The deeds of my fathers : how my grandfather and father built New York and created the tabloid world of today : Generoso Pope, Sr., power broker of New York, and Gene Pope, Jr., publisher of the National Enquirer

This captivating true story reads like a cross between The Godfather and Citizen Kane. It chronicles the emergence in America of an Italian immigrant and his son whose deeds would make them among the most prominent practitioners of power and influence in the new world. Based on previously untapped sources, this engrossing book presents an archetypal story of the American century, told candidly by a consummate insider. This engrossing saga begins when Generoso Pope, Sr., just 15, flees Italy and his domineering father, sailing to America with only pennies in his pockets. He passes through Ellis Island in 1906 and soon finds work in the sand pits of Long Island, just as this coarse sand, mixed with cement, is becoming New York City?s key building block. He becomes foreman, then president of a company supplying material for landmarks like Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. Intent on becoming a kingmaker, he also constructs a media empire, becoming publisher of the Italian-American newspaper, Il Progresso. His endorsement is soon sought by politicians aspiring to become mayor of New York City and president of the United States. Intense Rivalry And Borgia-like Cunning Made The Pope Family One Of America's Wealthiest And Most Influential--now A Descendent Of The Two Pope Patriarchs Chronicles A Family That Embodied The American Century...--dust Jacket Flap. Foreword: A Tale Of Three Sons -- Prologue: A Meeting With Frank Costello -- An Empire Built On Sand -- Crowning Political Kings -- Publishing A Newspaper For Missy Smith -- Afterword: The Enquirer Up For Sale. Paul David Pope. A Philip Turner Book--t.p. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Intense rivalry and Borgia-like cunning made the Pope family one of America's wealthiest and most influential--now a descendant of the two Pope patriarchs chronicles a family that embodied the American century ..."--Dust jacket flap "Intense rivalry and Borgia-like cunning made the Pope family one of America's wealthiest and most influential--now a descendent of the two Pope patriarchs chronicles a family that embodied the American century ..."--Dust jacket flap