sonny" DiBiase, the Colombo crime family hitman who'd been terrorizing Manhattan's Little Italy since he was a kid. After beating and robbing a local tailor and doing time in reformatory, Sonny set up operations at The Mayfair Boys Civic and Social Club, an illegal poolroom where he shot and killed his best friend on Christmas day... A prime suspect of this and other crimes, Sonny went on the lam and off the grid for seven years. He then surrendered himself to police, was tried for murder and sentenced to death. But after a second trial, he walked away a free man--free to kill again. Joey "Crazy Joe" Gallo and his President Street mob waged a deadly Mafia civil war with the Colombo crime family, and in particular, Carmine "the Snake" Persico. A contract was put out for Gallo and his gang. And on that fateful night of April 7, 1972, in a Little Italy restaurant, Gallo was assassinated...by Carmine "Sonny" DiBiasi... This is the true story of who really whacked Crazy Joey Gallo on that fateful night of April 7, 1972.

From acclaimed true-crime author Michael Benson and real-life Mafia Survivor Frank Dimatteo, the gripping account of the life and crimes of the most infamous mafia boss of all time: Albert Anastasia, the man whose name is synonymous with Murder, Inc., and whose actions helped create the American Mafia. The blood-soaked saga of the Murder, Inc. legend who helped create the modern American Mafia--one body at a time--featuring shocking eyewitness accounts... Umberto Albert Anastasia was born in Italy at the turn of the century. Five decades later, he would be gunned down in a barbershop in New York City. What happened in the years in between--and why every crime family had reason to want him dead--is one of the most brutal and fascinating stories in the history of American organized crime. This in-depth account of the man who became one of the most powerful and homicidal crime bosses of the twentieth century from Mafia insider Frank Dimatteo is the first full-length book to chronicle Anastasia's bloody rise from fresh-off-the-boat immigrant to founder of the notorious killer's club Murder, Inc.--featuring never-before-told accounts from those who feared him most... They called him The One Man Army. Mad Hatter. Lord High Executioner. Albert Anastasia came to America mean and became a prolific killer. His merciless assassination of Mafia godfather Vincent Mangano is recounted here in chilling first-hand detail. He set the record: the first man in the history of American justice to be charged with four separate murders--and walk free after each one. But in the end, he was the last obstacle in rival Mafia hoodlum Vito Genovese's dream of becoming the boss of bosses--and paid the ultimate price...

The bloodsoaked saga of the Murder, Inc. legend who helped create the modern American Mafia--one body at a time--featuring shocking eyewitness accounts . . . Umberto "Albert" Anastasia was born in Italy at the turn of the century. Five decades later, he would be gunned down in a barber shop in New York City. What happened in the years in between--and why every crime family had reason to want him dead--is one of the most brutal and fascinating stories in the history of American organized crime. This in-depth account of the man who became one of the most powerful and homicidal crime bosses of the twentieth century from Mafia insider Frank Dimatteo is the first full-length book to chronicle Anastasia's bloody rise from fresh-off-the-boat immigrant to founder of the notorious killer's club Murder, Inc.--featuring never-before-told accounts from those who feared him most . . . They called him "The One Man Army." "Mad Hatter." "Lord High Executioner." Albert Anastasia came to America mean and became a prolific killer. His merciless assassination of Mafia godfather Vincent Mangano is recounted here in chilling first-hand detail. He set the record: the first man in the history of American justice to be charged with four separate murders--and walk free after each one. But in the end, he was the last obstacle in rival Mafia hoodlum Vito Genovese's dream of becoming the boss of bosses--and paid the ultimate price . . .

SAVING MONEY You're about to learn how to successfully save more money, through the techniques laid out in this book. More and more people are struggling to live, paycheck to paycheck, and the reason is bad saving habits. We live in a world of instant gratification, where it is too simple to pay now and worry late. Credit cards and loans, along with improper financial education are a recipe for disaster. This book covers a range of techniques that you can implement straight away that will enhance your ability to save. During the process of reading the book, hopefully your attitudes to money will change also. Saving doesn't have to be a painful arduous task. In this book you will learn that you can still spend money, and enjoy spending on things you enjoy. Your attitudes and approach to money will be altered, and you will learn a new method to saving Anyone can achieve financial freedom. The first step is proper saving habits. Once you have some money saved, you can easily multiply that amount many times over with the steps you will soon learn. Through reading this book you will be one step closer to financial freedom, and living without the stress of not having enough money. Here Is What You'll Learn About... Why most people fail to save Simple ways to save money today How to avoid impulse purchases Saving at home and at work How to save WITHOUT cutting your expenses How to pay off credit cards and debts How to spend wisely Much, much more

