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AmericanMafia.com/Amazon.com Book List |
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by Sam Giancana, Bettina Giancana John Grisham meets Mario Puzo in this entertaining thriller by the
godson of a real-life Mob boss. Marty English (born Iglesia) is an ad whiz and son
of a Chicago gangster who finds himself entangled with the Mafia after his
father, Tony Iglesia, is poisoned with a potent new drug... Lively and
fast-paced, with enough high-tech drama to enthrall fans of Robin
Cook and Michael Crichton, 30 Seconds delivers suspense and thrills
enough for big-screen treatment.
--Jane Adams
by William F. Jr. Roemer
A former FBI agent with Chicago's Organized Crime Squad draws on
official FBI files to chronicle sixty years of mafia bloodshed and
mayhem that reached from Chicago, to Hollywood, to New York, and the man
in charge of it all, Tony Accardo, nicknamed "The Genuine Godfather."
by Oliver "Buck" Revell and Dwight Williams A true insider's peek into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
Washington halls of power... Revell served more than 30 years with the
FBI, reaching the second-highest position available in the bureau, that
of assistant director... --Tjames Madison
by Rick Hornung, Random House Value Publishing Staff Rick Hornung's riveting account of one of the century's most prominent
celebrity sinners shows how Capone came to see the law as a bully and
crime as a solid way to make a living. As a protégé of gangster John
Torrio, Capone collected illegal bets, thereby learning the skills of
"negotiation and compromise," backed by intimidation and raw force.
Capone followed Torrio to Chicago, where the two ran brothels and,
during Prohibition, imported liquor. Capone quickly outmastered the
master and became the dominant force in Chicago's underworld by swiftly
retaliating against those who encroached on his territory.
"Capone's downfall was brought about by a landmark IRS investigation for which Capone served eight years in prison for tax evasion. Following his release, Capone withdrew from the public eye. Seven years later, at the age of forty-eight, he died from a brain hemorrhage.
This compelling profile lets us understand the continuing fascination
with a man who was at once a gangster and gentleman; tyrant and pal;
family man and murdering pimp.
"Love is what somebody feels just before they give you a good you know
what, professor. Fear is better. Respect."
by John L. Smith Anthony Fiato--"The Animal"--was a real life mob enforcer. His bloody
deeds connected him to so many other mobsters that as a government
witness he enabled the FBI to capture and convict nearly seventy
underworld figures. Fiato was a tough kid from Boston's Hanover Street
area who was envious of the underworld figures who wore the sharpest
suits, the most expensive shoes, and attracted the prettiest women.
At the age of seventeen he moved to Hollywood and by twenty he had been
indoctrinated into the Mafia life on both coasts. Fiato grew up admiring
tough, on-screen personas of actors such as Robert Michum. As an adult
he would find himself working with such real-life mobsters as Anthony
"The Ant" Spilotro, John Rosselli, Mike Rizzitello, and Peter Milano.
The Animal In Hollywood is the true story of Fiato's explosive career in
the mafia on both coasts. A tale of sex and violence, Fiato's biography
recounts his adventures in frank and chilling detail.
by Don Maddux The Mafia and a real estate company are about to join forces. Gregory Crow is one of the owners of the real estate company and he has no idea what is happening around him. Or does he? He tries to forget through nearly suicidal levels of chemicals that he's the center of it all.
by Ronald A. Farrell, Carole Case (Contributor) A tale of good and evil, of corruption and deceit, of prejudice,
politics, and power, this compelling account scrutinizes the immensely
lucrative Nevada gambling industrys struggle to maintain legitimacy or
at least the appearance of it.
