Smalltime

A Story of My Family and the Mob

By: Russell Shorto

Narrated by: Russell Shorto

Family secrets emerge as a best-selling author dives into the history of the mob in small-town America.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a city in its brawny postwar prime, is where Little Joe Regino and Russ Shorto build a local gambling empire on the earnings of factory workers for whom placing a bet - on a horse or pool game, pinball or Tip seal - is their best shot at the American dream. Decades later, Russell Shorto grew up knowing that his grandfather was a small-town mobster but never thought to write about him, in keeping with an unspoken family vow of silence. Then a distant cousin prodded him: You gotta write about it.

Smalltime, the story of Shorto's search for his namesake, delves into the world of the small-town mob, an intricate web that spanned midcentury America, stitching together cities from Yonkers to Fresno. A riveting immigrant story, Smalltime is also deeply personal, as the author's ailing father, Tony, becomes his partner in piecing together their patriarch's troubled past.

Moving, wryly funny, and richly detailed, Smalltime is an irresistible memoir by a masterful writer of historical narrative.

©2021 Russell Shorto (P)2021 Recorded Books

Johnstown Resident

Being from Johnstown this book meant so much. I knew the streets. The names. The establishments. It is so well written. I enjoyed the story of The Johnstown Mob and the Shorto family thoroughly.

Good story….

…good storyteller.

I do not understand why I need to pad the review with more words!

Great historical read of Johnstown's own LCN

As an Italian American son growing up in Cambria County, I'd hear stories of these days gone by, of the men who ran Jtown behind the scenes, of the places and persons no longer here to share. The author does an amazing job bringing this era back to life. Great read, shared in a captivating way.

Greatest book I've both read and listened to

I had picked it up from the library in Butler, Pennsylvania. I walked the streets of Johnstown with the addresses and stories in my head. I had to listen to it here upon learning that it was the author's voice.

Great rendition of a family and small city

I was attracted to this book because I grew up in Johnstown PA and my family lived on Church Avenue from the 1800s until 2003 when my mother passed away. My father was a longtime patron of the Clinton Street poolroom. Being very familiar with the people in the book, they were brought back to life for me by Russell Shortlo’s wonderful account of his family and theirs and my home. This book is outstanding.

Very Different Mob Story

If you are thinking Goodfellas or The Godfather think again. This is a story about families and more specifically the relationships between fathers and sons. The mafia portion is secondary although relatable if you are from small town Western Pa as I am. My earliest memories are visiting a great aunt who lived in Johnstown in the mid 70’s.

Must listen. Incredible story

Incredible insights into the history of america, woven into a deep and touching story of family

A very interesting take on a very American story

This gave a very good introduction to organize crime in the United States that’s different from the most celebrated books, but fascinating nonetheless.

It spends an inordinate amount of time as more or less a family narrative, and maybe not as much about organized crime per se as one would like, but it’s absolutely worth the listen.

As a result of listening to this, I’ll probably listen to other historical narratives by the author.

Brilliant balance of memoir and history!

I was spellbound from the start, listening to Russ Shorto’s SMALLTIME, re-listening to chapters to collect more detail and enjoy the tale. Full disclosure, I grew up in Johnstown, PA. I had connections to places and recognized surnames of high school and college classmates among the people who lived parts of the story. That brought the story to life for me. I frequented one of the bars Shorto’s father built and even became a short-order cook there for a time, though long after he had sold the business.

As I trained as a writer, though, the interwoven memoir/history structure intrigues me. Shorto seems to have struck a balance between interesting, solid research and carefully revealing his own families’ intergenerational lessons.

I loved the history of Sicily’s relationship to Italy and the details of Italian immigration experiences. I had never understood the “No Italians” references culturally beyond the general hostility members of each wave of immigrants displayed towards the next one. My enjoyment and appreciation of this story are linked by my own Johnstown family beginning its American chapter in the same decade and location as Shorto’s, by way of Ellis Island. The writer and I came of age in the same era, so I relished the pictures he painted. He evoked an era through my senses. Well done.

Fascinating look at the mob

Easy to listen to and very engaging. If you any interest in the mob this will be a must listen.