Jeffrey Sussman was born in New York City and is a graduate of NYU, where he majored in English and minored in film and education. He is the author of eighteen nonfiction books, several of which deal with boxing and organized crime. The movie version of his book, Max Baer and Barney Ross: Jewish Heroes of Boxing will begin filming in 2025. Jeffrey has appeared in several documentaries about boxing and the mob as well as being interviewed on numerous radio programs and podcasts. For thirty-five years, while writing books, he ran his own PR/marketing company that specialized in representing authors, publishers, law firms, art galleries, and a variety of entrepreneurs. He taught a marketing/PR course for twelve years at the New School University in New York City. He continues to represent clients while turning out books year after year.
His most recent book is Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music. That was preceded by several other Rise and Decline Mob books: Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York; Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas; and Tinseltown Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood. He is also the other several books about boxing, including a biography of Rocky Graziano; Boxing and the Mob; and Holocaust Fighters: Boxers, Resisters, and Avengers.