Mariah Adin, The Brooklyn Thrill-Kill Gang and the Great Comic Book Scare of the 1950s (Praeger, 2014)
Stereotypes should always be viewed with skepticism. That said, when we consider Jewish kids from Brooklyn we ordinarily think of well-behaved, studious types on their way to \u201cgood schools\u201d and professions of one sort or another. Rude boys roving the streets of New York seeking to \u201ccleanse\u201d the city by assaulting and even killing \u201cbums\u201d do not readily come to mind. Yet there were such Jewish thugs in the 1950s. Mariah Adin\xa0tells their tale in her wonderful book The Brooklyn Thrill-Kill Gang and the Great Comic Book Scare of the 1950s (Praeger, 2014).\n\nIn the summer of 1954, the Brooklyn \u201cThrill Killers\u201d murdered two men and tortured several others. All of the victims were essentially indigent men. After the boys were captured, it was discovered that their leader, troubled teenager Robert Tractenberg, was fascinated with the Nazis. Not only that, he was a big fan of violent horror comic books, some of which contained avenging characters. These facts led investigators to believe that the message found in the comics influenced the Thrill Killers\u2019 violent mission and methods. In other words, the violent comics were corrupting youth and were, perhaps, at the root of a perceived national upsurge in \u201cjuvenile delinquency.\u201d If this were true, then some sort of censorship might be in order. But what of constitutional considerations? Listen in and learn how it all played out.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law