Boardwalk Empire by Nelson Johnson

From The Week of July 25, 2010

It is surely no surprise that a history of Atlantic City, that early 20th century center of glitz and crime, American style, is concerned as much with its flamboyant bosses as it is with the city itself. For it seems, at times, that this happy den of self-indulgence is the personification of the men who, at various points, commanded its loyalty and steered it into prosperous waters. Mr. Johnson's biography of a once glamorous American town dovetails nicely with the HBO television show of the same name, serving as an excellent primer for the rhythms of a city that, long ago, burned so brightly.

Birthed from a 19th century doctor's desire to find the perfect spot for patients and citizens to recuperate from the difficulties of the industrializing world, Atlantic City needed only a matter of years to fall into the hungry hands of special interests with deep pockets. It was railways at first, railways that rolled in the crowds from New York and Philadelphia. But then, as time went along, other interests joined the fray, interests that brought accommodations, then prostitutes, then alcohol and gambling. Soon enough, the town was hopping, buildings thrown up as fast as crews could build them as Atlantic City rolled in money and electricity. The 1920s were the high-point of Atlantic City. Rather than cramp their business, Prohibition merely codified a collection of disparate interests into a formidable, criminal organization capable of servicing the interests of its visitors. The most effective way of maintaining order was, of course, to control local politics, an industry the syndicate conquered and then dominated, in some form or another, for the next 20 years. Eventually, the federal authorities would organize themselves enough to battle these powerful bosses, breaking down the codes of loyalty and secrecy that had served them so well, but not before a coherent network of organized criminals was founded, a network that would run the Atlantic coast and rule over various industries for decades to come.

Boardwalk Empire spends as much time chronicling Atlantic City's decline as it does its successes. The slow decay of a once happening town is painful to watch, like a patient on life support who refuses to give up. Though it has experienced a number of resurgences, its glory days are largely gone, enshrouded by the mists of a looser time. In this, its rise and fall is a mirror of many American towns which peaked in popularity in the early half of the 20th century, only to rust away. The causes are different, of course, but this affinity gives this effort an extra poignancy.

Mr. Johnson lingers overlong on Atlantic City's most famous boss, Nucky Johnson, but then the man towers over the city's history during its most prosperous period. As such, Mr. Johnson, the author, can hardly be blamed for describing in vivid detail the ways and means of his empire. Thorough is an overused descriptor of histories, but a book that covers the politics, the scandals, the prime movers and, the vicissitudes of a place over five generations has surely earned such a label. (3/5 Stars)