Writing with great wit and zest, Zacks explores how young Roosevelt goes head to head with Tammany Hall, takes midnight rambles with muckraker Jacob Riis, and tries to convince two million New Yorkers to enjoy wholesome family fun. When Roosevelt’s crackdown succeeds too well, even his supporters turn on him, and TR discovers that New York loves its sin more than its salvation. With cameos by Stephen Crane, Mark Twain, and a horde of very angry cops, Island of Vice is an unforgettable snapshot of turn-of-the-century New York in all its seedy glory and a brilliant miniature of one of America’s most colorful presidents.
Background Information
Theodore Roosevelt was a progressive political leader, conservationist, war hero and adventurer. New York City at the mouth of the Hudson River is the largest city in America. Tammany Hall controlled the politics of New York City from 1854 until the election of Fiorello La Guardia as mayor in November 1933. Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain, was America's foremost writer and lecturer during the late nineteenth century.