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Umbrella Mike: The True Story of the Chicago Gangster Behind the Indy 500 | 
 enlarge | Author: Brock Yates
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $3.95
You Save: $21.00 (84%)
New (8) from $3.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 366749
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 250
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.3
ISBN: 1560257768
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.72092
EAN: 9781560257769
ASIN: 1560257768
Publication Date: June 21, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Hard cover book, crisp clean copy, GREAT BUY
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Product Description
He was known as "Umbrella Mike": a hard man among the beautiful people. He moved among the elite of New York society with little notice, his sharply cocked fedora, his broad Irish face and his ever-present cigar setting him apart from the celebrities and socialites. Umbrella Mike is Michael Joseph Boyle, the corrupt leader of Chicago's most powerful union and himself a Chicago gangster on friendly terms with Al Capone. Passionate about high-class automobiles, Umbrella Mike was one of the few who could afford the luxury of racing during the hardship of the Depression. In 1937, dogged by adverse publicity and a barrage of disasters, the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup was held on Long Island. Brock Yates — noted editor, columnist and sports analyst and commentator — remarkably chronicles the dramatic events that unfolded during this most controversial of races — pitting against one another a Nazi poster child, a German-hating Swiss, and the brilliant American underdog who has a trick or two up his sleeve.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 unbrella mike September 24, 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is loaded with history about behind the scenes. I love the "old days" of the indy 500 and this book hits home about some of the happenings of the day. I would recomend reading this book. I, in fact find amazon much like the library down the street. At the library I can not find books like this so I plan on purchasing them to read and relist for sale. I just finished reading this and plan on reading it again then listing it on amazon. You won't be dissapointed with this book.
 Disappointed April 24, 2008
I bought this book because of my interest in the Indy 500, because the title was very intriguing, and because I was familar with the author from articles he wrote for a popular automobile magazine. As it turned out, the book was not that interesting and added very little to my knowledge of the "greatest spectacle in racing". I rate a good book as on that I will want read again and again and that also motivates me to find out more on its subject matter. This book does neither.
 I.M.S. Influence of Mobsters on the Speedway? January 2, 2008
Excellent expose by autoracing expert Brock Yates of Chicago gangster Mike Boyle and his dominance in Indy-car racing in the late 20's through the early post WWII period. Yates brings out the links between Boyle and nearly all of the big name drivers and engineers of the day. With Favorite driver Wilbur Shaw, Boyle's Maserati won Indy twice, and became the most successful Indy car in history. But one wonders how much influence Boyle had, through Shaw, in convincing Tony Hulman to purchase the track after WWII? Although not a subject Yates discusses, the implications arre certainly there. The book is marred only by the lack of an index (highly needed) and Yates redundant phraseology about WWII.
A welcome addition would be a chart showing the links between Boyle and arch rival Joel Thorne. A must for Indy history fans!!
Indianapolis Dynasty May 6, 2007
A fascinating look at mainly preWWII (but some post-war) Indy 500 and open-wheeled racing history. This is a great read if you are at all interested in American open-wheel racing, which was one of the most dangerous forms of motor racing in the world but a unique motorsport art form.
Umbrella Mike: True Story of a Chicago Gangster Behind the Indy 500 March 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great Book, couldn't put it down until I finished it! If you like the history of how a great race car was born and how three special guy's, Wilbur Shaw, Ted Horn and Cotton Henning made the Masarati 8CTF a legend, get this book! This car was a winner in 1939-40, should have won in 1941, and finished no worse than 4th from 1946 to 1948. It was still competing in the 500 until 1951.
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