Edgar Laurence Doctorow (born 1931) is an American writer and a winner of several literary awards. The novel “Billy Batgte” is one of Doctorow’s most striking works.
America in the era of Prohibition… Trucks speed along dim streets carrying illegal whiskey to underground warehouses. Nightclubs are alive with activity; the ghostly accessibility of all worldly pleasures drives people to any kind of madness.
The gang of Dutch Schultz keeps law-abiding citizens—and even the most notorious criminals—in fear. Rumors of its brutality are splashed across the pages of the “yellow” press every day. To become a member of this gang dreams young Billy Batgte—a boy from the city slums. In his sweetest dreams he sees himself surrounded by glamorous gangsters and fatal beauties. Will the realization of his dream be as sweet?