The Rascal King

The Life and Times of James Michael Curley (1874-1958)

By: Jack Beatty

Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla

"A truly brilliant biography." (John Kenneth Galbraith, Chicago Tribune)

James Michael Curley was the stuff of legend. Twice jailed while serving in office, yet a champion of the people; builder of schools, yet a shameless grafter; born in the slums of South Boston, yet rising to become one of the most wealthy, powerful politicians of his day. In a remarkable career extending from the Progressive Era of Teddy Roosevelt to the ascendancy of the Kennedy sons, Curley represented both the triumph of Irish Americans and the birth of divisive politics of ethnic and racial polarization. When he died in 1958, more than one million mourners turned out to pay their respects in the largest wake Boston had ever seen. He truly was a man like no other.

This riveting biography, nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography, is National Book Award-winning author Jack Beatty at his very best. A spellbinding story of "the Kingfish of Massachusetts", this remarkable work is also an epic of his city, its immigrant people, and its turbulent times. It is a biography that will keep you enthralled from page one.

"Beatty's book is a delight—rich, witty, flowing, and full of insight about the nature of political corruption." (Constance Casey, Los Angeles Times)

"A panoramic, exquisitely incisive biography that illuminates the triumphs, debacles, and personal sorrows of the irrepressible man known as Boston's 'Mayor of the Poor.'" (Robert Wilson, USA Today)

Performed by award-winning narrator, Boston College graduate and Boston-area native Chris Andrew Ciulla.

Proudly brought to you by Leonardo Audio, a New England-based imprint.

©2000, 2023 Da Capo Press (Paperback, Hardcopy), Leonardo Audio (e-pub) (P)2023 Leonardo Audio

Listen to this book! It will change your perspective on Boston and U.S. politics!

Growing up in the greater Boston area, I had heard vague stories about Curley, but had no idea about the depths to which his corruption ran, through the very many political offices he held, of which I was also unaware. I had only heard of “Mayor Curley”. As Curley doles out favors to his poor and underprivileged followers, (in exchange for votes of course), I was often reminded of the Godfather - when people have no power who will they turn to? Someone exactly like Curley. It’s happened over and over again, in every political sphere, and in every country in the world. Just as the quote re Perron states, “before I was a poor and a nobody, now I am only poor.” I have often pondered over the prevalence of Irish people in the public sector in Boston, and now I know the history behind it. The breadth of Curley’s power is nearly unfathomable - the number of years he was able to balance political graft with massive popularity, his narcissistic ability to see himself as having the right to do what he did - to listen to all of it laid out so precisely and with such historical background was eye-opening. All of the names I see every day in buildings and bridges, Saltonstall, Hynes, Tobin, O’Neill, etc came to life in this book.
I was excited to see an Audible version of this book, as I most likely would not have read it otherwise. The narrator is impeccable in his delineation of the Boston accents, of which there are many, (no, Hollywood, we don’t all speak with the same accent in Boston). The narrator’s capture of and consistency with all of the accents, - and particularly Curley’s accent, more Boston Brahmin than Roxbury Irish, - throughout this long and intricate book is amazing and extremely entertaining. I felt that I was listening to Curley speak. The pace of the reading is perfect, and the narrator’s voice easy to listen to.
My only caveat in praise of the audio version is that you should have a timeline from google on the ready while reading. The book does jump around in time quite a bit, and it’s not as easy to backtrack in an audio version as it is with a hard copy. I will be watching The Last Hurrah, and researching “the Governor”, and am thankful to the audiobook for inciting my interest in the topic.