by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
In the spring of 1988, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard
O'Neill set out to write the story of two infamous brothers from the
insular Irish enclave of South Boston: Jim "Whitey" Bulger and his
younger brother Billy. Whitey was the
city's most powerful gangster and a living legend--tough, cunning,
without conscience, and above all, smart. Billy, president of the state
Senate, was a political heavyweight in Massachusetts. These facts alone
make for an intriguing story, but as authors Dick Lehr and Gerard
O'Neill found out, this was only the beginning.John Connolly, a rising FBI agent and fellow "Southie," had known the Bulgers since boyhood, when Whitey rescued him from a playground fight. After investigating organized crime in New York, Connolly was reassigned to the bureau's Boston office in 1975 and was determined to make a name for himself by relying on his old connections. He succeeded in a big way by lining up Whitey as an FBI informant in an effort to bring down the Italian Mafia--a major coup for both the FBI and Connolly. In exchange, Bulger received protection. Though heavily involved in extortion, intimidation, assassination, and drug trafficking, Connolly's "good bad guy" did not receive so much as a traffic infraction for over 20 years. In time, however, the deal changed, and information began flowing in the other direction, with Bulger manipulating Connolly and a small group of corrupt FBI agents to further his nefarious network. The criminals and the lawmen eventually became virtually indistinguishable. "Black Mass," expertly details the twists and turns of this complex story, painting a vivid portrait of Boston's underbelly and its inclusive political machine, as well as exposing one of the worst scandals in FBI history. It's also an examination of loyalty--to family, home, and heritage--and "a cautionary tale about the abuse of power that goes unchecked." As a final favor, Connolly tipped off Bulger that he was to be indicted on racketeering charges in 1995, allowing him time to go on the lam (he's reported to have access to secret bank accounts across the country). He was added to the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list in 1999.
by George Anastasia A former Mob member offers a firsthand account of organized crime in America, describing its violent apprenticeships, its deadly contracts, its chilling codes of silence, its courtroom battles, and more.
by Joseph O'Brien and Andris Kurins Paul Castellano headed New York's most powerful Gambino crime family for more than ten years. On December 16, 1985, he was gunned down in a spectacular shooting on Manhattan's fashionable East Side. At the time of his death, Paul Castellano was under indictment. So were most of the major Mafia figures in New York. Why? Because in 1983 the F.B.I. had a hidden microphone in the kitchen of Castellano's Staten Island mansion. The 600 hours of recordings led to eight criminal trials. And this book. Agents Joe O'Brien and Andris Kurins planted that mike. They listened to the voices. Now they bring you the most revealing look inside the Mafia ever...in the Mafia's own words.
by Bill Bonanno
Bill Bonanno, was a "made" member of the Mafia by the time he was in his
early twenties. He was rumored to be the model for The Godfather's Michael
Corleone, and was the subject of Gay Talese's best-selling Honor Thy Father.
Now retired, Bill is finally ready to give an eyewitness account of his life
as a high-ranking captain in the Bonanno crime family, one of America's most
powerful Mafia syndicates.
by Robert Rudolph
Absorbing story of how the FBI developed a new mode of attack on the New Jersey
crime family--and then failed to make its case in court. Rudolph covers organized crime for Newark's Star-Ledger.
Once the FBI had admitted, during the mid-70's, that there was such a thing as the mafia, it began insinuating
undercover agents into crime families, especially--in the mid-80's--into the Lucchese family, which had a lock on
New Jersey rackets such as loan- sharking, gambling, fraud, extortion, and drug-dealing. Masterminded by FBI agent
Dennis Marchalonis, the government operation was carried on with such enormous secrecy--it had been decided to make a
case against an entire crime family and wipe it out all at once, a historic decision--that FBI agents might find themselves
under surveillance by two or three other legal agencies.
by Francis Friel, John Guinther
The cop who took on Nicodemo Scarfo chronicles Scarfo's nefarious
business dealings and describes how he hunted down Scarfo and some of
the most evil and peculiar men, including Harry ""the Hunchback""
Riccobene, Teddy Di Pretoro, and Salvatore ""Salvy"" Testa.
