The Mafia : The First 100 Years

by William Balsamo

Book by

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History

480 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 1997

Reviews

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrative was smooth
you will never get bored till the end...love it.

[Victor A. Chaungwe Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my walk through life,I have met different people who have claimed to be Dons or the Mafia but this book gave me the opportunity to meet the real ones.

I was exhilarated by every page I turned but became morally concerned when I started identifying myself with the likes of Frankie Yale (His determination & how he dealt with the white hand gang), Charles 'Lucky' Luciano (His inclusive policy) and how Salvatore Maranzano divided NYC into 5 families just like the Roman generals commanded the Roman legions in acient Rome.
But the justification to what they did is when you look at where they came from,Sicily and its history of the Mafia.
Therefore at the end of the day,I had to reconcile with reality that despite being fascinated & inspired by them,I cannot go their way but simply flirt.

[Elliard Shimaala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing intrigues me more than the growth of organized crime in America. There is something about the Mafiosi I cannot seem to get enough of, I reckon it is the aplomb exhibited by these guys during their apex. Before I lose myself, let me applaud William Balsamo and George Carpozi Junior for their extensive research in this book. Although some chapters seemed like something out of the Godfather movie, this book does not disappoint. 

The mafia or Mafiosi was a sophisticated organization. From the likes of Frankie Yale in New York to Scarface Al Capone in Chicago and Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, this book has it all: violence, murder, business, roundtable meetings, greed and betrayals. William and George tell a captivating true story that makes Hollywood portrayals seem like mere child’s play. The stories of the men in this book are all similar, they came from poor neighbourhoods and had little or no formal education. They started out small, fought their way up the ladder and eventually got a piece of the American dream. Once at the top, greed crept in and they either ended up dead or locked up affirming the saying, “crime doesn’t pay". These men also had little respect for human life and the bloodbaths experienced during their illustrious years must be unparalleled.

The research by the two authors is exceptional. For a reader, there is nothing more pleasurable than authors who know what they are talking about. The layout is great and one follows the sequence of events with ease. The language is ‘gangster’ so be ready for a lot of 'F' words. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in organized crime, it is a great starting point.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reasonably comprehensive overview of the history of the Mob in America. The authors have spent a lot of time piecing together facts and details of the thugs that have populated the criminal underworld of America since before World War 1.

There is a mass of detail in here, and some of it makes for fairly unpalatable reading. If you were a member of the Mafia, then your chances of living to an old age were slim as you became the next victim of the infighting between gangs, given the number of murders that are reported in here. The author covers the different ages as the heads of the gangs rise in power, and there are chapters n the men who would become household names in America in their time, such as Al Capone.

I get the feeling that a proportion of this is fictionalised, in particular the details of conversations from a number of years ago, but it does make it read better. Later details of cases and the vile characters that are here can be substantiated from wiretaps. An interesting read, really only 2.5 stars.

[Lars · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book (about the Italian-Irish war, involving among others Frankie Yale) is awesome. Well written, great character descriptions. Everything.

But the last part of the book is too shallow. Characters like Al Capone and Charles "Lucky" Luciano are not given nearly as much space as Frankie Yale, and other characters are almost only mentioned in one chapter.

Still, a really great book, well worth reading.

[Chukwuma Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book i ever read

[Lars K Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book (about the Italian-Irish war, involving among others Frankie Yale) is awesome. Well written, great character descriptions. Everything.

But the last part of the book is too shallow. Characters like Al Capone and Charles "Lucky" Luciano are not given nearly as much space as Frankie Yale, and other characters are almost only mentioned in one chapter.

Still, a really great book, well worth reading.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ‘history of the American Mafia’ contains some interesting sections, but overall was disappointing. The mixing of facts and a ‘novel style’ (unless the authors were actually present or had verbatim accounts of the discussions recounted) was messy. The constant jumping between different individuals, mixing up of names and use of ‘gangster slang’ was also annoying.

A straightforward factual account of the criminal organisation would probably have been more interesting.

[Diwakar Selvam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was interesting to read especially the first half where the rivalry between two gangs Black hand and White Hand was highlighted.Frankie Yale was my favourite character though he is not the protagonist.The second half of the book after the death of Frankie Yale was quite draggy and didn't have an important character to revolve around.Giving it 4 stars.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book , seemingly a personal view on the Mafia especially the early New York years and Frankie Yale . Some details need to be taken it has pinch of salt especially when the author gets in the head of a character committing a crime when he obviously wasn't there .

[Aminu Abubakar]

Interesting

[Chukwu Ikechi]

Insightful narrative, however it wasn't smooth. There were several issues transitioning from one story to another.