I thought this was fascinating - I was not at all aware of Mrs. Mandelbaum, but am delighted to have peeked behind her nefarious curtains! I hadn't read Fox before, although had heard of her work (most notably the Conan Doyle book). I'm definitely going to have to look into her further now. She does a very nice job painting a picture of a time and place with details that resonate and bring the past to life. I found the level of description to be appropriate to an engaging narrative rather than a textbook-feeling piece of non-fiction.

Fredericka Mandelbaum came to New York in 1850. Poor and working as a peddler. By 1870, she was a widow with children and a fixture in Society.

She must have married well. No, she was a crime boss.

And if that isn’t intriguing, I don’t know what is!

She was a fence and a very successful criminal. Planning robberies of gold, jewels and cash all over the country. We are talking millions and millions!

What an interesting account this was. I had never known about Marm before and I am very glad I found out.

They may have had gangs in New York, but this lady created a system, and it worked very well.


Excellent Read

NetGalley/ Random House July 02,2024

Forget Bonnie and Clyde, Meet the Original Gangster Grandma: A Review of "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" by Margalit Fox

Margalit Fox's meticulously researched "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" isn't just another salacious true crime biography – it's a Trojan horse that upends our romanticized notions of the Gilded Age. This book forces us to re-examine ideas of power, ambition, and how success is defined, especially within the confines of a deeply prejudiced society.

Forget the Carnegies and the Astors; Fredericka Mandelbaum was a ruthless tycoon operating in plain sight. Yes, she was a master fence, but Fox reveals her as an astute businesswoman exploiting a corrupt system. She understood the allure of luxury, the power of networks, and the necessity of bribing the right people. Mandelbaum's criminality was merely a twisted reflection of the 'legitimate' business practices of the era, making us question the thin veil separating the two.

Where the book truly excels is in its exploration of the complex social forces shaping Mandelbaum's rise. As a woman and a Jewish immigrant, she was doubly an outsider. This marginalization, while undeniably oppressive, became a strategic weapon. Fox skillfully shows how Mandelbaum's 'otherness' allowed her to forge a vast underworld network, tapping into disenfranchised communities often ignored by those in power.

Her story is a sobering reminder that for some, especially those systematically excluded from conventional paths to success, defiance and transgression become the only viable means of attaining agency. Fox doesn't lionize Mandelbaum, but she doesn't condemn her either. Rather, she compels us to confront the systemic failures that can push even the most clever and resourceful individuals towards morally dubious choices.

"The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" is an unflinching, thought-provoking read. It doesn't simply offer a gripping crime story; it interrogates how power, ambition, and identity intersect. Fox leaves us unsettled, encouraging us to reconsider the historical figures we exalt and the narratives we tell ourselves about who gets to play the game – and who wins it.

This is a fascinating book about an immigrant woman who migrates to the US in 1850 and through skill and force of personality builds and runs an extensive criminal fencing activity in New York City. I had never heard of Mrs. Mandelbaum before reading this book, which really surprised me since I am a New York native and very familiar with NYC History. It is a very fast read with extensive research and footnotes – and the footnotes add a lot to the story and are well worth reading.

Really interesting biography of a woman of whom I’d never heard - an immigrant Jewish lady crime lord in Gilded Age New York? Sign me up right now. This is very much one of those biographies which is “life and times” more than it is a personal biography - personal information about Mandelbaum comes from public interviews, court proceedings, and other people; she didn’t exactly leave papers or a memoir lying around - but Fox (unsurprisingly, given her past as an obituary writer) does well pulling all that information together into a cohesive, engaging whole. We learn not only about Mandelbaum but about how her crime empire functioned, and the ways in which she both exploited and was exploited by New York’s notorious nineteenth-century corruption. It was interesting and fun to read, absolutely the kind of book I’ll be recommending to friends and aunts for the next year or so.

That said, if I never read “a historian has written” again it will probably be too soon; Fox quotes extensively and loves, loves, loves that construction. Can’t she just say “wrote?” Evidently not. And while on the one hand I appreciate how meticulously she sourced all of her quotations, on the other, I really wished she would paraphrase more often, if only to get rid of all those quotation tags - they felt really obtrusive by the end. Minor complaint? Absolutely. Did it bug me? Also yes.

Magalit Fox creates a New York in a women's world at its finest, I enjoyed this adventure. Mrs. Mandelbaum is one worth knowing and one to be mentioned as this was such an intriguing story. As her life comes into view one is mesmerized by her brilliance and strength. After this book, I have a whole new view of organized crime. Wonderfully written and easy to follow this is a must for historical fiction fans. After the last page, I found myself wondering what else to read in this genre. I will be telling friends that this is a must-read in 2024.

"The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" was a fascinating book. I had never heard of Fredericka Mandelbaum, but her success as one of the earliest organized crime bosses was quite impressive. Especially considering that she was running her organization in the 1860s to 1880s, when transportation was by train or horse-drawn wagon and when communication was largely by mail or telegraph (with the telephone not invented until 1876), I was surprised by the reach of her organization and the number of spectacular crimes that occurred far from New York City. There were some rather colorful characters in her life, from her attorneys to the primary crooks she worked with to various city officials. There were interesting discussions about how she operated her business, the history of various types of property crimes, and the details of some of the major "jobs" she helped facilitate.

This is a fascinating account of Fredericka Mandelbaum, who ran an enormous empire of stolen goods and was the money behind various bank heists in the New York of the so-called Gilded Age, when economic disparity grew by leaps and bounds. Fox chronicles Mandelbaum--aka "Marm"--from her arrival in New York to her flight to Canada after being arrested, recounting Marm's training of thieves, her rivals in organized crime, and her upper-crust social life as a hostess to judges and others in the social elite. Some of the quotes run a little long, but I appreciate the context Fox gives for Marm's activities. The title of the book and the titles of several chapters refer to current pop culture and will draw in some readers, but may not age well. i realize that Fox uses Mandelbaum's first name in order not to have pages and pages full of "Marm" and "Mandelbaum," but authors have traditionally used women's first names and men's last names as a way of showing the relative importance of them; I prefer that everyone is called by their last name, only using first names when there is the possibility of confusion, although here, "Marm" is clear and doesn't diminish Mandelbaum.

A rags to riches story, but on the other side of the law, and focusing on a woman. That alone makes it worth picking up, if only to satisfy one's curiosity.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" was an immigrant who came to New York city in the mid 1800s. she was poor lost her first baby girl. Married and had four more children. She became a widow and had to find a way to support her young family. So she became a criminal a "fence" for other thieves who brought her the Jewelry they shoplifted. expensive pieces of clothing like silk, furs, and many other expensive items that would take into her small shop. she became an expert in changing the stolen goods like jewelry, furs, expensive clothing goods so they would not be traced and resell them. By the mid 1880s she was a millionaire off other people's goods. Of course after about 20 years of being one of the most successful thieves she would be caught, sent for trial only to escape to Canada where she could not be brought back to the states. Got to say although this woman was a thief, I was impressed by how she managed to get away for so long. like wow! Good and interesting read.

Wow! How is it that I have never heard of this woman before? Such an interesting story and how she got away with what she did for as long as she did is baffling. One can only imagine what she could have been and done with her life in a different time. The author was dedicated to telling her tale and includes pictures and terrific footnotes. Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.