Longish but well-observed slice of life, as a boy grows up with two heroes
of conflicting nature and
beliefs--his loving, hard-working father, and the neighborhood capo, who
takes him as a personal
protégé. Written by Palminteri, and based on his play; an impressive
directorial debut for De Niro,
who brings a keen eye and equally strong sensibility to this potent (but
ultimately upbeat) material.
Incidentally, to re-create the Bronx of the 1960s, De Niro had to shoot this
in Brooklyn and Queens!>>From Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
Beatty gives the most forceful performance of his career as Benjamin
``Bugsy'' Siegel, the fabled
crackpot gangster who helped build Las Vegas. Long but well-told tale
manages to dodge gangster
clichés. Beatty and Bening set off sparks together (just as they did in real
life), and a strong
supporting cast fleshes out James Toback's intelligent script...>>>From Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
This is, by far, the most informative biography on the legendary gangster
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. It
looks at his life as a mobster, and as a business man and of coarse, as a
ladies man. Hard to believe
how such a charming and dapper man could be what he was. This is a must see
piece for anyone
who is interested in history, Las Vegas, Bugsy, the mob, .....You'll enjoy
this..I guarantee!!!Amazon reviewer
by James B. Jacobs, Christpher Panarella, Jay Worthington (Contributor) This study of two warring entities, the U.S. government and the American Mafia, views the last 15 years of the struggle via five landmark cases brought against the Mob.
by John McCarty
Book DescriptionA lively history of gangsters in American film and an insightful look at why we love them. The gangster, like the gunslinger, is a classic American character--and the gangster movie, like the Western, is one of the American cinema's enduring film genres. From Scarface to White Heat, from The Godfather to The Usual Suspects, from Once Upon a Time in America to Road to Perdition, gangland on the screen remains as popular as ever.
In Bullets over Hollywood, film scholar John McCarty traces the history of mob flicks and reveals why the films are so beloved by Americans. As McCarty demonstrates, the themes, characters, landscapes, stories--the overall iconography--of the gangster genre have proven resilient enough to be updated, reshaped, and expanded upon to connect with even today's young audiences. Packed with fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes and information about real-life hoods and their cinematic alter egos, insightful analysis, and a solid historical perspective, Bullets over Hollywood will be the definitive book on the gangster movie for years to come.
by Robert A. Rockaway
Now in its 7th printing - inludes more gangsters! Newly footnoted and expanded bibliography!
New FBI documents! More detailed information about the alleged plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler!
While doing research for this book, Prof. Robert Rockaway interviewed old-time Jewish mobsters and their families.
He never knew what his subjects would say or do, so he came prepared for any eventuality.
writen by Nicholas Pileggi
Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang
(writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank
Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam
"Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank
"Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modeled after on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and
Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.) Through
Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and
finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a
fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas
casinos... --Jim Emerson
by Nicholas Pileggi Pileggi, author of the best-selling Wiseguys (1986), which
was filmed by Martin Scorsese as Goodfellas unravels the tale how a team
of Chicago mobsters headed west to conquer Vegas again. Filmed as CASINO
(directed by Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon
Stone).
by John J. Binder John J. Binder's book, The Chicago Outfit is a real treat for anyone who loves gangsters and has a special interest in Chicago gangland. He not only sites interesting facts, includes a wealth of captivating photographs and mug shots, but his analysis of the Chicago gangs is fascinating and informative. A great illustrative book that is a must have. Highly recommended (Amazon.com reviewer)
by Scott M. Deitche
About the AuthorScott M. Deitche was born and raised in central New Jersey. He has had a number of articles published on organized crime and its manifestations in Florida. His work and research on the topic has been featured on Fox-TV.He resides in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife and daughter.
