Island of Vice tells the fascinating and often funny story of when young Theodore Roosevelt was appointed police commissioner of New York City, and had the astounding gall to try to shut down the brothels, gambling joints, and after-hours saloons. See my book review here.
Thanks Richard for taking time from your busy schedule to answer a few questions.
Q: Why did you write
Island of Vice?
A: Among other reasons, I wrote it so that I would be paid
to research vice in 1890s NYC. I had started a novel and realized that there
was a better non-fiction book idea here. I loved finding authentic 1890s
details about brothels, etc. and also watching this strange experiment in
municipal government: Tammany Hall's pay-as-you-go vs. Roosevelt's righteous
by-the-book crusade. Ultimately neither approach in its most extreme form is
feasible.
Q: In the book you
relate how after Roosevelt left the Police Commissioner position, New York City
regressed further back into a world of vice. How much of the blame for this
should be placed on Roosevelt’s successors?
