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Title: A Man of Honor : The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno by Joseph Bonanno ISBN: 0-312-97923-1 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 20 January, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.17 (6 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: more to the matter
Comment: The book is well written and very interesting. But it seems to sugarcoat the "mafiaoso" world. Where are the stories of violence that the "Tradition" is known for? Incidents like cutting off ears and fingers, horseheads in beds, general thievery and intimidation. Is all that just Hollywood embellishment or did Mr. Bonanno perfer to leave the
unsavory side of Mafia life out of his book?
Rating: 4
Summary: Self-serving, yet illuminating...
Comment: Of course, he doesn't tell about the times he had to order that someone be "whacked." But he does go deeper than any other "Mafia memoirs" such as _The Valachi Papers_ ever did.
Or did he? Towards the end, I began wondering if, in his effort to portray himself merely as a misunderstood Sicilian businessman, his book proved that Mario Puzo had done extensive research for _The Godfather_, of if Bonanno had simply used that saga to explain the Mafia's history.
Either way, it's very readable, and very entertaining.
Rating: 3
Summary: Revealing... to a point
Comment: Mr. Bonanno provides an insider's view of organized crime - particularly the variety imported from Sicily - in the United States. It is a subject on which he is a unique authority as the longtime head of one of the country's major crime "families" and a Castellamarese Sicilian immigrant. He also enlightens readers somewhat with regard to what he perceives to be Sicilian traditions and the concept of "honor."
Of course, Mr. Bonanno does not illuminate much of his own involvement in illegal enterprises, which is certainly extensive. The reader is forced to assume that the criminal activities described in great detail are ones Mr. Bonanno oversaw himself. A great many recognizable names are mentioned, but the boss took care not to seriously offend anyone who was still alive and kicking at the time the book was published.
The book reaches back into the author's personal history from about the dawn of the 20th Century (some family history predates that) and the history of organized crime since the bootlegger wars of the Prohibition days. It advances into more modern times, though the recent information becomes sketchy.
As a first-hand account by a "don," this is a must-read for those deeply interested in the history of the American "Mafia." But it may disappoint more casual readers. And some may find objectionable the author's insistence that his criminal activity has been "honorable," his often sexist and racist views and his tendency to flatter himself (a tendency that was apparently passed on to his son, who also wrote a glowing autobiographical account of his work in the "family").
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Title: Bound by Honor : A Mafioso's Story by Bill Bonanno ISBN: 0312203888 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas ISBN: 006050742X Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Boss of Bosses : The FBI and Paul Castellano by Joseph F. O'Brien, Andris Kurins ISBN: 0440212294 Publisher: Island Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Made Men: The True Rise-And-Fal Story of a New Jersey Mob Family by Greg B. Smith ISBN: 0425185516 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Murder Machine: A True Story of Murder, Madness, and the Mafia by Gene Mustain, Jerry Capeci ISBN: 0451403878 Publisher: Onyx Books Pub. Date: July, 1993 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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