Book Description
Complete with a profile index of each known Trafficante family member, Cigar City Mafia is the only chronology of the Tampa underworld to show readers the local factories, bolita gambling houses, and the Hillsborough River, where a new body floated to the surface practically every other day.
by Dorothy Uhnak The grandson of a Mafia don, Nick O'Hara walks a fine line between family loyalty and professional ethics--a line that blurs even more when his young son is killed during a shootout in Chinatown. Eventually Nick finds himself between a rock and a hard place as he is forced to choose between saving his own life or betraying his beloved grandfather.
by Jerry Capeci
Finally, a book that explains what the mafia is and how it operates without assuming you know the lingo and the main characters. The many examples from real events in organized crime bring the text to life and make it not only understandable but enjoyable to read as well. This is a book for those casually interested in the mafia and for the "expert" as well. Capeci not only walks the mafia novice through a mob induction and the rules that govern it's members but also reveals the real killers in a major mafia hit. For the price it's a "must" buy for all those interested in the mob.
(Amazon.com reader/reviewer)
by Georgia Durante
GEORGIA DURANTE ~ Model, Mafia Wife, Mother, and Stunt Driver - has packed a lifetime of
lessons into forty-eight years. This is the true story of one of Hollywood's
most successful female commercial stunt drivers. A woman who can dominate a
two-ton vehicle at high speeds, but off road has careened from one emotional
head-on collision to another. The story, told from a woman's point of view,
chronicles the life of a battered woman as she struggles to break the abusive
cycle while engineering her escape from the Mafia underworld. In The Company She Keeps, Georgia Durante's past is as varied as the worlds
in which she's lived. This fast-paced story exposes the truth behind the
myths that surround the glamorous industries modeling and show business,
while sparating the legend from realities of life inside the mob. A powerful
and raw, deeply personal account of one woman's life and her struggle to
escape the darkness.
The extraordinarily captivating memoir of the remarkable jewel thief who robbed the rich and famous while maintaining an outwardly conventional life-an astonishing and completely true story.
by David E. Scheim
A reexamination of the Mafia's role in the
assassination of John F. Kennedy discusses Jack Ruby's criminal activities, his
top-level Mafia ties, and how the Warren Commission blatantly covered up the
evidence.
by William Balsamo, George Carpozi (Contributor), Joan S. Dunphy (Editor) Reviewer: A reader from Long Island, NY May 27, 1999 Liked the historical perspective and pov. My own grandfather worked on Petrosino's elite squad of cops in the early part of the century. This book is a faithful re-telling of his own stories to me as a kid. Nary a Brando or De Niro in sight!
by Ralph Ranalli
It was the brainchild of FBI Director J. Edgar
Hoover: the Top Echelon Informant Program. Under its protective umbrella,
dangerous felons were courted and coddled and given free reign to commit the
worst crimes imaginable in exchange for damning insider information about the
bosses of organized crime. Dangerous conmen and sociopaths, like South Boston's
James "Whitey" Bulger, became Bureau-supported criminals kingpins, indulging in
robbery, extortion, even murder under the eyes of the FBI. Only now, forty years
after the program was first conceived, is the true story of blood and madness
being told and an account made of the bodies left in its wake.
A prize-winning Boston journalist, Ralph Ranalli
now exposes a shocking history of corruption, terror, and violence born of an
unholy collusion between America's top law enforcement agency and some of the
worst criminal psychopaths ever to victimize an unwary nation.
by Warren Hinckle, William W. Turner, Bill Turner (Contributor)
The fantastic story of the U.S.'s undeclared war against Cuba, including an
expanded section on the CIA's role in the assassination of JFK. "Deadly Secrets
is a warning as well as terribly exciting reading".--Studs Terkel. National
radio and TV coverage.
by F.B.I. agent Joseph D. Pistone, Richard Woodley (Contributor) Donnie Brasco is Pistone's unforgettable account of how be became part of the mysterious underworld that is the Mafia--the first and only account by a law enforcement agent--and it is amazing and intriguing as the flamboyant, deadly world it portrays.
