William Oldfield

This book was a pleasant surprise. I love history. I love true-crime. I love a good conspiracy (not theory). This book had all of that and more.

While this appears to be a family story for the author, it certainly outpaces my expectations. I have done enough genealogy work to know that there are always great stories but they are not always easy to write about. In addition, there is often a needed context to the events. This book manages to provide historical facts as well as the color commentary that is necessary to bring the facts to life. And when one of the key organizations involved is "The Society of the Banana" you have to wonder why this story has not become a movie at this point. After all the code of conduct pivots on this:

"Art. 3. The member who tries to do harm to another branch of the society, or to the family of other companions, if this harm shall have been grave, will be undressed and marked on his body with the mark of infamy and called with word of contempt, “Swindler,” and if the offense is more grave, he will be stabbed;"

The author also takes a moment to step back and provide context to the family behind this book. Particularly poignant is this passage:

"What I found was that there was no detailed history of Frank Oldfield in the U.S. Post Office archives, save for a personnel document detailing his many infractions. Purposely or not, the U.S. Post Office Department took a giant eraser to Frank Oldfield’s life and his merits. Then the Hocking River did its best to wash away the remaining evidence. My family’s code of silence finished the job. As I paged through each document in the collection, I felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility. It was my duty to make sure that Frank’s story did not die with me."

Anyone who has taken the time to look into their family history has probably found a story or two that creates the desire to save and share the story.

If you like history of mafia or the creation of various law enforcement agencies, this is definitely a recommended read.… (mais)