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The Deeds of My Fathers

How My Grandfather and Father Built New York and Created the Tabloid World of Today
by Paul David Pope
The Deeds of My Fathers: How My Grandfather and Father Built New York and Created the Tabloid World of Today. Philip Turner: Rowman & Littlefield. Oct. 2010. c.416p. photogs. ISBN 9781442204867. $24.95. BIOG
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Paul David Pope here narrates the lives and careers of two successful Italian American businessmen: his grandfather and his father. The first section describes the life and career of Generoso Pope Sr., an early 20th-century immigrant to New York City who became the owner of the Italian language paper Il Progresso Italo-Americano in 1928. Generoso used Il Progresso to help elect various politicians, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The second half of the book chronicles the life of his son Generoso "Gene" Pope Jr., who bought the New York Enquirer and transformed it into the National Enquirer. This book by Gene Pope's son is written like a story in that magazine, with too much sex, murder, and corruption. The author would have done better to focus more on the broader picture, including the numerous charitable endeavors of both Popes.
VERDICT Those looking for an objective study of Gene Pope might prefer Jack Vitek's The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer. Public libraries serving a large Italian American population are likely the only audience suited for this work. Not recommended.
Reviewed by Danielle Fischer, C.W. Post Coll. Lib., Brookville, NY , Sep 15, 2010
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