by Ellen Poulsen
Buried under decades of stereotype and parody, the true history of the female companions of the Great Depression's bank-robbing gang is uncovered. Don't Call Us Molls carefully examines the legacy of the Dillinger women using eyewitness and descendants' accounts as well as courtroom and prison records. This book explores the collective experience of these fugitives and offers a thoughtful, well-informed commentary on past attitudes toward the marginalized women of the day-the lawbreakers, the informers, and a lone female sheriff. FBI memos, court transcripts, and never-before-published photos reveal the events experienced by women under siege, resurrecting historical figures and their private behavior. This history lays bare the personal lives of the wives and girlfriends of the public enemies of the 1930s and examines how their conflicting loyalties were challenged and exploited by unrelenting pressure of the United States government to betray their men.
by Paul W. Heimel
This is the only biography of Ness, separating man from myth. The
product of three years of research, Eliot Ness: The Real Story separates
the man from the myth. This book traces the life of Eliot Ness from his
childhood in a Scandinavian suburb of Chicago through his service as a
Federal Prohibition Agent in the Windy City.Ness's raids on the breweries of Al Capone, glorified in Hollywood accounts, are reported as they actually occurred. Ness later served as Public Safety Director in Cleveland, employing many of the same bold crimefighting techniques he had used in Chicago, as he attacked organized crime and police corruption. He went on to a fascinating, albeit disappointing, business career. Eliot Ness died in 1957, never knowing that the rough manuscript he had written, "The Untouchables," would form the foundation of a legend that still captivates audiences today.
by James Mannion
Are you one of the millions of television and movie viewers who scours the shelves for Mafia movies - both new and old? Do you ever wonder how much of these Hollywood dramas are real? Do they accurately capture this remarkable - and often sordid - world? The Everything® Mafia Book takes you away from fiction and tabloid and introduces you to the true-life accounts of the major players in the American Mafia. From Al Capone to John Gotti, you’ll learn to separate truth from myth and gain a better understanding of America’s most notorious crime families.
Features colorful information on: ·The Sicilian Mafia, The Mustache Petes, The "real" Untouchables, The mob and politicians, The five New York "Families" Infamous rats. acked full of real-life photographs and up-to-date gangster information, The Everything® Mafia Book will have you understanding - and speaking - Mob "Slanguage" in no time! About the Author
by Irwin Schiff
Be careful to pay attention to the warning in this book about how you can be
illegally prosecuted for not paying taxes and may have to pay stiff penalties
and serve some jail time. You've got to ask yourself, is it really worth it?
Schiff lays down a very thorough argument that the federal government taxes us
when it is unconstitutional to do so and that is why the legal language in IRS
tax code does not say you are "required" to pay your taxes. Instead they say
taxation is based on the Orwellian doublespeak term "Voluntary Compliance".(Amazon visitor review)
by David Porter
Big-time mobsters, All-American athletes and high-powered lawyers are but
a few of the intriguing characters who appear in Porter's well-researched,
action-packed account of the 1978-1979 Boston College point-shaving scandal.
Porter, a veteran sportswriter and columnist, traces the scandal from its
creation in the summer of 1978 through the trials of the players and mobsters in
1981; particularly fascinating is his exploration of how the scam affected the
players mentally and the relationship between them and the gangsters...
(Publisher's Weekly)
In turns suspenseful and hilarious, Jackie Disaster is a spin-till-you’re dizzy dance through the mysteries of media manipulation and South Jersey.
Anthony M. DeStefano was part of the team of New York Newsday reporters who won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the August 1991 subway crash in Manhattan. He has covered organized crime for Newsday and been the lead reporter on several major criminal trials, including that of subway gunman Bernard Goetz.
The best non-fiction book published on the topic, a luminous work that makes you
think of E.J. Hobsbawm's studies on banditism.
The role and function of mafioso behaviour is discussed excellently.
A fundamental advance towards the scientific analysis of the Mafia.
Though a small book, it is worth of our greatest interest because of its rich
documentation and scientific rigour.
The book presents one of our most tormenting problems with great richness of
detail and clarity of exposition.
