A captivating biography of a forgotten hunchbacked idol who found his own version of fame and fortune in America?s Jazz AgeCrippled by a childhood accident, McLoon never grew taller than forty-nine inches, but superstitious big-league baseball players took his hunch as a sign of good luck. He was batboy and mascot of the Philadelphia Athletics for three seasons and although the team always finished last, Hughie became a local celebrity. He loved the crowds and they loved him back. Graduating from batboy to boxing manager to owner of a speakeasy patronized by bootleggers and gangsters, Hughie was the toast of Philly until one summer night in 1928 when he was caught in a murderous crossfire outside his tavern. The next day, 15, 000 admirers lined up to see his four-foot corpse. Allen Abel recreates the incredible life and times of one of the great characters of the American demimonde. Filled with fascinating social history and Runyonesque characters, The Short Life of Hughie McLoon writes a new chapter in the complicated mythology of the America dream. | The Short Life of Hughie McLoon, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters