Johnnie D : The Story of John Dillinger - Hardcover

Arthur Winfield Knight

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 031286759X ISBN 13: 9780312867591

Publisher: Forge, 2000

Synopsis

A novel of the Depressionera bank robber brings to life a man considered a hero in his own time for robbing banks at a time when they were seen as evil by the majority of Americans. 12,500 first printing.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

In a grand array of voices, some 30 in all, Knight (The Secret Life of Jesse James) chronicles the final year in the life of Public Enemy #1 John Dillinger, gangster, bank robber and American folk hero. Dillinger, various devoted female allies, members of his gang (George "Baby Face" Nelson), Harry Pierpont, and family and friends who knew Dillinger before he became notorious give their alternating viewpoints. The narrative begins in the summer of 1933, when Dillinger, just out of prison after serving time for a bungled mugging, robs his first bank. The Great Depression is at its deepest and America's bankers are seizing homes and farms at an alarming rate, with little sympathy for those financially ruined. Dillinger, with his gallant, charming style, cuts a Robin Hood-like figure, condemning the ways the rich prey on the poor. He is portrayed as compassionate, good-hearted, kind to his family, generous and loving to his women friends and always ready to share his lot with those less fortunate. His companions Nelson and Pierpont, on the other hand, are depicted as cold-blooded killers. Dillinger robs 10 banks in all and makes daring escapes from two jails. The FBI bumble in their pursuit, and manage to kill several innocent people before 20 agents gun down the outlaw as he emerges from a Chicago theater. An illegal immigrant from Romania named Anna Sage, who operates a brothel, is the infamous Lady in Red who turns the outlaw in with hopes of having her deportation order quashed. Vivid voices illuminate the settings and time period as well as the interior lives of the characters, and Dillinger's exploits are deftly paced in alternately hard-boiled and lyrical prose. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

In this imaginative novel, Knight retells the last year in the life of John Dillinger, the famous bank robber. Knight writes the novel from the points of view of Dillinger contemporaries to convey the casual violence of the robberies and the relentless pursuit by police and the FBI. Knight also recalls Depression-era poverty and the social inequities of the time that caused many to view Dillinger as a folk hero, robbing banks that were foreclosing on farmers and homeowners facing tough times. After a late night visit, a niece compares Dillinger and his latest fur-clad female companion to "the beautiful people in a Fitzgerald novel." Among the characters who chronicle Dillinger's last year are fellow bank robber Baby Face Nelson; Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent ridiculed for his near misses who eventually catches up with Dillinger; and the "woman in red," who was with Dillinger when he was ambushed. Knight portrays Dillinger with humor and sensitivity, reflecting the fascination this notorious bank robber holds 65 years after his death. Vanessa Bush

About this edition

• Publisher: Forge
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 031286759X
• ISBN 13: 9780312867591
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 222