The Jury wants to underline the importance of this richly documented work
which unites description and interpretation in an intelligent and buon senso
synthesis. It will remain the authoritative reference.
America in WWII, June 2007
"Through novels like The Godfather and movies and television, Americans have acquired an oddly parochial view of the mob, the view that it is in some way an American hybrid institution associated more with Jersey City, New Jersey, than Palermo, Sicily. Newark is a Briton and his European resources together with his narrative skills help correct that outlook and point out the mob's power and connections in Europe in the war years and highlight how the rise of Italian fascism drove some infamous Mafiosi from Europe to America in the years before World War II...Was this alliance with the Mafia useful to the Allies? From archival sources in London, New York, and Washington, D.C., Tim Newark is able to substantiate that 'it was what it was' and that there is always some truth to the adage ' The enemy of my enemy may be my friend.'"
Book Description
The Mafia is one of the most feared and powerful criminal organizations the world has ever known. It was also, briefly during World War II, America’s ally—a fact that had a profound effect on the fortunes of the Fascists, and on those of the Mafia, whom Mussolini had effectively crushed. This book brings to light a little-known chapter in the history of World War II, and of organized crime. It tells how Cesare Mori, deputized by Mussolini to “cauterize the sore of crime in Italy,” waged all-out war on the Mafia in the name of fascism; and how the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 (Operation Husky) gave the Mafia an opening to regain its strength—and its hold on political power—in the vacuum created by the Fascists’ defeat. A provocative account of how the rise and ultimate defeat of fascism in Italy affected the world’s largest and most notorious criminal organization, Mafia Allies also illuminates a dark truth about the unexpected long
The Mafia Encyclopedia includes biographical entries of both well- and less well-known wise guys,
their criminal specialties, career highlights, friends and enemies, eccentricities, peccadilloes, and
frequently dramatic demises.
The mob couldn't live with Jimmy Roselli and it couldn't live without him. Roselli is Hoboken's other great singer, and to a greater degree than Frank Sinatra, Roselli maintained his ties to his old neighborhood and its people--indeed, he made a career of those ties. He's their link to their cultural heritage and Italy, and continues to sing a good half of his repertoire in Italian. But this didn't stop his wiseguy following from getting angry at him from time to time.
"When I started singing big," Roselli told biographer David Evanier, "the tough guys were in the front row with the big cigars. They loved me so much they wanted to kill me. But their mothers and sisters and their wives wouldn't allow it." Roselli sang his best-loved song, "Little Pal," at John Gotti, Jr.'s wedding reception. Mobster Larry Gallo was buried with a Roselli record in his hands. "Hell of a guy," Roselli says of Gallo. "Nice, warm individual."
Hoboken's unsung singer feuded with Sinatra, stood up to shakedown artists, befriended godfathers, and now has thirty-six recordings in print. A captivating story of a brilliant entertainer, Making the Wiseguys Weep is also a colorful portrait of Italian American culture from the 240 saloons that lined Hoboken's streets to the bright lights of New York City.
About the Author
Book Description
So Jonah goes to war through a comical and audacious manipulation of the media which includes online rumoring, exploiting romantic myths of the mob, and orchestrating a union-backed pseudo-vigil after Vanni is arrested. To pull off these stunts, he enlists the help of his grandfather's Prohibition-era cronies, pimply-faced hackers, a disgruntled Secret Service agent, a cagey Washington lobbyist, a slick Philadelphia publicist, and a street-fighting rabbi.
Money Wanders is a wild and uproarious tour of spin and media manipulation from the lobbied halls of Congress to the dilapidated boardwalk of Atlantic City.
About the Author
John L. Smith is the most widely read columnist in Nevada. He writes for the Las Vegas Review Journal and has written several books about crime and corruption in Las Vegas.
Featuring eccentric, larger-than-life New York characters and an undercover cop on the brink of being discovered-and murdered-at every step, Takedown is a riveting real-life procedural and one of the most important investigative books of the season.
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