An anthology of haunting murders written by acclaimed true-crime writer Michael Benson and his "boots on the ground," Private Investigator Donald A. Tubman. Featured stories include the murders of Joanne Lynn, Pamela Moss, Shari Smoyer and Jack King, Tammy Jo Alexander, Damita Gibson, Victoria Jobson, Kelley Gaffield, Cathleen Krauseneck (The Brighton Ax Murder), Brittanee Drexel, Regina Mae Armstrong, Loretta Jo Gates and Terri Lynn Bills, plus many more-including updates on Rochester N.Y.'s Double-Initial Murders and the "Genesee Junction" murders of George-Ann Formicola and Kathy Bernhard.

The shocking true story of the most ruthless and deadly mob boss in the annals of the American Mafia. In the golden age of organized crime, Carmine "The Snake" Persico was the King of the Streets. The defacto boss of the Colombo Mafia family since the 1970s, he oversaw gang wars, murders, and major rackets, even from prison. He is suspected of personally murdering as many as 60 people and ordering the hits of hundreds more. Sentenced to 139 years in the fed, he continued to exert power over a vast criminal empire from behind bars. His brutal rise and bloody reign is the stuff of Mafia legend. In this blistering street-level account, "Mafia survivor" Frank Dimatteo teams up with true-crime master Michael Benson to take down one of the most notorious figures in the American La Cosa Nostra. This is the terrifying inside story of Carmine "The Snake" Persico, from his crime-filled childhood on the streets of Brooklyn to the longterm jail sentences that didn't stop him from controlling his criminal empire with the help of his brother, the equally kill-crazy Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico. A crime family that Carmine Persico still runs today.

The definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, and of director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke—“a tremendous explication of a tremendous film….Breathtaking” (The Washington Post).Fifty years ago a strikingly original film had its premiere. Still acclaimed as one of the most remarkable and important motion pictures ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted the first contacts between humanity and extraterrestrial intelligence. The movie was the product of a singular collaboration between Stanley Kubrick and science fiction visionary Arthur C. Clarke. Fresh off the success of his cold war satire Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick wanted to make the first truly first-rate science fiction film. Drawing from Clarke’s ideas and with one of the author’s short stories as the initial inspiration, their bold vision benefited from pioneering special effects that still look extraordinary today, even in an age of computer-generated images. In Space Odyssey, author, artist, and award-winning filmmaker Michael Benson “delivers expert inside stuff” (San Francisco Chronicle) from his extensive research of Kubrick’s and Clarke’s archives. He has had the cooperation of Kubrick’s widow, Christiane, and interviewed most of the key people still alive who worked on the film. Drawing also from other previously unpublished interviews, Space Odyssey provides a 360-degree view of the film from its genesis to its legacy, including many previously untold stories. And it features dozens of photos from the making of the film, most never previously published. “At last! The dense, intense, detailed, and authoritative saga of the making of the greatest motion picture I’ve ever seen…Michael Benson has done the Cosmos a great service” (Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks).

Christopher Bachman was content with his quiet life. All he needed to be happy was Tory, the wife that he adored, and his thriving business. The fact that his retail outlets had made him a very rich man was of no importance to him, nor was the fact that his success stemmed from a traumatic childhood incident that he believed was buried deep in his past.A major life move was to change all that.When Chris realized that Tory was deeply unhappy in their small Southern town and often the subject of bigotry and petty bullying, he took the major decision to walk away from his own dream to offer her the opportunity to fulfill hers. Running a bar in Los Angeles was probably one of the worst things that the socially awkward Chris could think of but his deep desire to ensure Tory's happiness gave him the determination to overcome his fears.Little did he know that the decision was to trigger traumatic buried memories and set in motion a chain of events that he seemed powerless to explain or halt. All he'd wanted was to give Tory the happy ever after she deserved, but now he was the one living the nightmare. Plagued by night terrors, flashbacks, and hallucinations, can he refrain from drifting into insanity, or will the events escalate until they culminate in a shocking conclusion?